How Viral Marketing Really Works

About the Author: Russ Henneberry writes and speaks about content marketing strategy and how tiny businesses can make mighty profits using a personal computer, a little imagination and a few well-placed dollars.

How Viral Marketing Really Works

Russ Henneberry | Jul 01, 2009 | Comments 0

How do I go from zero to millionaire in two weeks on auto-pilot?

How do I go from lame to fame in one week on the Internet?

The elusive “silver bullet.”

***I should qualify this post with the fact that I am talking about viral content that makes you money. Not some video that everyone is watching this month because you made an A** of yourself and got caught on YouTube. I am talking about content that has a Return On Investment associated with it.***

One In A Million Is Not Good Odds

If you are looking to take your business to the next level, it is not going to happen in one shot — i’m unsure of the exact odds but they are certainly stacked against you.

So, with that myth dispelled – let’s talk about how viral marketing actually works and works well for small and mid-sized businesses.

The real result of a viral marketing plan is a slow build up of followers that believe in you and your business. They believe – they trust.

How Viral Marketing Works:

It is a slow build up of followers – starting from few and graduating to many (see image right).
It requires that you offer something useful to your target market on a regular basis.
The “something” that you offer has to be worthy of one person telling others about it.
It is dependent upon you broadcasting your message through every channel available including social media, blogging and/or online video.

A viral marketing strategy that will get you a positive ROI is a long-term strategy of creating good content for your market — if you do so — awareness, interest and sales of your products and services will grow virally.