WebMaster Solutions

Web Site Marketing

Viral Marketing 101

by Kenneth Catto

Sounds like a virus and that is a bad thing, unless you think about how a virus works in your body or on your computer. Basically, once you get one, unless you do something to stop it the virus grows.

Now apply that thinking to Internet marketing, since growth is exactly what you want. Imagine if you write an eBook you give away to three friends each and they give it to... get the picture? It will grow like wildfire! Soon you have 100's if not 1000's of people exposed to your Ebook.

With careful planning, your Ebook just happens to have products and services you recommend, and just so happens you are an affiliate marketer. Simply include your affiliate links and watch the results. You will see growth from places where you have never been to!

Like most things, viral marketing has its drawbacks. People actually rob affiliate codes and modify them to rob your commission from you. And just like a virus, there are remedies. One is called cloaking and it's simple as pie. There is cloaking software, there are page re-directs, and it all works like forwarding. What generally happens is you create these links like this:

http://www.domain-name.com/word

When it is clicked on, the link actually goes to
http://www.thelongeststringofwordsandnumbers.com

Cloaking does two things; Hides the 3" long affiliate links companies make you use, and hides the affiliate code from thieves, and yes they are out there and you have been warned.

But the advantages to viral marketing far outweigh the disadvantages. Just make sure that where you host your pages, or the software you use to build your web pages can do re-direct type forwarding.

Let other people spread the eBook around. Use an auto responder to deliver your eBook automatically. Offer it on your web site. Give it away; do not sell it because you will limit how many people want it. The more that get it, the more clicks to affiliates and the more sales you make.

You will need eBook or web site content, so unless you are a professional web copy writer, you may need some help. One best idea is to find base articles and re-work to suit. To have a starting place is a tremendous advantage and great time saver too.

So do not be afraid to jump out there and become an author or a webmaster, maybe even both. EBooks and information are hot commodities. When you market them virally, nature takes over and it spreads.

Have you ever received an eBook from someone else that bought it, and the intent was for each reader to purchase the book? It's quite natural to share and that is the beauty of viral marketing. Growth comes naturally and easily, but you have to get started now, it takes time to work.

Once the virus affect of viral marketing kicks in, the only thermometer you will be using is to make sure your margaritas are cold.

Recommended Reading