So what exactly is viral marketing and what does it mean for something to “go viral”?
According to Wikipedia:
VIRAL MARKETING: Marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes.
The goal of marketers is to create  successful viral marketing programs by creating viral messages that appeal to individuals with high social networking potential and that have a high probability of being spread by these individuals in their communications with others in a short period of time.
Viral marketing is easy to define and it’s pretty easy to describe how it works. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula for which concepts, ideas or promotions actually go viral. All we can do is give it the right opportunity to go viral.
Maybe you’re planning to get in better shape in 2011… maybe you’re not.
Maybe 2011 will be the best year of your life so far…maybe it won’t.
Maybe you’ll start a family in 2011…maybe you ‘ll say good bye to a loved one.
Maybe you’ll remember the ball drop ushering in 2011…maybe you won’t.
Maybe 2011 will be less government and smarter spending…maybe not.
Maybe in 2011 the grass will seem greener on the other side…maybe it’s not.
Shape up, think positive, enjoy life, stay sober, don’t hold your breath, take care of your own yard…
…maybe your 2011 leaf hasn’t fallen from the tree yet.
“Outbound marketing” is where a marketer pushes his message out far and wide hoping that it resonates with that needle in the haystack. Some examples include trade shows, seminar series, email blasts to purchased lists, internal cold calling, outsourced telemarketing and advertising.
Rather than do outbound marketing to the masses of people who are trying to block you out, let’s do “inbound marketing” where you help yourself “get found” by people already learning about and shopping in your industry. In order to do this, make your website a hub for your industry that attracts visitors naturally through the search engines, through blogs, and through social media sites.
I believe most marketers today spend 90% of their efforts on outbound marketing and 10% on inbound marketing. What if we flipped those efforts?
I enjoy Seth Godin’s writing…Â here’s an excerpt from one of his blog entries I want to share with you.
We say we want one thing, then we do another. We say we want to be successful but we sabotage the job interview. We say we want a product to come to market, but we sandbag the shipping schedule. We say we want to be thin but we eat too much. We say we want to be smart but we skip class or don’t read that book the boss lent us.
The contradictions never end. When someone shows up and acts without contradiction, we’re amazed. When an athlete just does the sport, or when a writer just writes the words, we can’t help but watch, astonished at the purity of their actions.
Why is it so difficult to do what we say we’re going to do?
The correct question to ask if you “need a promotion” is, “Are You Qualified for a Promotion?”
- Diligence in your workplace brings added responsibility.
- Added responsibility brings promotion.
- Promotion brings more cash flow to you.
- Cash flow to you brings more responsibility.
- Responsibility requires diligence & accountability.
If you truly deserve the “promotion” in your workplace, consider this:
- Don’t seek the title. Be great at what you do and the title will seek you.
- Make your position great. Your position won’t make you great.
- Let your title come as a result of your work.
If you’re like the majority of businesses (or salespeople), you think primarily about getting a new sale from a new customer.
Wait. The purpose of making a sale to a new customer should be to acquire a new customer—for the long-term. Is the sale you make today important? Sure it is. But how much more is that newly acquired customer worth to you in the long-term than just for today?
A sale is usually a one-time event with a one-time benefit. But if you are a wise, intelligent and savvy business owner, your focus will be on making the sale to acquire a long-term customer.
The service you provide today will determine if your new customer becomes a life-time customer.
Marketing via email is a craft. It is powerful, but easily abused. It is easy, and at the same time, really difficult. Here are a few email marketing tips.
Address Recipients with Their Name in Email Campaigns
Make your newsletter recipients feel less like mere numbers by greeting them individually and personally.
Avoid Mistyped Addresses by Requiring Retyping
Require retyping of email addresses in the signup form for your newsletter.
Create a Clear Call to Action in Email Marketing Campaigns
Make sure recipients of your email marketing message know what you expect them to do (and what they can expect in return).
Email Marketing Needs to Reflect Your Brand
Help people recognize instantly that it is your email marketing.
Experiment with Link Placement in Newsletters
Maximize performance by putting the right links in the right places.
Include an Easy to Use Unsubscribe Link in Newsletters
Unhappy subscribers are worse than no subscribers. An easy and fail-safe way to unsubscribe is a way to make subscribers happy.
Everywhere you turn (especially those closest to you), you will hear how impossible your dream is to achieve, and to, “just wait” and see what happens with the economy.
You’ll find the people who are succeeding, achieving higher goals, pursuing their dreams…Â aren’t listening to either of these pieces of advice.
Don’t choose dreams based on what you’ll know is going to happen. Choose dreams that are improbable, then take one step at a time to begin making the changes you want to occur around you.
Too many choices in advertising, marketing, social media, online promotions, offline promotions? You may be experiencing decision overload and/or analysis paralysis.
Here are a few tips that might help:
- decide which choices matter most and focus your energy there
- be proactive and not reactive in making your choices
- make your choices, don’t let your choices make you
- take accountability for your choices
- build trustworthy relationships with people who can help you make choices in areas you are weak
- be honest about your choices, you’ll sleep better at night
As a business owner, the most important place to spend time and money is in marketing. It’s not in doing all the daily grind and functions of working “in” your business.
STOP seeing yourself as a provider or salesperson of your category of products or services. Begin to recognize that you are a “marketer of” your business that offers and sells your category of products/services.
“MARKETER OF” – The person (you) who fully understands and sees the importance and benefits of marketing is THE ONE who will ultimately achieve financial stability as a business owner.
ACTION:
In the next 57 minutes, write down and act upon what you CAN DO and what you WILL DO to begin working “on” your business. Schedule a designated block of time each day or each week that you will focus on working “on” your business.
