Anyone have a good recommendation for learning more (actual nuts and bolts type info) about getting started. Seems like so much info is very superficial. I have (from years of publishing various ezines and newsletters) a lot of stuff written (articles, trivia quizzes, inspirational and motivational pieces, etc.) Obviously this is stuff that has been used and some can easily be recycled for article marketing etc. but I keep coming back to trying to brainstorm some more ideas for how to turn this stuff into a traffic builder. Any ideas or suggestions for places to learn more are appreciated! Thanks, Deanna
Deanna, about a month ago I started reading an ebook called "Unleashing the Ideavirus" by Seth Godin. It's almost 200 pages, easy to read and isn't fluffed with hype like many paid marketing ebooks out there. I'm not sure how much you already know about viral marketing, but I feel that this one should give you enough examples to get you on the right path. Grab a copy here: Unleashing the Ideavirus Enjoy
Depending on what your goals and budget are, Mike Filsaime has just launched "Butterfly Marketing" which is all about viral marketing and building a viral website basically, with alot more. Not sure if you will be able to get a copy anymore though, as they may be all sold out. And it comes with a price tag of $997. But well worth the investment if you are into that sort of thing. Brad
This is very basic but quite informative. Maybe it's enough for now: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=31929
Affective Viral Marketing may consist of offline advertising, press releases, articles, email marketing, link building camaigns. There are more option depending on your advertising budget.
Just What is Viral marketing Any marketing technique that induces Web sites or users to pass on a marketing message to other sites or users, creating a potentially exponential growth in the message's visibility and effect. What Good is Viral Marketing Encouraging visitors to an online site to pass along a marketing message by providing an incentive for doing so. Would Viral Marketing be Good For You Yes it is a technique whereby users are encouraged to pass on messages, especially slogans or product recommendations, to friends and relatives More Info about Viral marketing Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that seek to exploit pre-existing social networks to produce exponential increases in brand awareness, through viral processes similar to the spread of an epidemic. It is word-of-mouth delivered and enhanced online; it harnesses the network effect of the Internet and can be very useful in reaching a large number of people rapidly. Viral marketing is sometimes used to describe some sorts of Internet-based stealth marketing campaigns, including the use of blogs, seemingly amateur web sites, and other forms of astroturfing to create word of mouth for a new product or service. Often the ultimate goal of viral marketing campaigns is to generate media coverage via "offbeat" stories worth many times more than the campaigning company's advertising budget. The term "viral advertising" refers to the idea that people will pass on and share cool and entertaining content; this is often sponsored by a brand, which is looking to build awareness of a product or service. These viral commercials often take the form of funny video clips, or interactive Flash games, images, and even text. Viral marketing is popular because of the ease of executing the marketing campaign, relative low-cost (compared to direct mail), good targeting, and the high and rapid response rate. The main strength of viral marketing is its ability to obtain a large number of interested people at a low cost. The main weakness is that sometimes messages can look like e-mail spam and this creates the risk of damaging the brand. The 'from' and 'subject' lines then become very important in order to remedy this problem (Tell-A-Friend principle); for example, when sending a link or webpage, sometimes the subject line is "(Name of person here) thought you would like this page". The receiver will then recognize the name and know that it is not unsolicited. The most difficult task for any company is to acquire and retain a large customer base, through the use of the internet and the effects of e-mail advertising the B2C efforts have a greater impact than many other tools of marketing. E-mail generates 15% of online sales in North America and is on the increase. Viral marketing is a technique that avoids the annoyance of spam mail; it encourages users of a specific product or service to tell a friend. This would be a positive word-of-mouth recommendation. One of the most successful perspectives found to achieve this customer base is the integrated marketing communication IMC perspective. Enjoy the Ride Phillip Skinner Learn to match or exceed the energy level of the person you are communicating with.