Does Viral Marketing really work?
The checks above amount to RM888 or USD246. It’s the total amount I spent for getting over 3,400 targetted opt-in subscribers to one of my viral marketing sites, in just 30 days.
I could have been more if not for the problems I had with my hosting script being shutdown, and also the lack of dependable Internet access for over 20 days when I moved to a new home.
So yes, viral marketing works, and here’s how you do it without affiliates or high-profile JVs:
- Create a product – in my case, it was a case-study of a project I did
- Give it away for free - instead of charging for the product, give it away for free.
- Ask for referrals - ask new members to refer others. In my case, they have to refer 5 people to get to the VIP level, which gives them access to more stuff the free members don’t get
- Hold a contest - instead of paying per-lead, I held a contest for 30 days, and offered prizes and cash rewards
In my example, I was not charging for a product. Therefore, I cant reply of affiliates to make it work. I could pay everyone per-lead, but that would have cost to much to implement. So I knew I had to reply on people referring their frieds.
I got a call from my ex-colleague who heard about me and my “Internet thing” from a co-worker who wanted to fill his 5-friends quota. What a suprise! It finally proved to me that viral marketing is a real thing.
If I had not targetted such a small market (Malaysians only) I might have got much more opt-in subscribers. But I had a reason to do this, as I wanted to build a massive Malaysian list for a product (and a physical book) I had planned for 2007.
And that’s the final lesson for viral marketing – do not just build a list, if you have no definate plan for that list. The list would otherwise be wasted eventually.
Related Articles:
Recent Comments