Page 223 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

attention. Viral marketers may not profit immediately, but they
know that if they can generate interest from something “free,”
they will profit soon.

• Ensure ease of transfer or transmission to others. Viruses only

spread when they are easy to transmit. The medium that carries
your marketing message must be easy to transfer and replicate:
for example, email, website, or software downloads. Viral
marketing works online because instant communication is easy
and inexpensive.

• Provide simplicity. Marketing messages always work best when

they are simple and compelling. Viral marketing messages
need to be simple enough to be transmitted easily and without
confusion.

• Exploit people’s motivations. Clever viral marketing campaigns

recognize that people want to be connected, cool, popular, or
understood. As a result, people produce weblogs and forward
emails and web addresses. So, design a marketing strategy
that builds on common motivations and behaviors for its
transmission.

• Use existing networks. People are social, and network marketers

have long understood the power of human networks, both the
strong, close networks and the weaker networked relationships.
Use these networks to communicate your message.

• Benefit from others’ resources. Creative viral marketing plans use

other people’s resources to communicate. For example, affiliate
programs place text or graphic links on websites, while authors
give away free articles or establish weblinks

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