A cold virus spreads by self duplicating and spreading from person to person. A computer virus does the same thing. Your computer gets it, duplicates it and sends it on to the next computer. If bad things can spread virally, doesn't it seem obvious that good things could be spread the same way?

That is the idea behind viral marketing anyways.

Rather than create something sneaky that implants and duplicates in secret, a viral marketer creates something good. So good that others like it well enough to want to spread it around. If it is good enough, the item will get duplicated and shared so many times that it literally spreads like a virus around the internet.

What are some examples of viral marketing tools?

Videos, Audios, Special Reports and Tip Sheets are the most common items created for a viral campaign.

Usually, when you create something to give away for free, you require someone to opt into your mailing list in order to get the freebie. If you're trying to start a powerful marketing virus, you approach things differently. You send the viral tool out into the world without any strings attached and you invite others to do the same.

For example: You have a great shopping cart and site builder with website hosting services built in that you promote as an affiliate. You want to let as many people know about this service as possible, exposing everything to your affiliate link at the same time.

So you grab a free special report provided by the affiliate program owner. She has created the special report for just this purpose and has made it especially useful in that it compares and contrasts four popular shopping carts systems and highlights the important strengths of her own system. Her non-hype approach and common sense comparisons give the report heavy 'pass it along value'.

You brand the report with your own affiliate link and then start to spread it around.

How do you spread it far and wide?

-First, send it out as a freebie to your mailing list.
-Post it as a free download on your website
-Post it as a free download on your blog.
-Link directly to it from your email signature.
-Link to it from your forum signatures
-Add a link to it from your related autoresponders.
-Mention it when you're chatting and networking with others.

In every instance, you want to be sure to tell others that they should feel free to give the report away to others - as is - as much as they like, with your blessing.

If the viral tool is very special, you may want to use it to build up your mailing list. So instead of giving it away freely, you can ask people to opt into your mailing list to receive the item. Then follow the download up with a few short emails that refer to the special report and offer to answer any questions that they may have had about it.

Good affiliate programs will provide you with these kinds of marketing tools. A smart affiliate will take full advantage of the opportunity and do their part in spreading the marketing virus.