Viral Marketing: What It Means and How It Can Impact Your Business

By Anne Ahira

Viral Marketing is an exciting form of advertising that fits well with network marketing. Both concepts are based around relationship building.

Viral marketing basically creates a word-of-mouth referral method by using your existing customers and contacts. Your message is passed around and around, creating exponential growth for your company.

This is very similar to network marketing. Remember me talking about referring someone to a movie or restaurant you liked? This is the same concept.

Studies have shown that the typical internet user is very vocal about their online experience. This means that for each person you reach, you are actually reaching a group of their friends as well. And then those friends tell other friends, etc. and you have the kind of growth that is similar to the way downlines grow in network marketing companies.

Let me give you an example of viral marketing in action. Have you ever received a greeting card from Blue Mountain? They are a very popular free greeting card company on the internet. At the bottom of each card you receive, it allows you the option to give a card back to the sender or anyone else you might like. This is viral marketing in action!

The person getting the card now knows that Blue Mountain is a reliable company. After all, their friend uses their service. This establishes credibility and trust simply by association! The number one barrier to closing sales is already removed by using this method!

Another good example of Viral Marketing is seen at Amazon.com. At the close of each sale, they ask you if you know someone who might like what you have just purchased. If you do, they offer to email them a note saying that you have just purchased this product and thought they might like it as well. If your friend orders the same product within a certain amount of time, they receive a discount. This is a brilliant concept because it allows Amazon to reach more people through a credible third party. With every email they send on your behalf, you are endorsing their website, and taking part in their viral marketing campaign. In essence, they are getting you to do their advertising for them!

So, why would someone spread YOUR advertising message around to others? What have we been talking about in almost every section? BENEFITS! The bigger the benefit that you can offer to people, the more likely that they’ll pass it along.

For example, create a free report with valuable content and include a "pass it on" link at the bottom. If you have a newsletter, or write articles for one, put a line at the bottom of your article – "Know someone who would be interested in this? Click here to email it to them!"

What benefit does the person sending these receive, you might wonder? They are offering valuable information to friends and colleagues. They are helping them out, and in the process, establishing you as a person worthy of their trust.

Contests are also an effective way to generate interest. Encourage people to refer their friends to sign up for your contest. For each friend they sign up, they could receive another entry into the drawing.

In whatever form you chose, remember to ask the person for the referral, rather than just hoping that they’ll do it on their own.

Take some time to think about how viral marketing can be used to further your business. Look around and see what other companies are doing. Don’t overlook this far-reaching, powerful marketing technique! If done correctly, it could be the most valuable one you will ever use!