What Does It Mean To Go Viral? 

Gaining interest in your email campaigns

Viral email marketing means taking a regular email marketing campaign and using it to generate more email interest than the initial batch of recipients. It is called viral because if it works well, your message will spread like a virus. Here's an example. Say you have an Opt-in email list of subscribers to your emails and newsletters. You create a campaign that enables them to win a prize. As part of this prize campaign, you include an option in your emails for the original recipients to send their contest emails to their friends and family.

Now, you not only have your original recipients participating in the contest, but you have their friends and family involved as well. When friends and family receive this email, include a subscription link that they can click on to confirm that they'd also like to receive emails from you. In just a short time, you've more than doubled your list of permission-based participants.

The key element to any viral email marketing campaign is to get permission. You never want to email anyone who hasn't given you specific permission to email them. If you send to non Opt-in recipients, you'll get hammered by spam complaints and it will ruin your reputation. Hence, you should never assume that recipients want to hear from you unless they confirm that in your email.

Great Resources From Great People 

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Roots of Viral Marketing

Get the skinny on the origin of "viral marketing". Did you know that the term " viral marketing " was coined by a Harvard Business School professor? I didn't think so.

Choosing the Right Email Software

There are so many email software services , which one should I choose? If you are asking yourself this question , its sounds like you need to educate yourself on the pro's and con's of online and offline email software.

Video Email Service

Create a buzz worthy video that you would like to send our to your email list? Benchmark Rich Media gives you to the tools to email and stream your videos online. Viral video marketing at its finest. And hey you don't even have to pay to send your first video.

Viral Messaging

Learn the graceful art of "viral messaging". Hey you can't send a viral email without a message. I thought you would agree.

Email Marketing

Building a list and sending emails takes time. Automate the process with this powerful email marketing service. It's cheap and free to sign up. And everyone knows that free is the "DIY" marketers all-time favorite adjective. Hmm maybe I should make a DIY marketing adjective lens. You know, for the wordsmiths :)

Does "Viral Marketing " Mean "Spam" ? 

Keeping the white hat atop your head

No. Viral marketing, when done using good email practices, is not considered spam. Since the emails sent to friends and family are sent by people they know, it is different than just emailing these people directly without permission. With an Opt-in link, you're giving them the option to subscribe to your email or newsletter.

Ultimately, when done correctly, viral email marketing campaigns can raise brand awareness and improve your sales and exposure. But the real key is the money and time you'll save using email marketing as a viral medium. If you use an online email marketing service that can help you manage all your email lists and campaigns, you'll find that you can automate much of the promotional process rather than using tedious techniques to imitate the same results you can gain through an organic viral email marketing campaign.