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7 Viral Marketing Strategies

August 28, 2008

Business is all about achieving greater leverage.

What happens when your customers or visitors pass around your marketing messages automatically for you?

All advertising has a cost. It will either cost you money or time. Let’s say you’re simply breaking even from your advertising. What would happen if you added a simple multiplier to your business where your visitors began increasing your exposure automatically?

Instead of simply breaking even, you’re now making a profit because you’ve doubled your traffic or more without working any harder.

Let me give you a simple example. I put together a free ebook to give to my subscribers. That’s all well and good. Now I’ve done the work, but how can I leverage it to additional results.

All I did was make it brandable using a program such as ViralPDF. Now my affiliates can brand the ebook to give it away to their own audiences.

Do people use this type of ebook as a giveaway (increasing my exposure and business)? They sure do.

Check out some of these sites for example (you’re looking for 10 Key Strategies to Earn More, Work Less, & Enjoy Life! which may be a subscribe bonus, on a popover, etc.):
http://www.cybercashology.com
http://www.stevenlohrenz.com
http://www.yettichiu.com
http://www.johnszram.com
http://www.attentionrich.com/
http://www.christiansindirectsales.com
http://allianceadvisors.blogspot.com

These are just a few of the sites using that report. I know I have many more blog readers who have it posted so please don’t feel I’m showing any favoritism. The above sites were simply from me remembering they had it posted and a quick Google search to see who had it to show a little proof.

Why are all of the above giving the ebook away? It’s because I provided good content with a hot title, and the majority of them have some type of relationship through a JV, customer relationship, etc. with me.

What can you create that others will be motivated to give away?

Here are 7 examples:

#1: eBooks

Obviously I use ebooks. You can see I have two brandable ebooks available in my affiliate program. The key here is to produce something good enough you could sell. Instead you make it brandable and give it away.

EVERYBODY is looking for more good content…and a tool like this can be an easy way to tap into other people’s traffic sources even if you can’t get a product sales JV. They might not be looking for more products to sell, but they are looking for content to give away.

#2: Videos

Can you produce an inspiring, motivating, or highly informative video others will want to refer to? Can you produce a funny video people will want to pass along? One example of a video that was a huge hit was Morgan Westerman’s original video: http://www.interviewwithgod.com/theoriginal.htm

With the video sharing sites, this can be a very powerful strategy as bloggers often embed your videos right into their blog or site directly (such as I did with the conversion rap).

#3: Blog Themes

Sponsor a blog theme others will want to use. For a while I was using Clean Copy that Michel Fortin sponsored. Not only have I used it, but I’ve seen dozens of others bloggers using his theme.

Everyone using it has a link at the bottom back to his site. While he might not get a lot of visitors from that little link, think about all the “incoming links” it has created for him and the viral effect of one person seeing the theme on another’s blog…and then going to his site to pick it up. It spreads by itself.

Hire a designer to create your own unique theme to use and giveaway.

#4: Software

Same concept as above. Instead of giving away a blog theme, have a software programmer create a software program to give away with links in the software back to you.

Here is an example software program called Comment Sniper. You can get a customized version to give away, and then earn recurring commissions from http://www.betterthanbacklinks.com links built into the software.

#5: Widgets

Continuing with this theme, you could have a website widget created that brings traffic back to you. Although I found Blogrush wasn’t very effective in generating additional visitors when I tested it on my blog, it obviously worked extremely well from the viral standpoint to produce visitors and signups for John Reese.

You’ll see many others are creating similar style widgets that you simply plug into your web pages while the system grows automatically.

#6: Complete Systems

This is very similar to the above, but I see it as a little different from software or widgets in that it is a complete system. Listhero is a good example of this one as they’ve put together a list building exchange type of system. You join their program and are provided with a popover on exit where other lists are offered in exchange for your list being offered on other people’s pages.

This is very similar to widgets above. I broke it apart to show you another variation of this type of system…and because it isn’t really built into the page itself like a widget.

Even my Internet Lifestyle System package is a little bit of viral marketing. When people use the intern videos, affiliate training, or VA materials, their customers are being introduced to me. While I’m not directly linking anywhere to me (as I want the customers to get the full exposure), some may still become customers of mine for other training products.

Think about what type of business growth tools you could create which others will recommend and promote for you using any of these possibilities.

#7: Linkbait Content

You produce outstanding content on your site or blog with the intended purpose being for others to promote it for you. Most people don’t really think of this as viral marketing, but it really is.

