# General Business Category > Business Online Forum >  The New Virus ! Viral Marketing

## G Robin

*This is not a virus !* but a real time strategy to get more traffic and visitors,to market your products.

Viral marketing is more powerful than 3rd party advertising because it conveys an implied endorsement from a friend. It is simply utilizing pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness. Viral marketing is not about wasting people's time, it is instead about giving someone something that want to spend time learning, reading, watching, etc. Viral marketing is only as profitable when go through the right routes

In reference to internet marketing. Viral marketing describes any strategy that encourages individuals to pass on a marketing message to others, creating the potential for exponential growth in the message's exposure and influence. Viral marketing is a technique that uses word of mouth or email to reach and affect an audience. Viral Marketing is so powerful because it is like a *JET* building up speed. Viral marketing sometimes refers to Internet-based _stealth marketing_ campaigns, including the use of blogs, web sites, and other forms of astro-turfing, designed to create word of mouth for a new product or service.

*Viral Marketing* includes using legitimate techniques like viral opt-in ezines, viral reprint articles, viral eCources, videos, and many more. 

*Here's the Viral Marketing methods below*

*Viral Opt-in Ezines* are another great Viral Marketing technique that uses a very powerful combination. Ezines are a fun way to build a home based internet business, and all you need is some software and know how to create and promote a website. Offering your subscribers an Ezine is the quickest and easiest ways to drive tons of targeted traffic to any website. Ezines are sent out to subscribers who have requested to receive information on a specific topic on a consistent basis. Ezines are content-rich and informational online publications that are delivered to subscribers with permission through email.

*Viral Reprint Articles* are short articles that you allow other webmasters, affiliates, and ezine publishers to reprint or use on their website for free. Reprint articles are an excellent website marketing strategy, especially if you have a limited advertising budget. These are articles that you write or have written for you, and then you distribute these articles to as many websites as you can. Reprint articles are a great way of promoting your websites as well as to gather some good quality inbound links. This method is very profitable to ad content to your site.

*Viral eCourses* are divided into a series of articles and lessons and are passed on to subscribers via an autoresponder. eCourses are the ideal training solution for new and small businesses and are a great way to build your visibility. eCourses are self-study courses that are delivered to your email inbox at regular intervals and normally divided into lessons that contain relevant reading material and exercises to reinforce what you are learning. Ecourses are a great way to build your visibility; increase others trust in you, and to build you up as an "expert."

*Viral video marketing* has become the *"highlight"* in the world of online electronic media where just about everyone has an entertainment center in their computer. Video marketing is viral and relies heavily on community submissions and social taqging. It can range from a clip of a seminar, a tutorial, a demonstration of your services, to a commercial. Video marketing is essentially free (other than the cost of the camera to shoot the video) and can be a very powerful strategy in getting targeted traffic back to your site, as well as in other facets of the marketing process like building relationships and branding yourself.

Viral marketing is an art, *NOT a science*. It is an oft-used buzz word and may not be entirely evident what it actually means. Viral marketing is the Internet term for what has been called "peer-to-peer," "word-of-mouth," "network marketing, "tell-a-friend," "refer-a-friend," "send-this-link" etc. Viral Marketing is still the best way to go when it comes to launching a startup product, in creating that buzz, and in getting filtered and quality feedback before making the big bang of unleashing your product/service into the world. It can work for anyone, without spending a single dime on promotions and advertising.

You can learn more of internet marketing Here...

Thanks
Gino

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Dave A (29-Sep-10)

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## Dave A

Viral marketing does seem a bit of a hit or miss strategy to be heavily relied on though - at least in my opinion. I don't know how many would-be webmasters I've heard who's big plan to get their site out there and known was a viral marketing campaign.

Three months later they're back on the admin forums going "how do I get traffic?" because their viral campaign tanked.

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## murdock

i still believe the easiest way to sell your bussiness to anyone is through word of mouth...you will not even find my telephone number in the telephone directory...yet my bussiness went from a small one man operation to projects valued at over a million rand and now thru my own choice back down to a small operation again but still capable of pulling off huge projects if i set my mind to it (thats the challenge) when it come to the service industry....other types of bussiness i am not familiar with so i cant comment.

the majority of word of mouth customers pay their bill....and the majority come back if you do it right.

i am considering taking a big step again like a last haul to pension or build it to sell it....i was hoping my son would one day take it over but he is not interested...so i dont really have a need to keep it any longer...and the way the industry is heading it might be time to move on...maybe try amway  :Big Grin:

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## adrianh

*astro-turfing* - MBA clap-trap speak at its best....

Please name three products in South Africa that have been successfully marketed via "Viral Marketing" 

Please present proof that this method of marketing works in South Africa.

Its amazing how Buzz words make their way into common terms like "Courses" which first became "eCourses" and now are "Viral eCourses" Next thing my daughters homework book is going to be called a "Viral training and development Reprint Article Opt-In Ezine eCourse for socially connected Generation X tweens at astro-turf" because her buddy copies it...

Eish...I must be getting old...Bulltwang doesn't baffle this old fogey brain anymore.

