| Viral marketing has an array of possibilities and ways | | | | self-propelling word-of-mouth e-mail techniques to sell |
| to achieve your overall goals. However, just like | | | | their products. |
| everything else, preplanning and the right setup to | | | | The study generated some interesting results |
| create success are the things you will need to make it | | | | regarding the type of content that is most often |
| work for you and your e-business. | | | | forwarded, as well. The most popular content is |
| The first thing you want to be sure you don't do is get | | | | humorous material. |
| over-zealous. The one thing you need to avoid at all | | | | The second most popular category is news, followed |
| costs is spamming. Spamming is still used widely, but | | | | by healthcare and medical information, religious and |
| with the government establishing more restrictions and | | | | spiritual material, games, business and personal finance |
| fines you don't want this to be a problem for you. The | | | | information and sports/hobbies in that order. So it is |
| professional image of your site will also suffer if you | | | | easy to see that humor is the best content for your |
| send mail blatantly. | | | | viral e-mail campaign. |
| Spamming requires a database that contains a huge | | | | Cartoons, jokes and funny video clips are among the |
| list of e-mail addresses set up so that the message | | | | things that can be added to an e-mail to insure that it |
| can be delivered with one click. The problem with it | | | | will go viral. People will want to pass along something |
| (aside from the governmental restrictions and | | | | that makes them laugh. |
| associated fines) is that it irritates the recipients and kills | | | | They are a lot more likely to hit the forward button and |
| the validity of your campaign, which in turn kills the | | | | send your email to their friends and relatives if it is an |
| factors that would motivate someone to refer your | | | | "advertainment" rather than an advertisement. |
| site. | | | | Not along ago, about 35 million people got an e-mail |
| You need to personalize by creating your website with | | | | containing a picture taken in Disneyland. It took a minute |
| personal appeal. You must see to it that your website | | | | to see it but there was Donald Duck lying prone in |
| makes your customers feel safe, secure and cared | | | | front of the famous Cinderella Castle. The title of the |
| for. E-mail is important, because it is going to be one of | | | | picture was "Bird Flu has hit Disneyland". It was a viral |
| the most affordable ways to keep in touch with your | | | | e-mail advertising Disneyland and used the edgy |
| customers. | | | | strategy of making light of what's serious and it works. |
| The proper way to handle email permission is to first | | | | I'd guess that most people who own a computer have |
| let your customer know that you will not transmit their | | | | seen that picture and thus the advertisement for |
| e-mail addresses to third party companies. The next | | | | Disneyland. The bird flu epidemic is newsworthy and |
| thing to do is to attach the need for their e-mail | | | | has the potential to attract an enormous amount of |
| addresses to benefits they can receive. | | | | attention to any brand that might, for whatever reason, |
| For example: Coupons or discounts that are only | | | | associate itself with it. |
| available to members who receive e-mail notifications. | | | | Remember that people are much more likely to share |
| With each e-mail you send the viral marketing effect | | | | a joke or a funny picture than anything else so you |
| takes place. | | | | would be well advised to include humor in your e-mail |
| A study by Sharpe Partners, an interactive marketing | | | | campaign. |
| agency, revealed that 89% of adult Internet users in | | | | So there you go! Those are the sneaky ways you |
| America share content with others via e-mail. This is | | | | can apply to your subscriber's email addresses and |
| excellent news for those companies who use | | | | thus, increase your viral marketing potential. |