The basic principle was used by Hotmail to get established. When the two founders set up their free email system, all the messages that were sent by subscribers had a text message at the bottom which identified Hotmail as the origin. People would send emails to their friends, who would be tempted to set up hotmail accounts and send emails to their friends...
Within a short time, Hotmail had 22 million subscribers. They eventually sold out to Microsoft for about $400 million.
Using viral ebooks as a marketing method is:
a. Cheap. It doesn't take long to set up. It's even quicker if you use rebrandable ebooks that have been produced by others. Just do a search on Google and you'll soon find many rebrandable ebooks that are available in your field of expertise. One distribution method is to offer these ebooks to visitors in exchange for subscribing to your newsletter. If they also pass it on, then others will promote your business for you.
b. Capable of reaching a large audience by geometrical progression, limited only by the enthusiasm of the participants.
c. Effectively combined with other forms of promotion.
d. A means of selling other products than the one you originally targeted. For instance, if you are selling garden products, those interested in flowers could also be interested in a catalogue that contains material on lawns, trees, landscaping, garden tools, etc.
e. Fairly easy to create. It's possible to produce your own ebooks by combining articles that you've written or have obtained from public domain sources, such as directories. An increasingly common approach is to use material that has Private Label Rights, including articles and reports that have been written specifically for that purpose, for that niche. You could also use as a viral ebook a portion of a larger work that you've prepared, such as the first three chapters of a larger ebook.
f. Effective at building your reputation if you distribute a quality product that users are willing to pass on to others, as this is an implied recommendation.
Whatever the subject matter, the ebook should be of significant value and free - or of very low cost in relation to its perceived value. But usually it is free and easy to pass on.
Many ebooks also combine very well with an affiliate program. When the affiliate receives some extra benefit from promoting the viral message, such as being able to brand your ebook with his affiliate links, the affiliate makes a sale when a reader buys through a branded link. You benefit from the increased traffic to your website because the affiliate is willing to promote the ebook for you!
Be sure your message includes a clear call to action. There should be no doubt about what you intend recipients to do. Offer clear instructions so that recipients know HOW to act. As well, the action you require should be simple and obvious. Don't complicate it or confuse the reader, such as by adding numerous links. Remember the K.I.S.S. principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
Finally, the INCENTIVE should be clear to those you want to act. Readers will linger over your offering for only a few seconds before they move on. If it takes too long to work out, if your message is vague or difficult to understand, chances are you will lose them. If you don't respect your readers enough to express your message clearly, they will lose interest.
Viral Marketing with ebooks is but one of many techniques that together have a cumulative effect in attracting customers and subscribers to your business - in attracting targeted visitors to your website. You'll soon find that this is an excellent way of increasing sales, subscribers and referrals.
Description: While there are many effective ways to get more traffic and build your list, the one I've had the MOST success with is to submit articles for use on other people's websites and in their ezines.
?But wait a minute,? you say. ?Aren't I supposed to be creating great articles for MY OWN e-zine??
Yes, you are! And after your article appears in your OWN e-zine, you should then submit it to others. Over the past few years, I've found this to be the best way to get traffic, build my list, and increase my sales, for five reasons:
1) You can quickly gain FREE exposure to TENS OF THOUSANDS (or even HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS) of untapped prospects at a time. There are many high-traffic sites and ezines with high readerships that are looking for content from people like YOU.
2) Articles let you educate and share good information with your prospects. They also position you as an expert in their eyes, so they'll think of YOU as the most respected resource in your field. (Traditional ads don't do that for you.)
3) You have the right to promote yourself, your business, and whatever else you want at the end of every article. And anyone using your article must keep this information intact. (More on that in a minute.)
4) This is a tried-and-true method that will NEVER stop working, unlike the latest and greatest gimmicks to spoof the search engines. (Try one of those and see how quickly your traffic halts once the bottom drops out.) Search engines love real content and will always love real content.
5) It's EASY, and anyone can do it!
HERE'S HOW TO GET STARTED?
1. PICK A WINNER Browse through your archives and pick an insightful article that really showcases your expertise. Or, if this is new to you, write a basic article on your subject of expertise. (Not a good writer, or need help? Hire a writer from Elance.com.)
2. POLISH IT ?TIL IT SHINES Publishers will not be interested in your article if it contains typos, misspelled words, grammatical errors, or inactive Web links ? these goofs would compromise the integrity of their publications. So make sure it's Kosher!
3. ADD A COPYRIGHT NOTICE At the end of the article, insert a copyright notice, dated when you first published the article. Example: ? 2005 Alexandria K. Brown
4. WRITE A JAZZY ?RESOURCE BOX? In exchange for your letting other publishers reprint your article, it's customary to require they include the contact information you provide. This is usually called the ?resource box? and it should come RIGHT after your copyright notice. Here's where you can ham it up.
Don't waste time promoting your actual business in the resource box. Why? Remember your #1 goal is always to get prospects on your LIST. You'll gain MORE clients and customers by FIRST getting them to subscribe to your FREE or special report. THEN you've got them! You'll be in front of them regularly, and that's when they'll understand why they should hire you or buy your products.
5. SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE TO ONLINE CONTENT DIRECTORIES There are hundreds of ?free content? Web sites and announcement lists where you can submit your articles for other publishers to use. Some even let you include a picture and other information about your website. One of my favorites is EzineArticles.com.
6. SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE DIRECTLY TO APPROPRIATE PUBLISHERS For best results, take the bull by the horns and contact publishers directly. But not just any publishers ? ones with e-zines that accept articles AND whose readers are your ideal clients and customers. A great place to start your search and build your own list is Charlie Page's Directory of E-zines.
7. AUTOMATE THE ENTIRE PROCESS
I know you're probably thinking right now, ?OK Ali, this sounds great, but isn't this going to be time consuming??
The answer is most definitely YES. In the past, you'd have to spend several hours a week just to get one article out there. It's a lot of administrative work, requiring time that you probably don't have.
But my friend Jason Potash has just released his brand new ?ARTICLE ANNOUNCER? software that does all this work FOR you. It blasts out your articles to hundreds of directories, publishers, and other sources to help generate a slew of web visitors to your site, month after month.
My staff and I have tested Jason's ?Article Announcer? product and wholeheartedly recommend it. I urge you to see Jason's information page NOW, and grab your own copy before the price goes UP in just a few days.
Remember also that if you don't want to do any of your own article marketing yourself, it's a perfect task to pass on to an assistant, intern, or freelancer. The key is getting it down to a SYSTEM, which is what this software helps you do.
Both Manita Pd & Alexandria K. Brown are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.