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## G Robin

> Viral marketing does seem a bit of a hit or miss strategy to be heavily relied on though - at least in my opinion. I don't know how many would-be webmasters I've heard who's big plan to get their site out there and known was a viral marketing campaign.


Hi..Dave, *You Right*
Internet Marketers think Viral Marketing is a quick money making method, *NO!*...Marketers must apply a good strategy to be succesful,one mistake and the strategy *back fire..*..*.Bah!*
Certainly viral marketing has become a respectable and most importantly, very effective means of marketing among businesses worldwide – *that’s if it is done correctly and respectfully*.

Correctly and respectfully? _What does that mean?_ It means not abusing the system. It means using viral marketing tactics to spread the word about your business, your product and your service without offending others or being self-serving. 

*For this strategy to be effective viral marketing must include a give and take approach*. You must engage others, take part in conversation, and give as much as you get. In other words, don’t expect your message to spread itself. Viral marketing takes time, careful planning and well-thought out execution.*( Patience)*




> i was hoping my son would one day take it over but he is not interested...so i dont really have a need to keep it any longer...and the way the industry is heading it might be time to move on


Wow ! Your son have a very good Father..I would take it any time,Surely, maybe his passion is to do something else,that he find joy in....*All the Best*





> i still believe the easiest way to sell your bussiness to anyone is through word of mouth.


100% a Good offline Marketing Strategy and very effective and it surely build a good trust relationship with the customer....To work with 10 000 customers in means of word to mouth is impossible,the internet is the best realible source..to get a magnitude of customers,*if apply right.*




> Please name three products in South Africa that have been successfully marketed via "Viral Marketing"


*Very Good Question*
When you talk of South Africa,the focus point..fall on the under develop structure and slow building internet phase...There's a few and one of them is surely ..Mxit




> Please present proof that this method of marketing works in South Africa.


Go to Alexa Ranking and the number two on the bill board.....*FACEBOOK*

*To create buzz*.This Strategy is typically *similar to sharing*, creating buzz is can be extremely effective. *How is it different?* While sharing refers to others literally sharing information with friends (i.e. Like my Facebook page? Sign-up for your own Facebook page today and see more of *what I’m up to*, including photos, favorites and more!) creating buzz is more about *spreading the word.*

Viral marketing by mouth can have a "wrong" influence.........When I tell you about a particular story...and you tell your friend ...so the circle grow bigger....the end results..would be a different story....

Viral Marketing can definitly work when you set up a good structural plan,with all the information.For some viral marketing work ..for others it sadly don't work...

Remember when one Marketing Strategy don't work impliment a new one at any business.....maybe try ..a Fire Sale or a Dime Sale..(just a thought) *You have always a choice in life*

Thanks I Apreciate
Gino

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## Dave A

Can you really say word-of-mouth business that comes your way simply as a result of the quality of your product is viral *marketing*, though?

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## murdock

i have found new occupation no its not web design or internet sales...but what i need to do is get my product which i am manufacturing out there...so i am all ears....i dont need 10 000 customers otherwise i will get rich over night...more like a 1000 over the next couple of months to a year to get me setup properly and pay off all the equipment. 

i think this is also a problem....people want to get big over night and everyone is offering huge packages with massive solutions...

we are....should i say some of us are small and dont want to become big enterprises over night...we dont want 10 000 customers..we want to be still operating in 20 years time...we dont want to be multimillion rand corporations...and when the marketing agencies etc realise that there are thousands of little people like myself who are passionate about what we do and not just want to become miliions...if i wanted to become a millionare i would join the anc....and get a job in goverment.

i believe there is ahuge market to assist small companies in advertising....to get their names out there...big companies hire agencies to handle their advertising...little comapnies cant afford it we rely on word of mouth.

so here some advice for a person wanting to build up a bussiness in advertising...look at all the little guys and figue out a way to get our names out there to the customer without peeing them off at a cost we can afford...

like hotfrog...i have never received a call from a customer who found my number on this directory...dave already has the top spot so maybe he is getting all the calls... i am looking at structuring my bussiness name so i take his top spot... :Big Grin: 


you need to come up with a way to get the customer to call the companies on your list and not have to shop around the net go thru hundreds of adverts and know they will get getting good service...in other words take some od the responsibilty for the advert...dont just put anyones name on your list...check up on the contractor or bussiness....call the customers and amke sure tey are happy with the service or product...

it would be like having a rep working for me which is just not feasable...but if you have a list of small comapnies which you promote it would become worthwhile...

if i could see a R100 000 worht of bussiness coming from your advertiseng...i would gladly share 10% with the advertising agency...the problem is i am yet to find a solution.

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## garthu

Viral M certainly has something going for it.. I think the most successful and one that comes to mind every time i hear the words... "for everything else there's mastercard" ... now that was a mind blowing campaign that hit it just right! It got emailed, linked, spoken about.

To duplicate that would certainly do some justice to web traffic if it was right!.... but a campaign like that wouldn't help my business directly...no point in having an oke in Aus talking bout me!

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