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The big talk on the Internet these days is about
"Melissa" and its copycat versions (see
http://www.msnbc.com/news/403350.asp), such as "I Love You."
No, it's not an adult oriented website or some new software game but a
virus. And the devious (or perhaps even brilliant) way it works is
that, after opening the email attachment, it sends more virus-infected
emails to the first fifty people in your address book without your
knowledge.
While we are bombarded with anti-virus
warnings telling us to never open an attachment from an unknown
person, how can we resist doing so when the email apparently comes
from someone we actually do know (since the virus uses personal
address books to multiply itself)?
In fact, Melissa uses Microsoft Outlook's mail merge command to
actually incorporate the recipient's name within the body of the
message, making the seemingly personalized -- and unsuspectingly
harmful -- email to be instantly trusted. Because of that
vulnerability, Melissa has been purported to be the fastest-spreading
virus to ever appear on the cyberscene.
Nevertheless, we can certainly learn the way viruses work -- and, in
the same way, apply that process to online marketing. Called "viral
marketing," the concept is generally to proliferate the knowledge of
your existence on the web through other people's efforts. Be it
word-of-eye advertising, referrals, affiliate programs, joint ventures
and so on, it all comes down to that fundamental business process
called "networking." And according to Jill Griffin's wonderful book "Customer
Loyalty: How to Earn it, How to Keep it," we are more open,
trusting and loyal when doing business with or being marketed by
people we know -- and we certainly refer them to others more often as
well.
Make Your Net Work
Online, networking is probably more important if
not essential since the web is dimensionless and expansive. It grants
you the ability to reach corners untapped -- areas that would have
been unreachable otherwise. However, there's a lot of hype lately
about the benefits of networking, but I personally don't advocate
traditional networking (the "I'm open for business" kind) because, in
my experience, it hasn't brought me anything substantial in return.
While it can be a fantastic marketing
tool, the way in which networking is conducted is often the reason why
it does not produce any favorable results. When you're only
networking, more often than not people will want something in return
-- otherwise, they will lose interest or stop sending referrals if you
don't take the time to recognize their efforts. And if you don't, you
will paradoxically need to network even more, which defeats the
purpose.
As discussed in
http://SuccessDoctor.com/articles/article8.htm, a way to
consistently reward others is to turn your networking efforts into
systems -- in other words, to develop strategic marketing alliances.
If you and your alliance share a same target market, you can
effectively cross-promote or share markets with each other. While
there are as many different forms of systematized networking systems
out there as there are businesses, one of them that has been quite
effective for me is what I call "info-networking."
An info-network is one in which information is exchanged in some form
or another between parties. It includes qualified leads that you can
both share, or information about each other that is promoted to each
other's market, clientele or subscribers. As long as your alliance
logically shares a same target market but without directly competing
with you, it could be potentially rewarding. For example, this
includes swapping ad space in ezines, posting reciprocal links,
exchanging banners, co-advertising, promoting exclusive offers,
submitting articles for publication, participating in discussion
lists, and so on.
But info-networking goes further. It also refers to mailing lists
where you can swap each other's prospect or client lists. While
privacy online is becoming an increasingly important issue, it doesn't
mean that there has to be an actual sharing of such lists. For
example, website owners and ezine publishers have opt-in lists that
range from 100 to 100,000 people. Many cross-market their lists, such
as offering single mailing "solo ads" (of course, at a cost). But if
you maintain your own ezine or opt-in list, the advantage is that you
can swap ads, "solo" mailings or listowner-endorsed exclusive offers
with each other.
Joint Ventures, Affiliate Programs,
and Exclusive Offers
However, there's another form of networking that
may be more effective, particularly for those who do not share or
cross-market their lists. I call it "auto-networking," which goes
beyond simply submitting your site to search engines, other websites
or "free-for-all" links pages -- all with the hope that they will
produce something in return. It's a process through which you are
constantly and systematically exchanging leads with your alliance. On
the Internet, this technique is one in which a systematized method of
cross-promotion between you and your alliance through a unique, joint
marketing effort is created. It is also often referred to as a "joint
venture."
For example, this includes the coupling of complementary coupons or
special offers that are exclusively marketed to each other's market.
While different, these offers are combined and marketed under the
banner of a single promotion. Another is the process of amalgamating
products, services or offers that complement each other's portfolio.
If your alliance sells a product, they can add to their offer
additional bonuses (products or services) from you, which may include
an exclusive special offer for one of your products.
You can even create an entirely distinct product, service or
information package from both companies and sold simultaneously from
both sites. For example, you sell cookware online. You can easily team
up with a publisher specializing in cookbooks and throw a book in the
mix. While you raise the price and split the profits with the
publisher, you instantly raise the perceived value of the cookware
through a co-branded approach or a combined package of non-competing
products or services. Best of all, you each market the "new" product
separately while sharing in each other's traffic, market, lead-base
and referral-sources (i.e., network) -- thus doubling the marketing
effort.
Here's another: If you're a software
programmer and you have created a program that, say, targets
businesspeople, don't just give it away. Offer it to other sites that
target businesspeople and let them offer it. While your program may
not relate to your alliance's product, they both appeal to a same
market and together make the offer more irresistible. In addition to
the fact that your program makes your alliance's offer more palatable,
if your shareware is copyright-free you get your software to multiply
itself rapidly -- especially within a higher quality market by virtue
of the nature of your alliance's business.
Ultimately, you can create affiliations, alliances, referral-sources,
and centers-of-influence that can help propagate the knowledge of your
existence on the web and, like a virus, multiply your online marketing
punch. Focus on building a successful business using some of these
effective strategies and the knowledge of your existence will spread
like wildfire.
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