Definition of Viral Marketing

If you have ever wondered what the definition of viral marketing is, this article will explain this tactic which is designed to draw attention to a product, service, or even an idea.

E-mail can be used to promote your business.

Simply defined, viral marketing is a marketing strategy that encourages people to spread the word by sharing information with people they know. It is a relatively new term for a very old-fashioned form of advertising: word of mouth.

When you get something in the In box of your e-mail account that you think is interesting enough to share with your friends, co-workers or relatives, you are participating in a type of viral marketing. With a few clicks of your mouse, you can forward on the following types of information to people you know:

• articles
• blog posts
• podcasts
• videos

Forwarding this material on to others is a way to drive web traffic to those web sites. More traffic leads to more opportunities to sell products or services, or to make money through ad revenue.

YouTube is another example of successful viral marketing at work. Videos that visitors to the site consider funny or striking in some way become popular and are featured on the site. Other categories that Internet users can check out on YouTube include:

• most discussed
• most favorited
• most viewed

Another way to drive traffic to your web site is to submit articles or blog posts to various social networking sites. Some examples of sites where you can submit your content include:

• Del.i.cious
• Digg
• Lipstick (for entertainment-related content)
• Reddit
• StumbleUpon

These sites have high rankings with search engines, and the content that visitors post on them gets indexed by the search engine's web crawlers as well. Linking to a site that ranks well with one of the major search engines (Google, MSN, Yahoo!) may help your business web site achieve a higher ranking as well.

Since most Internet users will not scroll through several pages of results to find the information they are looking for, having a high ranking is key to having potential customers find a particular company or organization's web site.

Providing good quality content that is relevant to your site visitors is another way to get them to share information with other people they know. "How tos", tips, and Top 5 or Top 10 lists are very popular with Internet users. Consider having a button put on your web site so that they can share a particular page with a friend.

Tutorials and online manuals are other ways to add more value to your site, and are features that site visitors are likely to share with others. Posting a news feed or audio interviews can also create interest in your site. Providing a free sample of your product is another way to generate interest in what you have to offer.

People like to feel they are getting a good deal when they want to buy a product or a service, and it's no different for Internet users. Post a discount coupon on your site and invite visitors to forward the link to their friends.

For those who feel intimidated by the concept or don't have the time to devote to it, companies that specialize in viral marketing organize virtual blog tours that incorporate all the sources listed in this article.

An example of viral marketing in action in the brick and mortar world is when a health club runs a promotion where members are invited to bring a friend to work out at no charge. If the friend ends up signing up for a membership, that person and the existing club member both get a discount on their fees.

Now that you know the definition of viral marketing, you can use this strategy to get people talking about your business in a positive way. Word of mouth advertising is a very powerful promotional method.

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