A - A new old idea
B - Attracting customers is essential
C - Be prepared to meet customers’ needs
D - Consider customers’ motivations and desires
E - Does it work for everyone?
F - Encourage people to spread the word
G - Ideas are to be transmitted effortlessly
H - Take advantage of others' resources
I - The death of viral marketing?
1
The concept itself was by no means new, businesses world-wide from the smallest corner shop to the biggest multinational had long relied on and benefited from it. Basically it isn't much different from word of mouth; for example someone buys your product, if they like it, they tell their friends how good it is. Then the friends go and buy the same product and like it and tell their friends and so on and so forth until you have reached a huge market without spending a single penny on advertising. What is remarkable about 'viral marketing' though is the degree to which using the Internet has accelerated this process.
2
This may not seem like a very sound business practice as there is no immediate profit in giving something away for free, but viral marketing campaigns rely on patience. By giving something away for free you attract customers and once you have them using your product you have the opportunity to sell them other desirable things, not to mention the possibilities you have for generating revenue through advertising.
3
Your message will only spread if it is easy to transmit. This is where the Internet has been so successful. Communication is cheap and can be as simple as a single mouse click. Hotmail, for example, spread their message "Get your private, free email" by ensuring that this message was automatically copied into the bottom of every email sent through their mail server.
4
Most people are driven by a desire to be loved or popular or even financially better off. These desires are part of what generates the huge amount of Internet communication each day. A successful viral marketing campaign will be able to build on these common motivations in some way.
5
Most people have on average a network of some 10 to 12 close friends or family who they are in regular communication with. Added to this they often have a wider network of associates and casual or work contacts of tens perhaps even hundreds or thousands. A campaign that taps into this wider network will soon bring huge rewards.
6
Some of the most successful campaigns try to position messages on other people’s programmes. If they can put links on other people's websites or supply content to others which carries their message then they will soon find that other people are doing their marketing for them.
7
Sadly there are also some down sides to viral marketing. Not every product is going to be marketable through this method. It is best suited to low cost products that can easily be delivered and which are usually bought on impulse. An advertising campaign for something like a car is likely to be less successful as most people give a lot of thought and consideration to this form of purchase as it involves parting with large sums of money.
KEY:
1A 2B 3G 4D 5F 6H 7E