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Chapter 12: Viral Marketing - linkerbation is a normal, natural thing. Perfectly natural

Why do Viral Marketing?

Viral Marketing is popular because of the:

• Ease of executing the campaign
• Relatively low costs (compared to direct mail)
• High and rapid response rates

The core strength of Viral Marketing is its ability to obtain a large number of interested people at a low cost.

As appealing as it is, Viral Marketing is not always easy to master. In a 2006 Silverpop Email list Growth Survey, Viral Marketing was listed as the top ranked unsuccessful tactic for marketers. However, in the same survey, Viral Marketing was the top ranked tactic being planned by marketers in their next 12 months. This demonstrates the demand marketers have for Viral Marketing as demonstrated by viewer response rates, as well as how easy it is to get a campaign of this nature wrong. The key to running a successful viral campaign lies in the planning, the incentive offered and the knowledge of your target audience.

Types of Viral Marketing

There are 2 distinct subsets of Viral Marketing that can be identified:

1. In-the-Wild Viral Marketing
2. Controlled Viral Marketing

In-the-Wild Viral Marketing

This type of campaign is defined as a "virus" that is unleashed without further input from the advertiser or marketer. The spread of the message is perpetuated through whichever means the user chooses. The most important aspect is that the user still chooses to send on the message in whichever way they can, the most likely method being via email (e.g. sending a link on to a friend).

When successful, this type of campaign can build tremendous brand equity at a marginal cost. Because the communication takes place directly between consumers, the marketer has to be prepared to let go of their brand so that the message and flow of communications is not restricted.

Controlled Viral Marketing

This type of campaign has more of a direct outcome in that its success is determined by a specific goal, an example of which would be the expansion of a database of qualified leads and prospects (e.g. "Send to a friend" emails). This facilitates future interaction with the prospects, targeting sales growth and brand awareness. Ultimately, the controlled viral campaign should lead to interaction with the newly acquired prospects in a way that adds value to the organisation.

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Other Articles in the eMarketing 101 series:

• What is eMarketing and how is it better than traditional marketing?
• The Arrows in the eMarketer's quiver
• Blogging - Everyone else is doing it, so why can't I?
• A focus on natural search (beginner's guide to SEO)
• A Case Study - SEO in action
• PPC - you gets what you pays for
• A Case Study - PPC to the rescue
• Email Marketing - No not spam
• Affiliate Marketing - because we all need friends
• WebPR and ORM - blah blah blah conversations
• A Case Study - ORM: Keeping Your Ears to the Ground
• Viral Marketing - linkerbation is a normal, natural thing. Perfectly natural
• Online Advertising - Throwing a Banner into the Works
• Conversion Optimisation - Are You Closing the Deal?
• A Case Study - 2010 : Can the SA Tourism Industry Meet Online Expectations?

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