Overvaluing Viral Marketing
Internet marketing gurus tell you that if you produce a free item that has your contact information in it, that business will just flood in - Not Quite True!
The truth is that viral marketing is still hard to get going. Just because you have a freebie or a pass on item does not mean that people will flock in to grab it. After all, freebies and giveaways are so common online that it is pretty difficult to come up with one that is truly unique, and then you have to market IT in order for it to even be found!
Viral marketing SHOULD be part of a well designed marketing plan. But it is not the instant answer to having a business with no customers, or a site with no traffic. The real power only comes out when viral marketing is used intelligently, and when the viral item is plugged into existing distribution channels where people can access it easily and quickly.
Article marketing, for this reason, is perhaps one of the most potentially powerful viral marketing strategies, because distribution channels already exist which you just plug in and use. Creating an eBook, or other forms of viral marketing is much more difficult, because promoting it presents the same challenges as promoting your website directly.
People who overvalue viral marketing either already have distribution channels in place, or they don't understand what the real challenges will be. For a startup especially, you must look for forms of viral marketing where you can use someone else's already established user base. Collaborations with other authors can help you leverage the collective marketing power to promote the viral product.
...More Bad Marketing Ideas
...More Bad Marketing Examples
Or see some Good Marketing Ideas, Internet Marketing Ideas, and Business Marketing Ideas
