viral-marketingGoing viral is probably the best thing that can happen to a business’s online marketing campaign. It gives them the kind of visibility they need to promote a product or a new service while relying entirely on word of mouth publicity and social sharing. In terms of cost effectiveness, this tactic really helps smaller businesses save money that would otherwise be spent on hiring the services of social media specialists to artificially boost popularity of products. If you are new to the world of viral marketing, you should really read the following points to really understand how viral marketing can be helpful to Business Listing of all sizes.

Viral marketing give smaller businesses visibility

Researchers that have studied viral marketing and its impact on consumers’ behavior suggests that people that have found their experience with a smaller business better than they expected were more likely to go out of their way to tell their social contacts about it. Even though such social sharing is born out of a spirit of “look what I discovered” and boasting about one’s eye for the truly fine things in life, it allows smaller businesses to get the kind of visibility they need with their target consumers. Pair a fine experience with a cool, Instagrammable digital sign on your storefront (with help from a houston sign company or one closer to you); happy customers will be all the more inclined to share a picture on their social media handles!

Viral marketing boosts a business’s reputation and credibility

We live in a world where a consumer is more likely to trust a bad review from an anonymous fellow consumer over a raving review provided by a well known name in the industry. These first hand and personal reviews can have a huge impact on how new consumers view a brand and how others perceive the credibility and reputation of the particular label. With viral marketing, i.e. marketing that is based solely on unsolicited social sharing by consumers; consumers judge a label’s credibility entirely by the reputation they have garnered from their service to other people. Also, people are more likely to try out labels and products suggested, liked and promoted by their social friends which further reinforce a brand’s reputation.

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Viral marketing is more cost effective than traditional advertising

Traditional advertising was all about manipulating the consumer into desiring a particular product irrespective of whether they really need it or not. The marketing of sugar, unhealthy cereals to kids is a great example of this. To get consumers to buy something they may or May not need often required businesses to rope in the services of big shot advertisement companies that obviously cost a bundle. Viral marketing, on the other hand, is all about using a handful of low-cost social promotional tools and keeping the customer happy. Happy customers tell their friends of their great experience with a label who are converted into happy customers themselves and they in turn too tell their friends about the happy experience and so on. Since the brand doesn’t need to pay customers to tell others about their experience, they save a bundle on marketing and simply cruise along on their reputation only!

Viral marketing doesn’t get lost in translation

Viral marketing is all about social sharing, i.e., they simply share the link to a particular shopping site or promotional content from their social pages across their own social networking sites. These shares are shared unchanged by friends who also like the products and services of a brand. Even though many people choose to air their own views on these shares through comments and likes etc., the original message of the advertisement or promotion isn’t altered. Thus rumors and hearsay does not really enter the dialogue and distort the message of the advertisement.

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How does viral marketing work?

The premise behind viral marketing is really simple- marketers simply present a customer with the tools to express their like and dislike for the products and services of a particular brand. If a customer is happy with a product or service, they would usually add a few lines of praise with a social share. These praises, reviews and shares are seen by the customer’s social contacts and friends. If they have shopped with the service before, they’d be inclined to share the original review with a few lines of praise themselves. This social sharing behavior is completely deliberate which means that the brand isn’t paying the customer to give the product a good review. However, this deliberate social sharing, bookmarking and reviewing behavior from customers helps create a buzz around the label and its products and ultimately drives traffic to its site.