How to use Viral Marketing to Buzz Your Brand Like Crazy!
Published under Wordpress Themes » WP ArticlesWhile sitting in the stands at a hometown baseball game, I witnessed something incredible...
Amidst the screaming children (it was family night), the smell of cheap beer and the baseball cat call, "hey batter, batter, swing batter," I found myself mesmerized by the group of loyal fans to the right of me.
This group of about 50 or so people stood up simultaneously, cheering gleefully, waving their hands in the air.
It took me, and everyone else, a little time to catch on but I suddenly realized I was sitting amidst the start of a baseball wave. I've only seen this sports staple on television and then only after the wave was in full fledge motion.
As I watched this small group of raving fans get the attention of a stadium filled with hundreds of people, I realized I was watching viral marketing in action.
You see, this small group of 50 created more excitement and energy at the game than the game itself. Frankly, I was ready to leave because the players weren't all that entertaining. The fans however, were.
They shared their delight in being at the game and enticed other fans in the stands to join them in their excitement. In truth, these folks made the event. Without them, I would not have considered attending again but they made it so much fun...who knows, I might become a regular!
In your business, your existing and prospective clients and customers can generate enough steam for your brand that gets virtual strangers anxious to get to know YOU. Imagine getting your audience so excited about your business that they start a 'wave' that spreads like wild fire about you...
Here are a few ways you can leverage the power of viral marketing in your small business:
Telephone
The tagline 'reach out and touch someone' is as brilliant today as it was in 1981 when AT&T coined the term. Back then their intention was to entice customers to use the phone more frequently.
Today, it is being used as a means of blasting your brand tone, message and overall flavor to those clients, customers and prospects that have given you permission to get in touch. There are new FCC rules you'll want to make sure you're in compliance with before you blast your pre-recorded message. For some, this is a powerful viral method because, just like the old Wella ads, when I get your incredibly compelling message, I tell two friends about it, they tell two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on...
Blog
Getting your thoughts, ideas and philosophy 'out there' is a terrific way to generate brand buzz. A business and/or personal blog is but one way to leverage the power of viral marketing.
After reading your killer content, visitors to your blog will be eager to share your url with others helping to spread your message and reaching people who otherwise may have never found their way to you. For branding purposes, be sure your url either reflects your name, your tagline, product or service name.
Getting started is a breeze with a number of freebie blog programs available; Blogspot,, and WordPress for example.
Articles
Want to know one of the top two needs every consumer craves...great content and/or great information. In your area of expertise, you posses more knowledge than your average buyer. Therefore, get those ideas on paper and submit your articles all over the Internet. Talk about wild fire!
This is an oldie but goodie method for spreading the buzz about your brand. You won't explode your business overnight this way but it's a 'steady as she goes' method for building your fan base and generating more interest in you and your business.
Because submitting your articles this way means you are also giving away the rights to reproduce your article, be certain you always include a short bio (known as the author box) with every article that includes a link to your website or other means of contacting you.
Viral Movie or Audio
We are living in a youTube society where folks just want to be entertained darn it! The votes have been cast with 'funny' as the preferred genre of entertainment...at least on the Internet. For many businesses, funny just doesn't fit nor does it honor your brand message or brand integrity. Perhaps inspirational or thought provoking is a more appropriate fit?
The number one most powerful advantage to a viral movie is that the emotional connection, or impact, is INSTANT. In just a few minutes, you have your audience reacting and anxious to tell their friends and colleagues about their experience. I personally launched a viral movie last year, TheMythsMovie.com, and received a great deal of traffic to my website as a result. My movie still carries viaral power and I continue to get visitors to my site because of it.
As with any marketing effort, the quality of the audience viewing your viral message is as vital as the quantity - it does you no good to have thousands view your material if they are not qualified to be clients and customers, now does it.
