John Hurd’s latest ‘e-Wealth Daily’ article is titled “What it Means to Go Viral”. [é-Wealth Daily’Article]

John Hurd’s latest ‘e-Wealth Daily’ article:

What it Means to Go Viral

With the mainstream use of the Internet, advertising companies have faced many new challenges. How do you capture the attention of online readers? Do they read online messages differently than they do traditional print media? How can I get as many people as possible to see an ad?

Millions of people spend at least part of their day online, whether for work or personal reasons. Unlike a newspaper or magazine, the Internet has countless (in fact, limitless) pages and making sure that your message gets to your intended targets can seem like finding a needle in a haystack.

In the search to discover sure-fire ways to reach thousands of viewers, the latest buzzword to appear is “viral.” What is a viral message? And how do you make your message viral?

A viral message is a video, web site, image or any other online media that is spread quickly and extensively through word-of-mouth. You can’t pay someone to make a message go viral, although many online agencies seem to make this promise.

A message goes viral because it is interesting. The Cadbury commercial of a man in a monkey suit playing the drums to a Phil Collins song is an example of a viral ad. The commercial has little to do with anything, especially eating or buying chocolate. But, it stands out. You laugh. You’re in awe that someone would go to the hassle of creating this and you wonder why.

This may start to sound like a formula, but, trust me, there is no way to ensure a message goes viral. The message must tap into some common thread of interests and get in to the hands of people who want to spread the message. Simply being interesting doesn’t guarantee success.

Now, it is important to consider whether you really want a message to go viral. There is a downside to viral media: more often than not, the advertiser goes unnoticed. A man in a monkey suit playing the drums is funny, but if you stop watching just before the end, you miss the Cadbury logo. And, if you’re standing in line at the grocery store, looking over the chocolates, are you going to associate that funny image with a
desire to buy chocolate?

Viral marketing is still in its infancy. The promise of millions of people seeing your message and spreading it to friends and family without any action on your part sounds like discovering an online mother lode. Yet, no one is quite sure if viral messages convert to sales. It is just as likely that all of these viewers will laugh at a silly video and then move on to find something funnier without considering the brand behind the
scenes.

My advice is to stick to creating targeted ads that are on message and have a clear call to action for your product or service. If, in the creation of ads that are designed to convert viewers to buyers, you create something that goes viral, then consider yourself very lucky. If not, you still have a powerful advertising tool in your hands, one that could bring more success than any silly video ever could.

e-Wealth Daily

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The e-Wealth Daily Bulletin brings you daily tips, advice and breaking news related to home businesses, small businesses and internet marketing. Our team of experts gives you the information you need to take your business pursuits to the most profitable level. Founded by Adrian Newman in 2003, the e-Wealth Daily Bulletin and www.ewealthdaily.com are a division of Lombardi Publishing with online newsletters reaching over 100,000 subscribers each month.

* IMNewsWatch would like to thank e-Wealth Daily for granting permission to reprint this article.

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