Viral Marketing - as a forward-thinking "buzzword" - is missing. Gone are the days of catchy buzz-marketing that you could just let loose upon the world and watch take off. Now, with users getting more knowledgeable and opportunities getting slim, you need to take advantage of using your know-how as part of the reason Viral Marketing campaigns work.
Now, Viral Marketing is all about information, and the information has got to be good. One effect the Internet has had, is that it's teaching people how to be effective searchers, and savvy surfers. Just like coffee beans and oranges, information online has become a sort of commodity. One site may charge you for a piece of information that you could easily get elsewhere for free. This means that when it comes to your Viral Marketing campaign (or any marketing campaign) - the better the information you distribute to your users, subscribers, and website visitors, the better your chances for success.
Newsletters are a perfect example of informational marketing. You're giving something of value for nothing. That value could be hard-to-find knowledge, or it could be you - after all, individuality is something that can never be a commodity. Knowledge is power, and if it's free, well then it's free power and that's pretty darn cool. No matter what, You have to rely on what you have and what you know to move that Marketing Virus along!
Newsletters can be used as a Viral Marketing technique. Fill it up with great information - exceed expectations and deliver information that hooks onto a feeling like prestige or drive your hosts with something like a contest or giveaway. While the luxury of "online novelty" has worn thin and become very hard to find, you can still use certain traits of a good Viral Marketing campaign to move your message along. Generally, plain-text newsletters lack a significant amount of Charm, but if the information is truly stellar and you spell out a benefit to forwarding the email, it can work quite well. The main thing is to know who your target is. Is your target market largely impatient, no-nonsense business owners who want everything they look for immediately? Stick with plain text, cut the fluff, and give them what they want. Is your target market cross-stitching grannies who love cute little periwinkle bunny rabbits? What do you think would happen if you sent the granny newsletter to largely impatient, no-nonsense business owners? Now you're getting the idea ...
Viral Marketing has really taken a much different shape than what it used to consist of. It's much more "grassroots" now than it's ever been because delivery methods have changed and people have gotten accustomed to some of the standard formats. Always remember that it's your market that defines whether it's going to work or not. Know what they consider contagious, then your only task is to figure out a way to deliver it!
©2005 ViralMarketingTool.com
About the author:
David Badurina is President of http://www.ViralMarketingTool.comand the creator of VMT Viral Marketing Software. VMT is being used by more than 20,000 people in over 160 countries and is the premier Relationship-Building Viral Marketing Tool available online.
To sign up for The VMT-zine - A truly unconventional newsletter with equal parts humor, reality, and sound advice for your business, just visit: http://www.ViralMarketingTool.com/articles.html
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