Best Viral Marketing Examples: The Secret to Exponential Customer Growth

Posted on April 25, 2009
Filed Under Internet Marketing | Leave a Comment

Here you will see some viral marketing examples that are considered effective by Business Week and other experts.  The techniques used vary greatly and they were effective for different reasons.Some inspired curiosity. 

In 2001, Business Week cited advertising for the Blair Witch Project as a striking example of viral marketing.  The advertising campaign insinuated that the footage was “real”, filmed by a group of college students that had disappeared, presumably leaving only their video camera behind.

Teasers were seen on TV and posted on the internet.  Viewers were encouraged to share the footage with their friends.  The film grossed over $248 million worldwide and cost only $35,000 to make.Who wouldn’t want to experience profits like that?

Burger King’s “Subservient Chicken” was commented on in Wired as a successful campaign example.Although it is quite difficult to assess the amount of new customers that Burger King has attracted with this specific campaign, it is a popular website.

Some more “down to earth” viral marketing examples for those of you that may be trying to grow your own business are newsletters and automated e-mails.With very minimal software, you can drive visitors to your website to sign up for your newsletter.That allows you their email address.  

As part of your weekly newsletter, you may ask for the email addresses of customer's friends that would also be interested in your products or services.You can envision how this could exponentially increase your contact base very quickly.  You don’t have to worry about being called a spammer, because the customer requested the newsletter. 

One very effective viral marketing examples, according to experts, is the single line method used by “Hotmail”.  They allow people to sign up for free e-mail.At the bottom of every free email a person sends out, there is a unique one line message that reads “Get your free email at http://www.hotmail.com”.  The website address is also a link. 

All that they had to do was wait for thousands and thousands of people to sign up without much to do other than sit back.People love to receive free items.The most effective campaigns always offer something complimentary, whether it be playing with a virtual sheep or reading a newsletter that are highly relevant to the individual.

If you are able to get people to tell their friends about your product, the ripple effect spreads like a virus, thus coining the phrase.There are so many other viral marketing examples.Anyone that is not at least trying it is not expanding their business as much as they could.

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