Wonder who baptized it with such a name? The word Viral is now the most frightening word now - but it did catch your attention, didn't it? That is MARKETING!
Viral Marketing is nothing so negative or unpleasant among the geeks. It is rather the most positive word in the Viral Marketing world.
What is Viral Marketing
As the name suggests, it's a way of spreading your Marketing Message from person to person. Rather like the flu virus is
passed on.
You give the germ to, say 5 friends / colleagues / 
family members. They in turn, each pass on the bug to 5 more (5 x 5 = 25), who spread it to another 5 (25 x 25 = 125), and so on until after just 8 levels, you reach the staggering figure of 1,953,125.
The classic example of Viral Marketing is Hotmail.com, one of the first Web-based E-mail Services.
The strategy is simple:
1. Give away free E-mail address and services
2. Attach a simple tag at the bottom of every Users E-mail message sent, "Get your private, free E-mail at http://www.hotmail.com"
3. Then stand back while people E-mail to their network of friends and associates
4. Those who sees the message
5. Sign up for their own free E-mail Service and then,
6. Propel the message still wider to their own ever increasing circles of friends and associates.
What Makes Marketing, Viral?
A Viral Marketing plan usually has some or all of the following basic elements:
1. Provides a Product or Service Free
2. Making it easy to transfer the messages to others
3. Allowing Easy Growth from Small to Large
4. Exploits Common Motivation and Behaviors
5. Using Existing Communication Network
6. Utilizes the Resources of others
Let's look at of these in turn:
1. PROVIDES A PRODUCT OR SERVICE FREE
Free is the most persuasive Word in Marketing. Most Viral Marketing Campaigns give away a Product or Service to get peoples' interest.
-Free E-mail Service, -
-Free Software, 
- Free Information etc.
Then when you have their attention and trust,
then you sell them something.
Hit them with a Sales Pitch first, chances are they won't be interested.
2. MAKING IT EASY TO TRANSFER MESSAGES TO OTHERS
Making it easier and faster to transfer messages to other Viral Marketing Sites. Since the Internet has because faster, Communication has become so easy and cheap, thus it made Viral movement also faster. Your Marketing Message must be simple so that it can be passed on without loosing its effectiveness. The simpler and shorter the better.
3. ALLOWS EASY GROWTH FROM SMALL TO VERY LARGE
To grow rapidly, the necessary infrastructure must be available. The best Viral Marketing makes use of the resources of others. Resources is not a problem for big companies like Microsoft and others. So for mere mortals like you and I, best to plan on spreading the message using the resources of others....see in No.6.
4. EXPLOITS COMMON MOTIVATIONS AND BEHAVIORS
What motivates people to use certain Products or Services on the Web? Then, 
recommend these to their friends. The practicality of a Product, yes, but more that the desire to be popular or to be as cool etc. Greed also motivates, hence the power of the 'free'.
5. USING EXISTING COMMUNICATION NETWORK
Most people have around 5 to 12 in their close Network of friends, family and work colleagues. On the Internet, nearly everyone has e-mail addresses in their Contact List, and favorite Websites stored in their Web Browser. Utilize this fact in your Marketing Campaign. For example, when you give away free product, ask the recipients to provide the e-mail addresses of others who may be interested.
6. UTILIZE THE RESOURCES OF OTHERS
Get your message into other peoples' e-mail, and onto the Websites of others. This way their resources are being used, not yours. And once your campaign has enough momentum, sit back while your Customers do the Marketing for you.
CONCLUSION
Viral Marketing costs very little, in fact if you go to the right places it can be free. Given that, and the huge potential benefits, your Marketing Campaign really should catch the Viral Marketing Bug.
VIRAL MARKETING MADNESS
Description: Introducing Viral Marketing Madness
Create Unstoppable Buzz and Traffic through Viral Marketing
Inside this eBook: You will discover the topics about
- Introduction to Viral Marketing,
- The Power of Social Media,
- Basics of Viral Marketing,
- Creating a Viral eBook.
- Using Facebook for Viral Marketing,
- Using Twitter as a platform for Viral Marketing,
-Mistakes to avoid
