Increase Web Site Traffic

In the computer world, as in human biology, Viruses are bad. Viruses are what contaminate our bodies and computer systems and keeps them from working properly. What’s more, these viruses often feed off of our bodies and computer systems and use us to build more viruses. Take, for example, what happens when you get an anonymous email with a link supposedly to a website you’ll find interesting. Against your better judgment (never click on links from someone you don’t know!) you click on the link and end up downloading a virus. The virus speedily eats through your system and uses your e-mail address book to send itself to all of the addresses it contains. Most people will do just about anything to avoid a virus.

Is it any wonder, then, that when people hear the term “viral marketing” they think that it has to do with something sinister? Virus=bad! In this instance, though, viral is actually good. Viral marketing is a marketing strategy that encourages the people who come across a particular marketing campaign, like increasing web site traffic for example, and they in turn, talk about it to other people. Then those people will pass it on to even more people. Think of all the chain mail and jokes you got when you got your first email address. The first time it was sent it was sent to four people, but a month later, it’s been sent to thousands—because each of those four people sent it to four more people, etc.

That isn’t to say that viral marketing has to be done via e-mail. It can be a website that gets linked to by a few sites. Then the readers of that site link to it on their sites. It’s also called “creating a buzz” or “word of mouth” marketing, and there is no stronger marketing campaign than a “word of mouth” marketing campaign. Word of mouth carries with it more authority than your business would get with even the most expensive media campaign.

Gmail gained its popularity by using viral marketing. Sure, now anybody can have an account. But in the early days of Gmail, a user had to be invited to use the service. This created an air of elusiveness, which created a demand. Once a user was invited in, they were given a certain amount of invites to pass along to their friends. Within a few short months, Gmail was as popular (if not more so because of the invitation only process) as the grandfather of free, web-based e-mail: Hotmail.

The trick to a successful viral marketing campaign is to create something that will create excitement and demand. The best way is to do something that grabs attention. A short but sweet tagline at the end of an e-mail, calling attention to your website (“Increase Web Site Traffic by visiting this website” for example) is a good way to start. Having a contest, maybe joining forces with another business—where your site gives away a coupon to be used on their site announced, of course, via your business’s e-mail newsletter, are both good ways to start a viral marketing campaign.

Viral marketing will help your traffic increase exponentially. Why spend tons of money on expensive advertising, when a simple email sent to your friends could get you the same result?

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Peek a Boo - YouTube
Nice collection of videos from YouTube. Video clips change after every refresh!

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