8 Effective Viral Marketing Techniques
Viral marketing is a marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message voluntarily. Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, or even text messages. Source.
Got that? Excellent! It’s an easy to learn and VERY effective technique, that should be a part of every online marketers arsenal (offline marketing as well).
Replicating your promotions in this manner will bring you RSS subscriptions, newsletter sign-ups and sales for weeks, months and even years down the road!
The following is 8 effective and (somewhat) simple ideas with which to achieve this. There are many many more of course, which we will surely get to over time. 
1. Purchase Branding Rights To An Existing Viral eBook.
Once you have purchased the rights to brand an eBook you can then brand it with your own affiliate links and web links, then allow people to give away the FREE eBook to their visitors.
The visitors will then also give it away, giving you a viral eBook spreading all over the world with your OWN links inside.
You don’t necessarily even have to purchase them (unless perhaps it’s brand spankin’ new).
There are many free giveaways around the ‘net where you can pick up good products with these rights attached.
I’ll be posting many of those as well. You could probably place this is your link strategies folder as well, if you’re an outside the box thinker.
2. Create a FREE Online Service.
Create a FREE online service that you are able to do such as search engine optimization, web editing, search engine submission, some kind of contest etc., and allow people to provide your FREE online service to their web site, subscribers or visitors.
This would be tough for a super beginner, but definitely something to keep in mind for the future.
3. Write a Simple eBook.
Write a simple eBook and give it away for FREE, before you give it away, allow people to place an advertisement in your FREE eBook.
In exchange, they give away the eBook to their website visitors or subscribers.
It’s not as difficult as some make it out to be, but if you cannot get started then get some private label content you help you. Just be sure to use it in the right manner.
4. Link Exchanging.
Give people permission to add their link to your web site. Make sure you require that they in turn, must also place a link in their own website linking back to you.
This is an effective way of advertising both websites…less effective then it once was, but still worth a shot. Find some that will do-follow it and it’s all the better for you.
5. Write Articles Including Your Own Resource Box.
We know that article marketing is a prime key to website traffic. Within this, you must write articles that are relative to your own particular niche.
Allow people to reprint your articles on their website, newsletter, ezine, eBooks and magazines.
Make sure you include your own resource box/section at the end of the article with links back to yourself in, and also state that they have the rights to reprint the article as long as they keep the resource box intact.
I’m always super surprised to see articles that have forgotten the resource box…the whole point in printing articles.
6. Share Your Forum or Discussion Board.
If you are able to set up a forum or a bulletin board, or you are able to get someone to do it for you, this could be a great tool for advertising.
Simply, allow people to use your online forum or discussion board for their own website if they do not have one. Be sure to place your banner/link advert in a good position on the forum.
Notice how different this is then the usual “forum posting”. Also, re-read the italics under #2.
7. Get Your Own Affiliate Program.
Affiliate programs are a great way of encouraging people to send traffic to your website as they offer people cold hard cash in return for traffic.
The higher the commission you give people the more incentive they will have to send traffic to you through their affiliate link. Commission is normally as much as 50% - 90%, now who can resist that!
Re-read #3, only this time think of a small price tag. Most are stunned to find many affiliates willing to go for $5-$10 per.
8. Offer A FREE Gift Incentive.
Offer people a FREE download, such as an eBook, a script or any product that you are allowed to give away in return for their subscription to your website/newsletter.
Include in the download a link back to yourself, giving you an extra back link. The is one of the most used, because it works VERY well.
Of course you need good content to keep them afterwards.
Now ya now I must ask - Have you gone viral? Have you used any of these tips, or maybe have some of your own? Please share, we’d all love to know. 
To our mutual success,
Dennis
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Tags: Article marketing, eBook Marketing, Forum Marketing, Offline Marketing, RSS subscribers, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optomization, SEM, seo, Viral Marketing
Jaq @ Net Age Web Design
Kev
Latief@AnotherBlogger
sherry
November 6th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
YouTube is an excellent source for anyone looking into viral marketing! A short 10 minute video can product wonders!
Tara @ Affiliate Marketing Prodigy´s last blog post..What is Black Hat SEO: Devious Tactics Explained
November 6th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
An excellent suggestion Tara, and they have proven very well! Do you have a tube channel?
