Best Viral
Marketing Tools
So which viral marketing tools make free viral
advertising possible and successful and how?
The answer relates to item 1, 2, and 5-8
of the 9 Viral Marketing
Success Criterias.
Viral Marketing products (Item 1-2)The first of the viral marketing tools to use in your viral marketing campaign is a free viral marketing product.
Free viral marketing
products work since the word Free
is the biggest
customer magnet, even to people who initially have no interest.
As
the name indicates the free products you offer ought to have viral
characteristics. One viral characteristic is an automated distribution
of the marketing message, achieved as a built-in feature of the free
viral marketing products.
To succeed with your viral marketing campaign you need to build inherently viral marketing products
that allow for an automated distribution of the marketing message and
this as early in the process of using the product as possible.
See these viral marketing examples of products that achieve exactly this. Easy
Transfer is Prerequisite (Item 5)
The viral marketing message
should be short and easily transferred via one or several of the
following digital medias:
- Email
- website
- instant messaging
- graphic
- blogs
- software download
- social media websites such as facebook, twitter or
youtube, kind of smart online applications that facilitate the
exchange of viral messages by automating the distribution processes.
The interaction between internet users is highly facilitated by
using Web 2.0,
a design standard that involves tools like Ajax and Flash as well as
recently Javascript/Ajax frameworks.
Examples of Web 2.0 sites are MySpace, Facebook, Youtube and Flickr.
To most users these websites are all about fun, interacting and sharing
with friends, watching videos and uploading photos.
However
seen from the company's perspective, Web 2.0 Websites enable
people/users to create content (text, images, videos) for them, for
free, in a way that virally spreads the word to others to come and
read/watch/interact with that content. They, in turn, create their own
content and so forth.
So the users are actually doing true viral marketing for the Web 2.0
companies, by using free inherently viral marketing tools.
Unfortunately, Web 2.0 has
been unavailable to small business sites due to the high cost
of
developing the "platform" that enables people to create content on your
Web site and share it virally with everyone else. Therefore Web 2.0 has
been restricted to large companies and well-financed startups.
But
not anymore since the new Content 2.0 allows you too to capitalize upon
people's desire to share, to show off, to help, to have fun, to
contribute, in areas and ways that interest them.
Content 2.0, which seems to be a miraculous
solution to the problem
of performing true viral marketing, is astonishingly affordable
and comes with a complete solution to build your internet business.
See how Content 2.0 ("C2") allows small businesses
to finally have the Explosive Viral Power Of Web 2.0
History and Ideas about Viral Marketing
Tools
Typically the medium of viral marketing
campaigns has been videos like on Youtube, one of the best known "born" viral
marketing tools and products.
However for commercial purposes, text has shown to be
the most effective means of marketing since it is considered more
serious and forwarded
in a more targeted way, thus yielding higher revenues.
I think that just like a habbit, it
became generally accepted that a funny video is the definition of viral marketing tools. Therefore
videos might spread fast but not always for transparent serious
purposes emphasizing and benefitting the needs of those who receive
it. I think this impression lies at the back of the mind of
many people.
To
benefit from videos as the viral medium, marketers ought to
eliminate this cliché by approximating the viral marketing business
model better. Especially the viral marketing success criterias 1, 3, 4
and 9
are areas
that need to be improved. I
think videos are splendid for supporting the promotion of websites and
products, in that they can substantiate the credibility, when used
properly and professionally, meaning that they emphatize what's in it
for the target group. A great example of a viral message is hotmail's short but highly
effective message, appearing at the bottom of every free e-mail
message: "Get your private, free email at
http://www.hotmail.com".
Generally speaking the Internet is the perfect overall medium for viral
marketing since
it is digital and traverses the world, allowing for everyone to reach
anybody in no time.
It outcompetes the offline version Word of Mouth due
to the faster digital and global transfer and the possibility to let
the transfer become automated, thus not depending on the decision of
the individual to recommend the viral product to a friend.
Another effective way to promote your website is this legitimate Free Viral Advertising!
Use
Existing Social Networks (item 6)
The distribution of the viral
marketing message takes place within established social networks of
each individual that is first targeted. On average a person has around
10 persons within their closest circle, including family, friends and
associates.
Great examples of viral marketing tools utilizing
this human tendency to bond and exchange include
-
Facebook and Myspace
that allows users to create networks of friends and share information
automatically, typical signs of a viral marketing tool with inherited
viral characteristics.
-
Flickr that allows for the exchange of
photos and videos.
-
YouTube the famous site for watching and
sharing videos, thus allowing for easy placement of videos on
websites, from where they can be distributed further.
-
selfgrowth.com allowing you to create a network of experts. It simply requires
the creation of an expert page, following which the exchange and
liasson with like minded can take place.
- Use this Free Viral Advertising! tool
to expose your website immensely with a list that gets spread with the
incentive of ....viral marketing attracting a potential great amount of
traffic.
It gets even better since the concept of you marketing your own viral
website will improve
search engine rankings as well. This owes to the direct
linking to your business website from the viral website that you use as one of your free viral
marketing tools.
Also check out this extensive list of network marketing
opportunities
that in principle work as viral marketing tools if you
spread an interesting viral marketing message. This so since the
built-in viral mechanisms allow for the distribution of messages, in a
more or less automated way, depending on the site. Or they can inspire you to create your own social networking website within the area of your interest, using content 2.0.
Use Other's Resources as Viral Marketing
Tools
(item 7)
Item 7 of the 9 viral marketing Success Criterias
include using other's resources as viral marketing tools such as performing...
-
Creating an Author Article Feed on websites
like Ezinearticles.com allowing for everyone to place your article on
their websites, showcasing it as having been published with on of the
top article directories.
-
RSS Article Feed which allows webmasters to
place your RSS Feed on their website and reach their own audience.
Examples of websites with this service include Articlebiz.com,
Ezinearticles.com and articledashboard.com.
-
Leverage Social Bookmarking. Articlebiz.com
excells at providing social bookmarking links at the top of every
article you submit to them.
-
Create an Expert Profile Page. Sites
providing this service counts Selfgrowth.com and Ezinearticles.com
of which the first is more apt for promoting your products and
services. Next step is the the communication with other experts that
you can leverage for the promotion of your site website and vice versa.
As noticed there are many viral marketing tools available and by
combining the various viral marketing tools you obtain the best
results. However focus on the most important tools to start with, in
order to not get lost in the jungle of possibilities. Return
from Best Viral Marketing Tools page to Viral Marketing Success
Criterias page
Return from Best
Viral Marketing Tools page to ABC Web Site Marketing home page
|