I've outlined a smattering of ways you can go viral. Remember that it takes just one or two devotees to start the wave for your brand. It won't happen overnight but in no time you will have your bleachers filled with adoring fans. ©2007, Liz Pabon. All rights reserved.
www.amazines.com
Amidst the screaming children (it was family night), the smell of cheap beer and the baseball cat call, "hey batter, batter, swing batter," I found myself mesmerized by the group of loyal fans to the right of me.
This group of about 50 or so people stood up simultaneously, cheering gleefully, waving their hands in the air.
It took me, and everyone else, a little time to catch on but I suddenly realized I was sitting amidst the start of a baseball wave. I've only seen this sports staple on television and then only after the wave was in full fledge motion.
As I watched this small group of raving fans get the attention of a stadium filled with hundreds of people, I realized I was watching viral marketing in action.
You see, this small group of 50 created more excitement and energy at the game than the game itself. Frankly, I was ready to leave because the players weren't all that entertaining. The fans however, were.
They shared their delight in being at the game and enticed other fans in the stands to join them in their excitement. In truth, these folks made the event. Without them, I would not have considered attending again but they made it so much fun...who knows, I might become a regular!
In your business, your existing and prospective clients and customers can generate enough steam for your brand that gets virtual strangers anxious to get to know YOU. Imagine getting your audience so excited about your business that they start a 'wave' that spreads like wild fire about you...
Here are a few ways you can leverage the power of viral marketing in your small business:
Telephone
The tagline 'reach out and touch someone' is as brilliant today as it was in 1981 when AT&T coined the term. Back then their intention was to entice customers to use the phone more frequently.
Today, it is being used as a means of blasting your brand tone, message and overall flavor to those clients, customers and prospects that have given you permission to get in touch. There are new FCC rules you'll want to make sure you're in compliance with before you blast your pre-recorded message. For some, this is a powerful viral method because, just like the old Wella ads, when I get your incredibly compelling message, I tell two friends about it, they tell two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on...
Blog
Getting your thoughts, ideas and philosophy 'out there' is a terrific way to generate brand buzz. A business and/or personal blog is but one way to leverage the power of viral marketing.
After reading your killer content, visitors to your blog will be eager to share your url with others helping to spread your message and reaching people who otherwise may have never found their way to you. For branding purposes, be sure your url either reflects your name, your tagline, product or service name.
Getting started is a breeze with a number of freebie blog programs available; Blogspot,, and WordPress for example.
Articles
Want to know one of the top two needs every consumer craves...great content and/or great information. In your area of expertise, you posses more knowledge than your average buyer. Therefore, get those ideas on paper and submit your articles all over the Internet. Talk about wild fire!
This is an oldie but goodie method for spreading the buzz about your brand. You won't explode your business overnight this way but it's a 'steady as she goes' method for building your fan base and generating more interest in you and your business.
Because submitting your articles this way means you are also giving away the rights to reproduce your article, be certain you always include a short bio (known as the author box) with every article that includes a link to your website or other means of contacting you.
Viral Movie or Audio
We are living in a youTube society where folks just want to be entertained darn it! The votes have been cast with 'funny' as the preferred genre of entertainment...at least on the Internet. For many businesses, funny just doesn't fit nor does it honor your brand message or brand integrity. Perhaps inspirational or thought provoking is a more appropriate fit?
The number one most powerful advantage to a viral movie is that the emotional connection, or impact, is INSTANT. In just a few minutes, you have your audience reacting and anxious to tell their friends and colleagues about their experience. I personally launched a viral movie last year, TheMythsMovie.com, and received a great deal of traffic to my website as a result. My movie still carries viaral power and I continue to get visitors to my site because of it.
As with any marketing effort, the quality of the audience viewing your viral message is as vital as the quantity - it does you no good to have thousands view your material if they are not qualified to be clients and customers, now does it.
I've outlined a smattering of ways you can go viral. Remember that it takes just one or two devotees to start the wave for your brand. It won't happen overnight but in no time you will have your bleachers filled with adoring fans. ©2007, Liz Pabon. All rights reserved.
www.amazines.com
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