 Proven
to be one of the most effective means of advertising,
viral marketing has grown and taken on new shapes
in this brave new world on Web 2.0. Jon will
share some of his thoughts on this powerful marketing
strategy as well as some insight he has gleaned
from Seth Godin's writing. Interview
Recorded Live: January
26, 2007
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Jon Leland of ComBridges shares his insight
on a very powerful marketing strategy called
viral marketing using video, press releases and
blogs, which can be especially effective for
a small business.
Viral marketing has led to the democratization
of media. The tools are now in everybody’s
hands and it’s totally empowering. For
example, YouTube represents a grass roots form
of communication that never existed before. It
really isn’t about the technology, it’s
about the communication. So today, what you have
to say and what sort of difference its going
to make is all that matters. Presently, we’re
only seeing a limited amount of advantage being
taken of viral marketing. You will find some
leading examples on Jon’s blog: http://www.mediamall.com/blogger/blogger.html.
You’ll find a very clever video on his
blog. Even though Jon has a small company, with
the help of his partners, he has produced a very
entertaining yet informative video clip he’s
using to promote his business. In the future,
more small businesses will take advantage of
video as well as of audio.
Jon believes this is just the beginning. What’s
fascinating is that even though YouTube has been
around for a relatively short period of time,
it already yields an immense influence. This
is an example of how fast new concepts can spread
and how quickly a company can grow. However,
as a small business you need to be cautious because
some of these big companies have the budgets
to test new campaigns and technology. Jon advises
against using viral marketing for a very small
organization such as a soul proprietor or a five
person company. Such companies can make the most
of three other categories, organic search engine
marketing, pay-per-click advertising and distributing
an email newsletter or perhaps start a blog by
which you could really sing your song, attract
and engage people and spread the message in your
industry.
What really makes viral marketing work is a
passion and commitment to writing content. Jon
gave the example of a friend who manages his
own website and is an authority in his industry.
Because he loves writing he is thrilled to write
insights through his blogs where he tells his
story in newsletters that advance the conversation
in his industry. Another tip Jon has found very
effective for both viral marketing and organic
search engine marketing is online press releases.
The PRWeb service does a great job with press
releases. There is educational material available
on their site and it’s a great resource
for small businesses. With the help of PRWeb,
new channels have opened up. In the past, if
you sent press releases out they would often
just sit there in someone’s email inbox,
waiting to be read. Now, journalists search just
like the rest of us and your press releases will
show up in their search. So, instead of you pushing
the press releases out to them, they pull the
press releases from you when they’re looking for
what you have to offer. This method is wonderful
because it is an inexpensive and effective form
of viral marketing.
Making a few comments on Seth Godin’s
new book, “Small is the New Big”,
Jon said that Seth Godin is an insightful and
uplifting author. He is the originator of the
term “permission marketing” and his
new book is a selection from his blog. For people
that are interested in blogs, Jon thinks that
Seth sets a great example of a blogging style
that is effective. It’s informal, accessible,
organized in short bits. His book is even arranged
alphabetically. One of the things Seth emphasizes
is that in order to make a blog successful, do
not write like a CEO. CEO’s are usually
not willing to be candid or controversial in
their views. So instead, he recommends developing
an interesting conversation with your visitors
through your blog. Viral marketing is gaining
popularity and these tools should be considered
for application in any internet marketing strategy.
Segment 1: Organic
Search Engine Marketing, Pay-per-Click Advertising
and Viral Word-of-Mouth as Successful Internet
Marketing Strategies
Segment 2: Pay-per-Click
Advertising as an Internet Marketing Strategy
Segment 4: Using
YouTube and Google Video as Online Marketing
Tools
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