Via SitePoint: “Originally referenced in Greek Athenian histories, and finally coined in the late 1990s by venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, the term “viral marketing” is commonly defined as network-enhanced word-of-mouth. During the dot-com boom, many flush startups swore by the technique, and a vast majority of those organizations are no longer in business. So why are marketers still making such a big fuss about a technique that dates back to the days of Homer and failed as recently as 199X?
According to SearchCRM.com, viral marketing is “any marketing technique that induces Web sites or users to pass on a marketing message to other sites or users, creating a potentially exponential growth in the message’s visibility and effect.” In other words, it’s a “virus” that is carried over the Internet to various Web “hosts” or people. Much like a virus in the real world, viral marketing is stealthy, patient and cunning. It can also be a very cost-effective way to generate awareness.”
A viral campaign does six things:
- Gives away seemingly valuable products, services or content
- Provides for effortless transfer to others
- Scales easily from small to very large
- Exploits common motivations and behaviors
- Utilizes existing communication networks
- Takes advantage of others’ resources
