14 Mar 2008 02:21:23 | Michael Cheney, www.magnet4web.com ©
Everyone has heard about viral marketing but what is it and how
long will it survive?
Viral Marketing is the creation of a message that is
self-perpetuating and hence distributed exponentially after its
release. The Internet is full of many classic examples, the most
famous one being that of the free email company - Hotmail.
From Zero To Hero - Overnight!
When they started out Hotmail were missing a vital factor -
traffic. The growth rate of their traffic was not sufficient to
meet the needs of the company and a boost was required. It was
at this point that the first mass viral marketing campaign via
the Internet was launched.
As Hotmail was a free email service provider it could control,
to a certain extent, the format of all outbound messages that
each Hotmail account holder sent. It was this fact that led them
to come up with a viral marketing campaign that has yet to
beaten and saw their traffic skyrocket and eventually lead to
Microsoft buying the company as a result of their exponential
growth.
So what did they do? Simple. To the footer of each outgoing
email they attached a signature file that read:
"To get your FREE email account goto www.hotmail.com".
As more and more people received emails from existing Hotmail
account holders so the word spread about their free email
service and the rest, as they say, is history.
But do campaigns such as this still work in today's
consumer-orientated marketplace where Internet users are wise to
such attempts at mass penetration?
Viral Marketing Can Really Pack A Punch
The incident with UK Member of Parliament John Prescott, a
certain egg-throwing individual and an Internet-based game would
suggest so. This particular viral marketing example made it onto
national news in the UK! Panlogic, an advertising agency, who
created an online game "Splat the MP" and launched it live on
their website within 48 hours of Prescott's now infamous
left-hook against an egg-throwing protester.
The results of this campaign were tremendous with people
visiting the site in their thousands due to the unique way in
which it captured the public's imagination. Panlogic had reached
a truly national audience for a fraction of the cost that a
conventional advertising or promotional campaign would have
incurred.
All of which is good news for businesses recognising the
potential of the Internet - far from being dead viral marketing
is only just starting to come alive. With advancements in
technology and high speed access not too far away the ways in
which companies can get their potential customers to do their
marketing for them look set to increase.
Michael Cheney, www.magnet4web.com ©
About Author :
Michael Cheney is the Author of The Website Marketing BibleTM:
