Archive for » May, 2009 «

"Folksonomies" – a New Viral Marketing Tool

By admin
29
May 2009

A new consumer phenomenon is called "tagging" or "folksonomies" (short for folks and taxonomy). Tagging is powerful because consumers are creating an organizational structure for online content. Folksonomies not only enable people to file away content under tags, but, even better, share it with others by filing it under a global taxonomy that they created.

Here’s how tagging works. Using sites such as del.icio.us – a bookmark sharing site – and Flickr – a photo sharing site – consumers are collaborating on categorizing online content under certain keywords, or tags.

For instance, an individual can post photographs of their iPod on Flickr and file it under the tag "iPod." These images are now not only visible under the individual user’s iPod tag but also under the community iPod tag that displays all images consumers are generating and filing under the keyword. Right now Flickr has more than 3,500 photos that are labeled "iPod."

Tagging is catching on because it is a natural complement to search. Type the word "blogs" into Google and it can’t tell if you are searching for information about how to launch a blog, how to read blogs, or just what. Large and small sites alike are already getting on to the folksonomy train. They are rolling out tag-like structures to help users more easily locate content that’s relevant to them.

Although tags are far from perfect, marketers should, nevertheless, be using them to keep a finger on the pulse of the American public. Start subscribing to RSS feeds to monitor how consumers are tagging information related to your product, service, company or space. These are living focus groups that are available for free, 24/7. Folksonomy sites can be also be carefully used to unleash viral marketing campaigns – with a caveat. Marketers should be transparent in who they are, why they are posting the link/photos and avoid spamming the services.

Category: Viral Marketing  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  Leave a Comment

B2B Marketers Do It, Too

By admin
29
May 2009

They use viral marketing by e-mail as a marketing tool… what did you think I meant? Viral marketing can work well for B2B providers, as long as the following is true:

1.    The product or service has to add value for the sender, as well as, the receiver.

2.    The offer has to be deliverable. You don’t want to offer a product that you can’t deliver if demand grows rapidly.

3.    The offer has to be easily transferable to others. E-mail and Web pages provide the best medium to facilitate this.

4.    The vest viral marketing campaigns use existing networks to move the message along.

The basis of viral marketing has been around for a long time. The idea is that you incite your customers or referral sources to pass on something about your business to their network of colleagues and friends. Those that pass on your information get something in return. The something might be a gift or service related to your business.

Using e-mail makes it incredibly easy to pass information on to a friend or colleague, especially if it involves something fun or free. With millions using the Internet worldwide, the potential for exponential growth is tremendous. The great things about viral marketing are that it is free and works virtually by itself. Once you make an offer and provide the facility for referrals, viral marketing spreads like… well… a virus…but the good kind.

To implement viral marketing at your business; first, start with your customer base. Incite existing customers to refer new ones. Second, go to your referral sources. Service providers, your outside network and colleagues can be encouraged to provide referrals that lead to business.

If your customers are stressed business owners, offer a reward that provides relaxation and leisure… like a weekend away.

Category: Viral Marketing  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  One Comment

6 Ideas for Viral Marketing

By admin
29
May 2009

Here are six ideas to help you start your viral marketing campaign:

1.    Purchase the branding rights to a viral E-book. Allow people to give away your free E-book to their visitors. Then, their visitors will also give it away. This will just continue to spread your ad all over the Internet.

2.    If you have the ability to set up a forum or other bulletin board, you really have a great tool. Allow people to use your online discussion board for their own website. Some people don’t have one. Just include your banner ad at the top of the board.

3.    Do you have a knack for web design? Create some templates, graphics, etc. and upload them to your site. Then, allow people to give away your free web design graphics, fonts, templates, etc. Just include your ad on them or require people to link directly to your web site. Make sure that you include a link back to your site in the copyright notice and require them to keep your copyright notice in tact.

4.    Write an E-book. Allow people to place an advertisement in your free E-book if, in exchange, they give away the E-book to their web visitors or E-zine subscribers.

