Viral marketing is one of the best ways to get your business from 0 to 60 in seconds flat. It’s amazing how an idea can spread and if you can create a buzz with viral marketing you’ll watch your traffic, and profits, soar.

What is Viral Marketing?

Viral marketing is essentially something that gets passed from person to person. For example, have you ever sent a YouTube video to a friend?  That’s viral marketing. If that YouTube video just happened to be for a product or had been monetized then each time that video is forwarded or shared with someone, it’s making money. Viral marketing, in a nutshell, is designed to be passed around, to create excitement.

How do You create a buzz with viral marketing?

We just mentioned videos and they’re a great way to generate a buzz. Funny or shocking videos in particular are popular because people want to be entertained.

However, video isn’t the only tool you have to create a viral marketing buzz. Viral marketing can be created with:

* A free book,
* A free report,
* a free service
* a free workshop, seminar or online course

Now you may be scratching your head and thinking, “I’m already giving away those things.”  Here’s how to make them viral.
Make sure you include links in your free content back to your website and to your opt-in page. Let folks who download the content know that they can send it to anyone and everyone as long as they leave your links in the material.

The key to giving your viral content the power to create a buzz?

It has to be interesting and provide value. Now you can go over the top with it and produce something no one’s ever heard of before, something that piques curiosity and water cooler talk like “The Rich Jerk.” However you don’t have to. A good product will always generate a buzz.

Making it viral.

In order for your product to become viral, you have to start the buzz. Start by linking to it in your email messages. Post links to it in social marketing sites and forums. You may even want to consider a short PPC campaign just to get it started.
Once the material is out there and spreading like wildfire, you can sit back and begin planning your next marketing strategy. Oh, a few tips before we wrap up.

1. Make sure your viral content is easy to share. If people can easily link to your video, download your reports and forward your content, then they’re not going to. Quick video upload times are essential as are quick download times for your written content.
2. Test and track your results. If you’re using social media, PPC and other strategies to get the word out, test and track to find out which tools generate the best results. You may find that you get very little traffic from Facebook but your Twitter traffic is through the roof. It’s important to know what works.
3. Give yourself permission to get creative with this project. People are always looking for solid and valuable content but they enjoy seeing it presented in a new and different way. Brainstorm the possibilities!

Viral marketing is a great way to draw traffic and customers to your website. Follow these simple guidelines and start creating a buzz today.