November 6th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
You offer some great tips to expand viral marketing techniques. Ebooks often prove to be a great marketing tool, and can generate a lot of revenue. Additionally, creating a resource box can take this one step further. Thanks for posting this and sharing these awesome ideas!
November 6th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Well this is an honor Rebecca, I never thought I’d see you around my lowly little blog!
Thanks for the kudos and I’m happy you like what you’ve seen so far; I hope to see you around more.
November 6th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Nice post. Ebooks are a great for viral marketing especially when they are full of your links.
Boosh Online´s last blog post..8 Must Have Wordpress Plugins For The Business Blog
November 6th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
I’ve never heard of #6. I recently created a forum using the Ning service and i have had doubts from the beginning of whether i should have used Ning versus a (wordpress forum) built into my blog.
I’m referring to my vegetarian blog, not G34 Media.
As i know that with my own forum i would then be able to add my own adverts, as opposed to the way it is now Ning benefits. But the reason i did it is cause i like the features and appearance.
It’s fairly new and i suppose if i want to change it, i still can.
What do you think. If you were to add a forum on here, would you go with something like Ning or create your own?
November 6th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Hi Dennis,
One great resource for Free Viral eBooks you can easily brand and give away is
ViraleBookExplosion
You will find books that you can brand from guys like Mike Filsaime, Anik Singal, Michael Cheney, Jimmy D. Brown, Derek Gehl… All very good quality eBooks and it’s Free to sign-up!
Regards, Pete
Pete from Home Made Online Income´s last blog post..Make more, Have More Fun and Do More Good…
November 6th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
You got me hooked to your blog for one hour - Great writing skills you have. I’m Impressed.
shanker Bakshi´s last blog post..BlogRush is Dead - Try And See If Something Else Works
November 7th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Video blogging is currently a great viral marketing tool since it can be hosted on popular video sites like Youtube, Viddler etc. Youtube is a good channel for us to leverage on , so why waste it right Dennis?
Wei Liang
Wei Liang | ABloggerBlog´s last blog post..Lesson 16: Comment Marketing
November 7th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Boosh - Quite true, however you don’t want them too full; that’s a huge turn-off to readers.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Missy - I wouldn’t even think about it. Nothings better then your own. You’re actually losing money this way; just giving it away.
Now since it is so new is a great time to switch.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Pete - Thanks for reminding me, as I’m a member too! That is a pretty cool membership.
I’m sorry though my friend, no affiliate links allowed in comments please.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Hey shanker, thanks! That does mean an awful lot.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
You’re exactly right Wei. Two reasons why I haven’t utilized it yet…
1. No equipment.
2. Afraid to scare off all the awesome readers I worked hard to build up! LOL
November 7th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Hi Dennis, sorry about that aff ID, I didn’t realize I left it there… I copied the link straight from my blog and forgot to take the last part of the URL out !
Again, sorry about that one…
Regards, Pete
Pete from Home Made Online Income´s last blog post..Make more, Have More Fun and Do More Good…
November 7th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Out of all those, I have tried 3 of them and I think the article marketing has had the best results for me, the viral effect is amazing. Great tips as always Dennis.
Freakin Link Luv is not working again and many other blogs as well.
JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies´s last blog post..God Bless America
November 7th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Hey Pete, no problem. I thought after that it might be something like that.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Hey thanks JR…what isn’t working?
November 7th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
I am planning to write an ebook
November 7th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
@ Dennis
Well I have tried of your list, the articles, the link exchange and the ebook. The link exchange is not the greatest because most of the boobs out there use links pages that are buried on their sites and get no exposure to visitors. The ebook, I honestly have not done very much to market it. But with articles they get republished with my links all the time so it works great!
JR @ Internet Marketing Strategies´s last blog post..God Bless America
November 7th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Awesome ZK, I look forward to it. can you reveal what it will be on?
November 7th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I know what you mean JR. It has to be clearly stated before any link exchange takes place….on the home page or a maximum of 1 link away with that link clearly visible.
What eBook? Did i miss something?
November 7th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
@ Dennis
LOL.. no it was an ebook I wrote a long while back for another niche, no the blog. It was totally newbie work and I have since scraped it. But it’s on my list, to work on a couple related to the blog. It is very hard because you have to be creative for the posts and then on top of that write MORE for the ebbok, I wish human cloning was legals, I need 4 of me
November 7th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Hmm, you don’t necessarily have to make the eBook ALL brand spankin’ new material.
