| You certainly know by now that the term "viral | | | | above-the-fold real estate, but not so small that it won't |
| marketing" is not just another dot-com cliché. | | | | be seen. Simplicity is the key here - your button should |
| Quite the contrary, it describes the incredible, | | | | have a pleasing and eye-catching design, not one that |
| unmatched power of the Web to promote your | | | | will give the viewer a headache from Flash overkill or |
| business by marrying email to the traditional concept of | | | | frightening color combinations. If your user doesn't |
| "word-of-mouth."Viral marketing, the concept of making | | | | know what your aesthetically pleasing button is for, |
| each customer a marketer by encouraging | | | | they're probably not going to use it. This is where you |
| word-of-mouth referrals, is indisputably one of the | | | | need to do what your elementary teacher always |
| most effective mediums of ongoing self-promotion a | | | | admonished you to do: use your words carefully. |
| site can employ. It gives Internet companies a | | | | Clearly spell out in straightforward terms what the |
| cost-efficient, proven tool to increase traffic and lower | | | | button is for, why you want your user to use it, and |
| advertising costs.Hotmail originally broke through the | | | | finally, how they go about using it.-PLACE YOUR |
| mold by proving that companies no longer needed to | | | | BUTTONNow it's time to place the button, and there |
| spend millions on flashy advertising to become the best | | | | are multiple placement options depending on what you |
| and biggest in the business. With a simple viral | | | | want your visitors to share and in what context the |
| marketing campaign they effectively cornered the | | | | item to be shared appears. Remember that your |
| market with a budget that spent money on original | | | | button is a call to action, so the best placement is at |
| customer acquisition and not over-the-top Super Bowl | | | | the point in your process where your visitors are the |
| ads.However, instead of just standing by idly and | | | | most engaged, and motivated. The number one |
| hoping it happens, you can actually "drive" viral | | | | location for a product referral is the page where the |
| marketing by crafting an extremely effective viral | | | | product appears and appears by itself or differentiated |
| marketing program targeted to your audience. This | | | | from other products. Not only will your visitor not yet |
| article will provide you with the key steps to create a | | | | be preoccupied with billing addresses and credit card |
| viral marketing program that will power your business | | | | numbers, you also do not run the risk of losing a |
| to new heights of success, and do it for a fraction of | | | | referral opportunity because you placed the button |
| the cost of other promotional efforts.-DO | | | | deeper in the ordering process, where the likelihood of |
| EVERYTHING RIGHT FIRSTYour potential customers | | | | an abandoned shopping cart rises.If you provide a |
| now have the power to tell colleagues, friends and | | | | referral tool for an article or white paper, the best spot |
| family about great web site experiences in greater | | | | for the button is at the beginning of the article or white |
| numbers and far faster than we could have imagined | | | | paper for shorter pieces and at both the beginning and |
| just a few years ago. Think of the power of a dense | | | | the end for pieces more than a page in length. Like |
| email address book and a few mouse clicks. In fact, | | | | most surfers do not read every line of text on every |
| that is the "fuel" behind viral marketing. The downside is | | | | site, it is likely many of your visitors will also not be |
| they can do the same thing regarding bad experiences | | | | reading every single sentence and paragraph of what |
| with the same efficiency and speed. Research has | | | | they might send on, especially if they're doing |
| shown that people share bad experiences up to 5 | | | | preliminary research or idly surfing.Other prime |
| times more often than they tell about good ones. | | | | locations for referral buttons, depending on your site |
| Before you post a site to your server and invite | | | | and on your needs, are your home page, your product |
| people to visit it, everything should be quality tested | | | | or service pages, and on any special offers. Ask |
| and in perfect order. While software makers can | | | | yourself what it is you want visitors to your site to |
| sometimes get away with shipping buggy software, | | | | pass along and place buttons accordingly. Place the |
| you can't issue a "patch" to a site that has already | | | | button close to names, icons, or logos that you expect |
| turned off your target audience because in this market, | | | | to catch attention, while also keeping the important |
| your audience will go somewhere else, fast. And | | | | basics as close to the top of the page as possible. |
| instead of gaining customers "geometrically", you'll be | | | | Web sites, like newspapers have a "fold" (i.e., what's |
| losing them exponentially.-TWO TOOLS: Buttons and | | | | seen before the user has to scroll) and anything |
| LinksThere are two basic tools in your viral marketing | | | | considered of paramount importance should be placed |
| arsenal: buttons and links. The idea is that with a single | | | | above the fold.-OPTIMIZE YOUR LINKA link is a link is |
| click a visitor can share your site with others, and | | | | a link. Not exactly a lot of design flexibility, is there? |
| those people in turn can do the same. The goal in | | | | The best you can do, and what you should do it if you |
| designing and placing these buttons and links is to | | | | can, is to create links that carry at least a part of your |
| make them obvious, easy-to-use, and perhaps even | | | | message. A very simple example would be The real |
| rewarding to use. By making your buttons more | | | | key with links is to accompany them with a short, clear, |
| obvious, you give the visitor a visual cue to pass your | | | | and compelling message. Also, underline or color the |