5.    Write articles that pertain to your product or service. Allow people to reprint your articles on their website, in their E-zine, newsletter, magazine or E-books. Include your resource box and the option for article reprints at the bottom of each article.

6.    You can easily find products on the Internet that will sell you a license allowing you to distribute the product free of charge to other people. Look for those products that provide "branding rights". That is where you can include your own name, website, and contact information.

Category: Viral Marketing  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  Leave a Comment

3 Steps to Find “Freebies” to Add to Your E-book

By admin
29
May 2009

Those of us who regularly shop on line are familiar with the array of free gifts, free bonuses and just plain freebies that are offered to a visitor to a website to encourage them to buy. How could you collect, select and offer free gifts, which will be valued as much as the original merchandise that is being purchased, put these gifts together and add them to your E-book? There are just three steps to do that very thing. They are:

1.    Identify your key words in each chapter of your E-book. Now, type those words into your favorite search engine. You are looking for free E-books on the same subject in more depth, by a greater expert than you are, or by someone who gives a new and fresh angle to the topic. Add a link to the free E-book in each chapter of your E-book.

2.    Research the Internet for related free gifts. Now you are looking for things that you could give as free gifts in your E-book that will make it more appealing and give it more pass-along appeal to your readers. For example: If you are selling gardening supplies, find a planting guide on the web that can be downloaded and include that as a gift in your E-book.

3.    Download the freebies. Visit the freebies pages on those web sites. Most sites have freebies and encourage you to distribute them.

Other key words I searched for are freebies, free E-books, and free reports and then gave the key word that I wanted the free stuff for. Like… “freebies for gardeners”.

Give your reader the vest that you can offer. Give them your book, additional reading material and free gifts to boot. Everybody loves a bargain!

Category: Viral Marketing  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  Leave a Comment

The magical power of the discounted flight

By admin
10
May 2009

Well, well, well… What do we have here? Yes it is not news, but it is definitely new. A new offer on a discount flight and you get it "delivered" as a pop-up screen to your email page. It is right in your face. Try to not notice it. You will definitely fail. And why is that? Because the prices you see over there for a flight to a country you want to visit for a long time is almost ridiculous.

A lot of websites try to attract us with their prices. The world needs a healthy competition; the market is full of adverts and agencies that are willing to fight for their clients. And you know well how traveling agencies and websites win people over … Of course, they give good discounts.

Sometimes you can even feel the pressure. This is one of the reasons we advice you to use internet. At times, we decide to talk to traveling agents and make a mistake. As they have a great power of making you go for their deal without your will. They will give you millions of reasons to use their company even when you don’t even consider it. Of course, some of us need a push. But not all of us do. Majority of people would like to be left alone to analyze and come to a good well-thought decision.

But let’s get back to the major point. That is the flight. The flight can be truly considered the trip holder. Without a good flight nothing is a pleasure. Online booking is not difficult at all. It can only take a few minutes before you are ready to back your bags.

But let us share some of the secrets about online booking with you. At night, airline tickets tend to cost less than usual. You can get cheap airfare by booking for your airline tickets at midnight when airlines will be selling unused seats at a much cheaper rate. You can stumble on some good airline deals by browsing for them in the wee hours of the morning.

If you have any airline preferences you should not hesitate to call them and ask them if they have any discounts at the moment. If you are their constant costumer, they might have a discount card for you or something that will attach you to their services even more.

It is not a secret that everyone is looking forward to every slightest opportunity to save money on airfare. Flying can be terribly expensive and you might not want to think of the huge amount of money spent on it during your vacation or long-awaited trip. You also might not want to leave the bills unpaid before you go overseas. This isn’t the right way to do it. Air cheap flights are usually attractive because people would rather spend money on souvenirs than on a seat in the front row. Cheap flight is not a reason to go abroad, but it is an extra reason to go on holiday. Keep that in mind.

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