Remember, your goal is to reach a MUCH larger audience with the book then just your current readers.
November 7th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I often wonder about #6, because it seems almost everyone is setting up forums these days, and yet so few are active because of it. Overall, though, it is about working on getting traffic to the site, isn’t it?
November 8th, 2008 at 5:46 am
Congratulations!
You have won the 2nd prize of the weekly entrecard contest on 3arn.Net, your prize of 300 ECs will be transferred to you shortly. This week’s contest has just started consider getting an entry again to win again!
Congratulations once again and have a good day!
Abdul´s last blog post..BlogRush Goes Down the Hill …
November 8th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Hey Mitch - The problem, same as most, is marketing. Either they don’t know how, or they just don’t.
It has to be marketed the same as any website…perhaps not in the same manners, but with the the same aggressiveness and continuousness.
The same problem arises as with so many beginner blog/site owners, if they don’t have hundreds of members in the first couple months, they quit.
November 8th, 2008 at 8:45 am
Thanks Abdul, very cool! No worries, I’ll be around more.
November 8th, 2008 at 11:14 am
These are all great ideas … I too have had some success with videos for my freelance writing site … I’m about to do a how-to post on what I did for those … I’m about to post a handful of videos for my Blogging Idol efforts too. Hope to have them up this weekend some time. The thing that’s hard with video is it’s difficult to track the success because people usually type your URL directly into the browser bar so in your stats it shows as “direct traffic.” For the writing site I ask where they found us on their registration form so that’s how I know they came through YouTube or the other video sites. Make sense? *SmiLes* Suzanne
Suzanne Franco ~ Next Blogging Idol?´s last blog post..The Strategies I’m Using to Win the Blogging Idol Competition (and Why You Should Steal Them)
November 8th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Hey Suz!
That makes perfect sense; I pose the “how did you…” question where ever applicable; video or other since I haven’t done video yet.
I’m really looking forward to the “how to” and the Idol vids…will you “how to” on those as well? Assuming you use different methods…
November 8th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Excellent suggestions…I must say that I have yet to create something that truely goes viral.
I’m still tryin’ for it though!
Nick´s last blog post..This Week In Blogging - 016
November 8th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Hey Dennis ~ I wanted to tell you that you don’t need a video camera to do a video and you don’t even need to be in it if you’re camera shy! LOL. You could pick any subject and and use power point … or use Windows Movie Maker and use that to create the “movie” … the reasons to do a video are multi-faceted. For the movie “message” and for the SEO potential … and even for backlinks. I will put something together and post it or I’d be happy to do a guest post? *SmiLes* Suzanne
Suzanne Franco ~ Next Blogging Idol?´s last blog post..The Power of Networking on the Internet … My 5 Minutes of Fame!
November 8th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Suz - A guest post on vlogging would be most welcome, bring it on!
Would it even be a video guest post? I’ve never actually seen one of those.
November 8th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I look forward to it Nick! make it a good one and I’ll help with the viral aspect.
November 9th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Shanker wrote:
>You got me hooked to your blog for one hour
I spent that much tine on this post. It took me that long to read all the comments - after clicking through to all the comment luv links that seemed interesting. You lucky I found my way back here!
I am writing an e-Book now so your tip #3 about having other links in it so they will promote it to is brilliant. Thanks.
Ned @ Baltimore Real Estate´s last blog post..How do I Make Money in Real Estate?
November 10th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Ned - Thanks much for the reminder. I’ve been meaning to ask Andy if coding the CL links to open in a new window was possible.
The linked viral ebook has to be one of the most popular for sure, and I’m glad it helps!
Can you disclose what it will be about?
November 10th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
@ Deniss its going to be on affiliate marketing
ZK@Internet Marketing Blog´s last blog post..Blogging Secrets from John Chow
November 10th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Sweet ZK, I look forward to it.
November 11th, 2008 at 2:00 am
Great post! These are effective ways of going viral
November 11th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Hey Miguel, welcome to the community!
Any other good viral ideas to share?
Dennis´s last blog post..Did You Know You Can Refund Domain Names?
November 11th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Dennis,
Yes gladly, I am working on two eBooks. the important one is about property tax lien investing.