| site on to a friend and take an active role in the | | | | text of your link so that it is obviously a link.-PLACE |
| creation of your own viral marketing campaign. You | | | | YOUR LINKAgain we go back to our earlier point that |
| can take an even more active role and move beyond | | | | the call to action works best when the visitor has been |
| mere suggestion by actually offering your visitors an | | | | fully engaged. If you want people to share an article or |
| incentive to pass something on.-ELEMENTS OF | | | | white paper, the link goes at both the beginning, when |
| SUCCESSThe analysis is pretty straightforward. For | | | | they're first interested about the material, and at the |
| your buttons and/or link to work, you've first got to get | | | | end, when they've read it. If it's in an email, you put it at |
| it in front of your target audience of potential | | | | whatever point in your message that you've given |
| customers. Second, your potential customers have to | | | | your reader the strongest incentive to act. Place it too |
| be able to readily tell what it is that has been artfully | | | | early in the process, (before that special offer or |
| put in front of them. It's that old three-click rule - if you | | | | promotion), and it is like suddenly demanding money |
| can't find what you want on a site in three clicks, | | | | from your customer when they are only halfway |
| you're going to surf elsewhere, and if you can't | | | | through the purchasing decision process. You not only |
| understand what you're reading immediately, you're | | | | won't gain a customer, you will lose one customer with |
| going to tune out. Part of what needs to be clear to | | | | exceptional word-of-mouth potential.-THE SECRET |
| potential users is what they need to do and exactly | | | | INGREDIENTConsider Three Scenarios:People love |
| how they can do it. If you fail in any of these elements | | | | your site, but you don't give them any tools, much less |
| or if you confuse your message with unnecessary | | | | any incentive, to share it.People love your site, and you |
| complications, you're potential customer is gone, and | | | | give them an easy and obvious way to share it.People |
| you've blown your possibly one shot at a few | | | | love your site, and you not only give them an easy and |
| seconds of their attention.Your referral tool needs to, | | | | obvious way to share it, but you actually reward them |
| at the minimum, accomplish seven critical things:Stand | | | | for doing so.Which scenario will result in the most |
| out from the clutter of the page.Be instantly | | | | referrals? Which scenario would you yourself respond |
| understoodEmbody a clear call to action.Give clear | | | | to best? Adding referral tools is a great start, but |
| instructions on how to act.Be placed effectively.Offer | | | | when you also add an incentive, you've given your |
| an incentive.Make the offer simple, clear and | | | | visitors no reason not to act, and your response rate |
| obvious.-BUTTON VS. LINKButton: Eye-catching, can | | | | will skyrocket accordingly. As e-sales guru David |
| be graphical. Link: Line of blue text. Both viable, both | | | | Weltman, successful CEO and former IBM advisor, |
| serve their respective purpose. The tool you choose | | | | says, "What you get is referrals on rocket fuel."But |
| will depend on two factors: 1) what you want your | | | | before you start handing out incentives, consider what |
| visitor to share with others, and 2) the context in which | | | | your target audience will value and appreciate. To a |
| your visitor will be sharing. If you want people to share | | | | tech-savvy audience, an offer of a free "Outhouse |
| content items such as articles or white papers, you | | | | Construction for Numbskulls" manual will be less |
| can use either a button or a link, although a button is | | | | compelling than, say, free shipping or entry in a contest |
| more appropriate as it's more attention getting. Also, if | | | | to win a new monitor.-IN CONCLUSIONWhen used |
| the context is your site as a whole or a specific | | | | properly, nothing can match the power of viral |
| product or a service on your site, then a button is | | | | marketing. It is so effective because it is based on |
| preferable because eye-catching buttons can be | | | | personal opinion, much the same way an editorial |
| designed and placed by using simple code that will load | | | | carries more weight than an advertisement because |
| almost regardless of browser or bandwidth. However, | | | | it's coming from a trusted source. You trust your |
| when the context is email, whether mailing to your own | | | | friends and colleagues to send you material that is |
| opt-in list, doing a targeted promotion, or simply sending | | | | interesting, useful, and pertinent to you personally. Trust |
| "Thank you" emails when customers submit an order, | | | | will always be more powerful than flashy design and |
| you are better off sticking with a link. Many of your | | | | expensive ad campaigns, and when information |
| potential customers don't have email that supports | | | | comes from someone you trust, it is much more |
| HTML, and even if they do, a button can easily get | | | | powerful.You can employ a team of designers and |
| chewed to bits in cyberspace when moving across | | | | programmers and copywriters to build you a beautiful |
| platforms and programs. A good rule of thumb is site = | | | | and functional site. You can pay for content, buy |
| button and email = link.-OPTIMIZE YOUR BUTTONTo | | | | advertising, and even purchase lists of email |
| optimize the design of your button, look back to the | | | | addresses. The one thing you can't buy when growing |
| seven elements of success. To fulfill the first rule, and | | | | your business is the trust of your users and the |
| to stand out from the clutter of the page, the button | | | | recommendations from current customers to potential |
| needs to be small enough not to take up too much | | | | new ones. That's achieved only with viral marketing. |