Viral marketing has become one of the most efficient ways of promoting ones products to potential customers on the Internet. There are several successful viral marketing techniques and which one you choose for your own business depends a lot on your needs, personality and target customers. If you're looking to become a successful Internet marketer, using one or more of the following viral marketing methods could be incredibly beneficial.

1)Pass-Along Technique
The pass-along technique involves consumers taking your message and passing it on to friends and family without any effort on your part. When most Internet users see a video or email that they think is funny or interesting, their first reaction is to pass it along to their contact list. This is true not only of emails, but of different instant messaging tools, such as AIM or MSN Messenger. If people see a website or video online they like, they'll send the links to their friends. This is a great technique because your information automatically spreads without extra work for you.

2)Undercover Technique
This kind of technique is incredibly subtle and can be found in news, pictures, videos and more. With undercover marketing, a consumer has no idea that something is actually being marketed but a connection is made and remains in the back of their minds. It's almost like subliminal messaging, but it's not purposely hidden, just very small and discrete. For example, brand placements in films, such as Coca Cola or a brand of clothing, should be considered undercover marketing. A product is being promoted, but in a discrete, subtle way so that the viewer does not realize they're seeing advertisements.

3)Word Of Mouth Technique
Similar to the pass-along technique, word of mouth relies on consumers to pass the information along through gossip or buzz. When they hear about an interesting piece of news, people will tell other people, who will tell even more people. This is particularly effective when celebrities are involved, because everyone is curious about celebrities. A good example of the word of mouth technique is when a star is vocal about wearing a certain kind of lip gloss so others go out and buy it as well.

4)Reward Technique
This technique offers customers a reward for referring other potential customers to a businesses service or site. For example, when a person signs up for an email newsletter, he is rewarded for referring another person to the same newsletter.

The publicity gained from any viral marketing campaign is incredibly important and very valuable to the success of a business. It's basically free publicity, a way to get your name and message out there without spending a lot of money. Customers are also less weary of products or services if they hear about them first from someone they know who uses them. Viral marketing techniques are just as effective as any other Internet marketing strategies, but cost a considerable amount less, making them appealing to not only large corporations, but smaller businesses as well.