What is viral Marketing?
So often times marketing managers talk of making sure their product goes “viral,” yet lack any real definition of what this means. Whether a digital flu or a communicable advertisement, viral marketing is seen as an ambiguous internet term at best. Rather than being a new technology to learn, viral marketing is much closer to traditional marketing than many assume.
Before the grand days of the internet, cellphones, telegraphs, or even written language, information was disseminated in one way. Whether news, service, or product information, it all came by word of mouth. The credibility of the source was directly tied to the one providing it (Mcluhan anyone? read the previous post). Today, it is very difficult to determine credibility of an online source, which complicates the message, especially in the presence of so much content and so much noise. Viral marketing is word of mouth in the digital age.
Takeaway:
If you want to have an online presence, you have to imagine what will get people talking. A Youtube video of you explaining why your real estate services are the best in your county is not exactly newsworthy. Instead, you need to generate content that makes the viewer laugh, cry, vomit, or most importantly inspire them to talk to their friends. This could happen in a traditional conversation, or come as an Facebook link, email, twitter update, or instant message. Once again, and I will repeat myself on this: The quality, targeting, and placement of your marketing content is now important as ever to producing results.
Act accordingly.
