best approach to viral marketing re:milliondollarhomepage.com

The success of milliondollarhomepage is down to a few simple factors. Simplicity, ingenuity/originality and word of mouth.

On the back of this, I pose the following - If you had an idea that met each of the main points listed, how would you go about getting it off the ground? How would you aim to gain similarly massive levels of exposure? What are the initial steps you would take in the hope that your idea would spiral into the levels of silliness that milliondollarhomepage has?

Hopefully we will get some discussions that will inspire us to succeed as the guy has with his milliondollarhomepage.

 

local media as in newspapers? TV or anything beyond the papers would cost a lot I imagine. I know the milliondollar guy's break was with a press release that all the media people latched onto, I wonder if he just got lucky with a big news company and then the others followed suite, or if they all saw the potential at the same time, from the same press release...

 

I think this guy got lucky although the idea have it's merits.

First, the idea is great, it's very original and I think its even funny. Funny because I really doubt that a pixel is worth $1, but this shows that things real value is what people are willing to pay for them.

From what I've read for something to become viral it needs to be good (like this idea) but also needs to have a medium to spread itself. Like for example friendster provides you with the means to send emails to your friends to let them know about their service.

So this guy got a great idea but it lacks something, a medium to spread itself. In this case he got lucky that the idea called the attention of the media. It also helps a lot the way the web works now. The news spread fast from blog to blog, and forum to forum , and if there's something that calls people attention it will spread fast.

I can really recommend you a book about this "The Tipping Point", it talks about the factors that take part on viral ideas.

 

Maybe copyright/patent certain aspects of the idea, if possible?

 

I think the press release is what made the site explode. First he made a press release, it got posted all over, then the idea was so 'crazy' that the blog world link-bombed him and then the media gave him a LOT of free advertising and to this day, he's still showing up in the media.

 

Nice idea for a thread, I've been racking my brain lately trying to figure out something similar. I think originality is key, and relating to people on some level. This guy, whether he knew it or not, connected with just about every webmaster out there. Everyone would love to come up with an idea like that. I probably showed his site to about 10 people.

BTW, I just checked, this guy has now booked $450,000 in revenue! Impressive. I think his freshman year will be a very good one, indeed. He'll be a campus quasi-celebrity, getting laid left and right. Hopefully he does well with his good fortune (and talent). I'm envious.

 

Yep, something unique will take the cake anyday

 

As far as viral marketing I would definitely aim to get a opt in list. Get as many as your visitors email addresses as possible. You can also use filesharing networks to market your idea. Get a press release so you can get the word out. And most importantly, keep posting here at Digital Point and asking questions.

 

i have seen many people here in india go for print advertising for their site and makes it big sucess.Now they have opted for Radio advertisements too.Since television ads are very costly.

 

How can you use filesharing networks to market your idea?

 

It was just such a unique and simple idea. You didn't have to be a webmaster to understand it or appreciate the story behind it (college guy sells ad space to reach millionaire status).

 

read this thread I started here:http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=31915. It gives a lot of details on filesharing marketing.

 

My thoughts on promoting a unique idea.

1. Press release through places like www.prweb.com.

2. Add a viral marketing component where people who refer others make a commission or get a benefit from referring. I am using this technique for my Free Traffic Bar at http://www.freetrafficbar.com where my members are now bringing me most of my new members, not my own marketing.

3. Get people talking. Send a notice to some influencial bloggers or media people who reach lots of people.

 

My hat goes off to Alex Tew, he certainly found a unique idea to sell ad space. I actually took his idea one step further... selling ad space by the BYTE! There are so many "pixel pushers" out there now that I needed to put a spin on the pixel advertising concept. Check out www.buckabyte.com

 

Well, I just got a small question regarding his website, did he create the script...or did he just buy it?

 

hmm...well what about something that ads on to that idea, but better advertises...like people visit his website and such, but he displays his ads ONLY on his website

Maybe there could be a script which advertises pixels to others! Like an AdSense program for Advertisers

 

I am highly surprised the way ALex has been treated by DP member here There has been already many threads(and backlinks ) devoted to him in DP and people acts(inexpereinced{?}) like he has done something which has been either never done or very hard to achieve.

Ofcourse it was a very nice and unique idea and he got what he deserved. But I still feels that instead of trying to follow him you better learn from so many senior member here (too many to mention there names) to work hard and than make good consistent money, and also from Shawn who regularly comes up with neat ideas. It's just that those ideas never made him million dollars but than nobody can be sure how much a idea can make you ? Maybe tomorrow Shawn can be a millionarre or Nintendo or fryman.

What I am trying to say is even for making few thousands dollars you need to come up with innovative ideas like so many of DP seniors have done.

 

But ya One Good thing that Alex has done is that he has made people think of something new and unique if you want make some Good money from internet.