It may be because you created humorous post. Or you created a resource list. Or you created something so controversial people have to link to it. For example, look at the debate Rick Butts caused when he wrote his controversial, “Unsubscribe From Whoever…” post.

Your purpose in this content is to create something other blogs will link to, people will save into their bookmarks, and they’ll recommend to others through sites such as Stumbleupon.

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Written by Terry · Filed Under All 

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Comments

9 Responses to “7 Viral Marketing Strategies”

  1. Otolorin on August 28th, 2008 1:52 pm

    Terry,
    Thanks for sharing your ever insightful tips on your site.I have been following your instruction for a while now and I have been getting results.

    Your Integrity is your Brand!

  2. Phil Tanny on August 28th, 2008 5:29 pm

    As a programmer, I was drawn to the viral widget idea and created a site of website widgets.

    I tried to appeal to a variety of niches, so I wouldn’t be locked in to one market.

    I tried to make the widgets more than just little gadgets. They are really full websites in a portable box, which can be easily installed on a remote site, with just two lines of code.

    It was a lot of fun making the widgets, and I LOVE the viral widget concept, but am obligated report I’m experiencing very little interest.

    Here’s an example. One of the widgets offers the Net’s most organized, easiest to access, best presentation, of a collection of videos of a world famous philosopher.

    I spent 3 days contacting every leading site on this person, all of whom who had tons of text ABOUT the philosopher, but no video of the man, speaking in his own words. So I offer 219 videos of the subject, available for free, easy to install, assistance available, one convenient package.

    Slam dunk I thought.

    Nope. Nobody wants it. Out of maybe 100 directly relevant sites contacted, about 7 replied, and as I recall 1 installed the video player.

    I did get a PR 6 link from Wikipedia, which does bring in about 50 visitors a day, who watch the player, but don’t download it for their own sites.

    I would say it’s just this niche, but it’s about the same picture with the other widgets, in very different niches.

    Dunno, can’t explain it. The other ideas presented above are more promising?

  3. Bob McClain on August 28th, 2008 6:10 pm

    i followed the link in your blog post to Rick Butt’s blog post. it’s funny to hear someone slam these guys because everyone else is so busy trying to “jump on the bus”.

    I guess I’m an old fashioned copywriter. I still prefer to read information. I hate videos. It’s just like TV. suddenly, I lose control because I have to sit like a bump on a log and watch and if I can write fast enough, take notes.

    I just couldn’t buy into the whole watch our twelve videos thing Stompernet was pushing…

    Which is one of the two reasons I subscribe to your newsletter. First, because I can go sit on my deck with a hot mug of joe and absorb it, and two, because it’s crammed full of really useful information.

    I am seriously determined to quit doing SEO and website copywriting for a living and make my living selling my products on the ‘Net. And I’m going to continue absorbing yours and John Reese’s tricks, tips and tools to do it. Right now, you’re the only two Internet Marketers I trust. Thanks for all the help.

  4. Ethan on August 29th, 2008 1:56 am

    Terry,

    As usual, I have learnt something new today. I knew some of the widgets can be used as viral marketing and I have also used them. I agreed with you that I do not see significant traffic with Blogrush even though the presentation talk so much about increasing your traffic with Blogrush. I guess we are only getting a small fraction of these traffic whereas the inventor of these widgets are design to get full exposure.

    Well, at least now I am more determine to design my own software or widgets instead of relying on others widgets which claim to increase my own viral traffic.

  5. Welly Mulia on August 30th, 2008 2:06 pm

    Hi Terry,

    Thanks for sharing the viral strategies you mentioned above. Very true indeed. Viral strategies, if put to work correctly, can definitely drive lots of traffic to your site, which will eventually increase your profits.

    Cheers,
    Welly Mulia

  6. kellex on August 30th, 2008 11:34 pm

    One day soon I’ll take something Viral. Ok, I’m hoping…

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    [...] 7 Viral Marketing Strategies, by Terry Dean from Internet Business [...]

  8. Waken | NetBizSimplified on September 10th, 2008 1:30 pm

    I’m not good with viral marketing and is just starting out to test how effective it’s going to be. This is definitely a good list to start but a little detailed explanation on how to do it would be much much favorable.

  9. Ronnie Mann on September 10th, 2008 3:51 pm

    Videos are a great way to market your brand. I am particular impressed with my virtual phone system, Gotvmail’s recent campaign using Gary Busey. Using Dlist actors (think Geico ads) is brilliant too because your getting star power at a discount: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzmDZUJhq_8&feature=related

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