Definition of Viral Marketing

Viral marketing as a strategy originated from the workings of a real communicable virus. Those affecting human beings, viruses are easily passed or transmitted from one person to the next person and the next and so on. The net effect is that in just a short span of time the entire community or even an entire city will be infected with the virus.

In viral marketing an individual is given a product or message that encourages him or her to pass it on to his or her friends, co-workers or family members. And they in turn will pass the same to their own friends, colleagues and relatives. If the message or product has such a profound influence, it is very possible that in a short span of time, the same product or message has spread to thousands or even millions of people.

Viral marketing has existed for quite sometime. It has been rendered very effective in the medium of the internet. Just take email. Transmitting and forwarding emails to others on your list is so simple because internet communications has become so easy to access and inexpensive. Email is definitely a clear example of viral marketing. Indeed a lot of viral marketing is done just through email marketing.

Since people are social by nature, it is estimated that each one would have a close network of 8 to 12 people consisting of family, friends and associates with whom one is in contact with. In addition some people have developed a wider network of relationships over the internet through the various social media available today. Hence a single email message has the potential to be spread exponentially across the globe.

Why does viral marketing work?

Viral marketing works quite well on the internet because of the twin factors of people's innate desire to communicate and the internet's power to broadcast and spread messages at lightning speed. Besides email marketing, there are so many other modes in website marketing that can be made explosively viral. Learning one or more of these viral marketing ideas is clearly a way to make more profit when it comes to making money online.

The Useful Strategy Research Team