Viral Marketing - Internet Viral Marketing

Definition:

 

The definition of viral marketing or Internet viral marketing, as it is also known, is the act of promoting information or products that other customers are compelled to give to other friends, colleagues and family. In the old days, this was known as "word of mouth" marketing. Today, the Internet viral marketing provides a number of ways to engage in word or mouth marketing efficiently at a potentially very low cost.
When viral marketing is undertaken on the Internet, a message may go "viral" due to people forwarding email messages with links to friends or otherwise encouraging others to visit specific websites or pages on the Internet.

The Value of Viral Marketing

The theory behind the value of Internet viral marketing is that the message can be received by exponential numbers of potential customers. For example, if I forward your message to 10 friends and each of those 10 friends forwards the message to 10 other friends, the message could spread very rapidly.
Google's YouTube is probably the best example of Internet viral marketing. If a video is very funny, unusual or provokes certain emotions, it's likely that the video will become popular quickly. Links to the video will quickly multiply as viewers share the video with others. Many may even decide to embed the video (if permitted) in various places on the Internet, drawing even more attention.

How Effective is Internet Viral Marketing?

Viral marketing can be a very effective and inexpensive way to generate lots of interest in your business. Getting the attention of the masses is not as easy as it used to be, but it can certainly still be done. The other factor to consider with viral marketing is its ability to actually increase your sales. Many campaigns that do "go viral" may attract a huge amount of attention and website traffic but generate very little in the way of sales.

Pronunciation: v eye rul marketing

 

Also Known As: word of mouth, word of mom, viral advertising

 

Common Misspellings: virile marketing, viril marketing

 

Examples:

 

Google's YouTube video service is an important Internet viral marketing tool today. If a groundswell notices a specific video on YouTube and then shares it with others, the number of persons viewing the video can rise exponentially in a very short period of time. This form of viral marketing can increase website traffic dramatically, but the traffic surge is often short-lived and the effects of Internet viral marketing can fade quickly.