I will also do a quickie about Ground Rents. Ground rents are an obscure type of property ownership only done in a few places like here in Baltimore. This will be more of a “free report” the a full eBook.
Ned
Ned @ Baltimore Real Estate´s last blog post..Why Would You Ever Foreclose on Yourself?
November 11th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Sounds good Ned. I’m not into real estate myself (yet), but I wish you the best of luck!
November 11th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
> I’m not into real estate myself (yet),
Thanks goodness, I don’t need the competition. As it is I don’t rank in the top 50 pages on Google for Tax liens. (as you say, YET)
Ned Carey´s last blog post..Why Would You Ever Foreclose on Yourself?
November 11th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I’m sure you will soon enough.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
You always have something that help us out. Great article. I’m looking forward to see an article regarding this one. You are really a big help.
Thank you
Diana Rupert´s last blog post..5 Best Method to Lose Weight
November 14th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Thank you Diana, that’s always good to hear.
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a tip.
November 19th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Very tempting and appealing techniques. It really worth trying all these methods. Thanks for sharing!
Salwa´s last blog post..3 Crucial Tips for Affiliate Marketers Survival Online
November 19th, 2008 at 10:08 am
You’re very welcome Salwa, let me know when you try your first one! have you done a JV before?
December 8th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Dennis, very good ideas, the ebook is something I am thinking of doing.
Alan Thomas´s last blog post..Pei Profit Dot Com Christmas Giveaway
December 9th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Awesome Alan, and welcome to the community!
What may the ebook be about?
December 9th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I was going to write one on sports training as that is my favourite topic offline and my main knowledge base. When I have done that I hope to do the same on business building online, just need to build up the confidence and knowledge in that area.
Alan Thomas´s last blog post..Pei Profit Dot Com Christmas Giveaway
December 10th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Wow Alan, I’d think sports training would be an awesome niche. Do you already have a blog in this niche? If not, why not?
February 20th, 2009 at 9:57 am
There are also people who create WP blog themes and give them away free on condition that their link on the footer stays. Depending on how good these themes are, they can become hot stuff to have and it could be a good way to increase your backlinks, besides the marketing aspect of your blog.
Peter Lee
Peter@passive income ideas´s last blog post..How You Can Explode Your Twitter Followers Simply Using This
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 20th, 2009 at 10:31 am
@Peter@passive income ideas, I’ve also heard many designers complain about people removing or replacing the links once they use them.
Peter@passive income ideas Reply:
February 20th, 2009 at 11:06 am
@Dennis Edell, yeah I heard that too. So I guess this means it works better if you gave more to those who are not too technically inclined.
Peter Lee
Peter@passive income ideas´s last blog post..How You Can Explode Your Twitter Followers Simply Using This
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 20th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
@Peter@passive income ideas, True, but difficult to track if you post it publicly. I know one designer that went to the trouble of coding in a way to make it really difficult to delete or change without screwing it up.
A bit of trouble for a freebie, but that’s me lol. I don’t have near those skills.
Peter@passive income ideas Reply:
February 20th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
@Dennis Edell, that makes the two of us. But I think I’m a little worse than you. I’m a complete idiot when it comes to tinkering with codes on a new blog theme. You may recall I once hacked my own blog when I tried to be just a little too smart.
Peter Lee
Peter@passive income ideas´s last blog post..How You Can Explode Your Twitter Followers Simply Using This
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 21st, 2009 at 3:53 pm
@Peter@passive income ideas, Yep I’ve screwed myself a time or two as well….outsourcing is a wonderful thing now.
Ned Carey Reply:
February 20th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
@Dennis Edell,
It seems to me if you have the skills, and take the time to create a theme then it shouldn’t be that much effort to create code to protect your link.
Using a theme and then removing the link is downright mean and unethical as well as probably breaking copyright laws. I think it is worth going after some one like that.
By the way, it was cool that when I hit reply that “@ Dennis Edell,” was pre filled in, in the text box.
Ned Carey´s last blog post..How do I Make Money in Real Estate?
Dennis Edell Reply:
February 21st, 2009 at 3:51 pm
@Ned Carey, It’s definitely worth the effort to go after, especially after someone went through the time and effort to create a FREE theme.
Thanks I too thought that was a very cool feature to this plugin.