A formula for viral marketing success

     One of the coolest things about the Web is that when an idea takes off, it can propel a brand or company to seemingly instant fame and fortune. For free. Whatever you call it (viral, buzz, word-of-mouse, or word-of-blog marketing) having other people tell your story drives action. One person sends it to another, then that person sends it to yet another, and on and on.

     The challenge for marketers is to harness the amazing power of word-of-mouse. The formula for success includes a combination of some great—and free— Web content (a video, blog entry, interactive tool, or e-book) that provides valuable information (or is groundbreaking or amazing or hilarious or involves a celebrity), plus a network of people to light the fire and links that make your content very easy to share.

     Word-of-Mouse empowers you

     You and I are incredibly lucky. For decades, the only way to spread our ideas was to buy expensive advertising or beg the media to write (or broadcast) about our products and services. But now our organizations have a tremendous opportunity to publish great content online, content that people want to consume and that they are eager to share with their friends, family, and colleagues.

     Word-of-mouse is the single most empowering tool available to marketers today.

     Source: The New Rules of Viral Marketing (David Meerman Scott) e-book