The need to choose
most effective marketing option in an ever evolving competitive environment has become increasingly important.The second instalment of a two part article covering four most important areas of search marketing: natural and sponsored listings and viral and affiliate marketing. The first article expanded on differences between Natural listings and Sponsored or Pay-per-click listings (Left or Right – Which is best?) on SERPs.
This article will cover differences and advantages of viral and affiliate marketing. Why one would use it, and how you as a website owner may benefit from implementing comprehensive media strategies.
Viral Marketing
Viral marketing is mostly used to describe Internet-based marketing tactics and may include newsletters (mailers), web logs and other forms of online encouragement to create word of mouth for a new product or service and to create brand awareness.
In this example we concentrate on newsletters or mailers as principle form of viral marketing.
Compared to other marketing methods, email marketing is relatively inexpensive, immediate and has a wide reaching audience. It is primary interactive medium for marketing and communicating with clients and most accessible form of advertising for smaller companies to generate brand awareness.
As little as two years ago, there was a very negative connotation attached to user of mailers as most were considered to be spam.
The strange thing is that a recent survey by Pew Internet & American Life Project has found that email users are receiving slightly more spam than before, but they are minding it less. With volume of email messages having escalated in last two years, it has become imperative that companies that are using this as a marketing method make every effort to ensure that messages are contextually relevant to their customers.
Most mailers are now more targeted in their audience and websites endeavour to give their users choice of signing up to their newsletters and mailers rather than bulk emailing to a group of unsolicited email addresses which have not been pre-qualified.
The key to effective viral marketing is to build relationships with your users via permission based marketing methods. This ensures that your company accesses true potential of email marketing. You are benefiting your business in long run by forming lasting relationships and building brand awareness in audience it belongs.
Acquiring Email Addresses: •Compelling Offers. Advertise compelling offers where relevant to entice people to join, such as informative newsletters, eBooks, advice columns. •Quick e-mail sign-up. Streamline process by asking for as little information upfront as possible. Its easier to get more information from customers once your have provided them with for example a newsletter or some correspondence that they may benefit from. •Easy sign-up. Place an opt-in sign-up box or button and a text link in a visible area of all your site pages as well as in footer of every page. This facilitates registration for people who want to receive your e-mail. •Link from newsletters. Add sign-up box or a link in newsletter. Many people send interesting articles or newsletters to friends and colleagues. This way it just makes it easier for those wanting to sign up. Affiliate Marketing Affiliate Marketing is generally referred to as revenue sharing between online advertisers and merchants whereby compensation is based on predetermined performance measures, typically in form of sales, clicks, registrations or another agreed method.
