Creativity

This is one of the qualities a website must have to survive in the merciless competition of internet businesses. With so much competition and rivalry, every marketing technique must be embraced and utilised.

It doesn't matter if you have a brilliantly designed website or an outstanding product; if no one knows you exist, it won't matter and you won't make it big. Worse still, your business could be destroyed.

Although many e-commerce websites today employ a variety of strategies and concepts, there are still some that can help you gain an edge in the popularity stakes. So-called viral marketing is one of them.

Whilst the name viral conjures up images of viruses, a word that all computer users hate, it is not what it seems. You don't use a computer virus to spread the word about your business; on the contrary, it could kill you. Everyone has had their fill of pop-up adverts and spyware.

Overview of viral marketing

Viral marketing, also known as viral advertising, is a marketing strategy for increasing awareness of a product or company. It involves using a variety of media to reach the public without explicitly marketing the product. Instead, it relies on various types of addictive techniques to captivate people and make them feel obliged or amused to pass it on, coupled with a product or company advert.

In short, companies assume that if people like a piece of media, they will share it with their friends and family. They may sponsor certain media, such as a fun flash game, an entertaining film or a funny story, which is then shared with the company's brand or logo, a product description or other content to help market the company or its product.

Due to its low cost, viral marketing has become an important form of advertising and marketing. To avoid being labelled as spam, viral marketing relies on a person's willingness to share the product. If a person recognises the sender's name, they will not block the message but open it.

Many companies reward their customers with discounts and refunds when they participate in the promotion of their viral marketing. The number of incentives they can be credited with depends on the number of recipients a viral marketing receives from a single person.

Utilising the advantages of viral marketing

The main advantage of viral marketing is that it generates a lot of attention and publicity for your website and your company. You can create a steady stream of potential customers. You can reach a large number of people and publicise your existence with a little innovation and inspiration as well as some incentives or prizes.

The effectiveness of viral marketing and advertising is recognised by almost all websites and companies. It could be fatal to your business if you don't utilise it. When combined with other strategies and methods to promote your website, such as search engine optimisation and the like, viral marketing can easily catapult you to the top of the rankings.

Viral marketing could be a deceptive technique to publicise you and your company. You persuade them to pass on your advertising. They are also so inexpensive that not investing in them can be seen as business suicide. There are still plenty of ideas out there, you just need a brilliant idea, a nice addictive game or a funny narrative. Many films are promoted by using controversy and gossip to make them more popular. Do you remember the film "The Blair Witch Project"?

Many large companies have experimented with viral marketing and have been very successful. Microsoft's Hotmail is a classic example. It was the first known large company to use this strategy and it has paid off handsomely for the company.

Now it's up to you to make viral marketing work for you. Take action today and utilise the benefits of viral marketing for yourself and your company.

Creativity

This is one of the qualities a website must have to survive in the merciless competition of internet businesses. With so much competition and rivalry, every marketing technique must be embraced and utilised.

It doesn't matter if you have a brilliantly designed website or an outstanding product; if no one knows you exist, it won't matter and you won't make it big. Worse still, your business could be destroyed.

Although many e-commerce websites today employ a variety of strategies and concepts, there are still some that can help you gain an edge in the popularity stakes. So-called viral marketing is one of them.

Whilst the name viral conjures up images of viruses, a word that all computer users hate, it is not what it seems. You don't use a computer virus to spread the word about your business; on the contrary, it could kill you. Everyone has had their fill of pop-up adverts and spyware.

Overview of viral marketing

Viral marketing, also known as viral advertising, is a marketing strategy for increasing awareness of a product or company. It involves using a variety of media to reach the public without explicitly marketing the product. Instead, it relies on various types of addictive techniques to captivate people and make them feel obliged or amused to pass it on, coupled with a product or company advert.

In short, companies assume that if people like a piece of media, they will share it with their friends and family. They may sponsor certain media, such as a fun flash game, an entertaining film or a funny story, which is then shared with the company's brand or logo, a product description or other content to help market the company or its product.

Due to its low cost, viral marketing has become an important form of advertising and marketing. To avoid being labelled as spam, viral marketing relies on a person's willingness to share the product. If a person recognises the sender's name, they will not block the message but open it.

Many companies reward their customers with discounts and refunds when they participate in the promotion of their viral marketing. The number of incentives they can be credited with depends on the number of recipients a viral marketing receives from a single person.

Utilising the advantages of viral marketing

The main advantage of viral marketing is that it generates a lot of attention and publicity for your website and your company. You can create a steady stream of potential customers. You can reach a large number of people and publicise your existence with a little innovation and inspiration as well as some incentives or prizes.

The effectiveness of viral marketing and advertising is recognised by almost all websites and companies. It could be fatal to your business if you don't utilise it. When combined with other strategies and methods to promote your website, such as search engine optimisation and the like, viral marketing can easily catapult you to the top of the rankings.

Viral marketing could be a deceptive technique to publicise you and your company. You persuade them to pass on your advertising. They are also so inexpensive that not investing in them can be seen as business suicide. There are still plenty of ideas out there, you just need a brilliant idea, a nice addictive game or a funny narrative. Many films are promoted by using controversy and gossip to make them more popular. Do you remember the film "The Blair Witch Project"?

Many large companies have experimented with viral marketing and have been very successful. Microsoft's Hotmail is a classic example. It was the first known large company to use this strategy and it has paid off handsomely for the company.

Now it's up to you to make viral marketing work for you. Take action today and utilise the benefits of viral marketing for yourself and your company.