What is Viral Marketing?
Viral marketing refers to techniques that use pre-existing social networks and other technologies to produce increases in brand awareness or achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes. In the context of
email marketing, it involves creating email content that encourages recipients to share it with others, thus spreading the message rapidly and exponentially.
How Does Viral Marketing Work in Email Marketing?
In email marketing, viral marketing works by crafting engaging and shareable content that prompts recipients to forward the email to their contacts. This can be achieved through several strategies, such as including
incentives for sharing, making the content highly
relevant and
valuable, or incorporating social sharing buttons directly in the email.
Engaging Content: The content must be interesting, entertaining, or valuable enough for recipients to want to share it.
Call-to-Action: Clear instructions or incentives to encourage sharing, such as “Share this email and get a discount.”
Ease of Sharing: Include social sharing buttons and make it easy for recipients to forward the email.
Emotional Appeal: Content that evokes strong emotions, whether it’s humor, awe, or even anger, is more likely to be shared.
Why is Viral Marketing Effective in Email Campaigns?
Viral marketing leverages the power of
word-of-mouth and social proof. When people receive a recommendation from someone they know and trust, they are more likely to engage with the content. Additionally, viral campaigns can exponentially increase reach without significant additional investment, making them cost-effective.
Examples of Successful Viral Email Campaigns
One notable example is the “
Hotmail” campaign in the late 1990s, where every email sent included a tagline encouraging recipients to get their free Hotmail account. Another example is Dropbox’s referral program, where users were incentivized to share an email to get additional storage space. Both campaigns saw explosive growth due to their viral elements.
Open Rates: The percentage of recipients who open the email.
Click-Through Rates: The percentage of recipients who click on links within the email.
Forwarding Rates: The number of times the email is forwarded to others.
Conversion Rates: The percentage of recipients who take the desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a service.
Challenges and Considerations
While viral marketing can be highly effective, it also comes with challenges. Creating content that genuinely goes viral is unpredictable and often requires a deep understanding of your audience. Additionally, there’s a risk of the message being perceived as spam if not carefully crafted. Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure that the content aligns with your brand and adds real value to the recipients.Best Practices for Creating Viral Email Campaigns
Know Your Audience: Understand what types of content resonate with your target audience.
Test and Optimize: Continuously test different elements of your email (subject lines, content, CTAs) and optimize based on performance.
Provide Value: Ensure that your email offers real value, whether it's information, entertainment, or discounts.
Encourage Sharing: Make it easy and rewarding for recipients to share your email.
Conclusion
Viral marketing in the context of email marketing can be a powerful tool for increasing brand awareness and achieving marketing objectives. By focusing on creating engaging, shareable content and leveraging the power of social proof, businesses can amplify their reach and drive significant results. However, it’s essential to approach viral campaigns thoughtfully to ensure they align with your brand and resonate with your audience.