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We’re hearing this a lot: “Let’s go viral.” Part of our job at Grow Sales, Inc. is to help GSI clients sift through available promotional technologies and identify what we think will work and reject those that don’t pass the sniff test. Viral marketing has garnered a lot of discussion time as of late and we’re happy to share what we know, or what little we know depending on your point of view. Today, we’re going to leave the conclusions to you.
What is Viral Marketing?
Viral marketing means a lot of things to a lot of people. The term once was synonymous with word-of-mouth marketing, which used to drive marketers nuts because how exactly does one influence what people say to their friends? Yes, Starbucks in the ’80s and ’90s grew mostly by word-of-mouth, but how graphic arts companies apply the Starbucks lessons is murky at best.
Today’s viral marketing is a different story. Online activities can be planned, executed and monitored. Printers, finishers and suppliers are all free to use LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, blog sites and other online technologies and communities to help create sales opportunities and grow their businesses. Social networking tools are gaining critical mass; if in doubt, just ask your twenty-something employees. Online social networking sites are destination points integral to many millions of tech-savvy and tech-average people.
GSI has one client for whom we ghostwrote a book. Book promotion seemed a perfect application for viral marketing. Initially, we assigned half-dozen employees the task of posting a minimum of 100 relevant entries wherever they wished on the web, within reason. All entries were “personal” and not tied to either our client or GSI. We also posted YouTube videos. Many of our online activities pointed to either the video or the book’s website. In addition, we contacted many regional newspaper reporters and had dozens of articles about the book placed all across the country and the Internet.
Does Viral Work?
On to the main question: Does it work? Unfortunately, it’s hard for us to draw firm conclusions, but this is what we know. During the first two of months after book publication, our viral promotional efforts were frequent and fast. Our publisher’s distributors kept on ordering more and more books and we quickly crossed the 1,000 books sold mark. Then, we toned down the viral campaign. In a way we did not forecast, book sales plummeted down to the low three figures mark per month. This week, we’re discussing the situation with our client, so this is where the story ends for now.
It appears there is a correlation between viral promotional efforts and tangible sales. To us at GSI, viral seems “right,” much the same way that Websites seemed right in the mid-nineties. Then, the question was, do we launch a website? There certainly was a lot of discussion about whether or not Websites were even necessary. Can you imagine that question today?
How Do We Implement Viral Campaigns?
If you roll the dice and go for it, write up a thumbnail plan and stick with it. Start with LinkedIn, then move to blogs and communication boards, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook (but don’t “friend” your kids – you’ll be disappointed) and whatever else seems appropriate. Invite your business contacts to join your “communities” in whatever form makes sense to you. Here are a few comments on some of the leading social networking sites:
- LinkedIn – This site connects people based on overlapping “networks.” There’s a growing area on LinkedIn allowing likeminded people to develop a community and have discussions. For example, there’s a PIA/GATF Networking Group, which of course GSI is a member. We’re also members of our local PIA affiliate’s discussion board.
- Blogs, communication boards and news response postings – You could spend every hour of every day posting any info you want on the Internet. Some of your comments will get indexed by search engines and will drive up traffic and relevancy ratings. Whenever working in these areas, try to unobtrusively leave links to your website.
- YouTube – This is a great medium for free promotion. With a $100 digital video recorder, you can make perfectly fine video clips and load them on YouTube yourself. Include intelligent search words next to your video, so searchers can find it. Subject matter? Let your imagination run wild. Will it help drive business? Maybe, but you will get an audience. PIA/GATF posted a very well done and very funny video featuring their president Michael Makin. As of today, more than 1000 people each month have viewed it. Google “PIA/GATF YouTube” to watch it yourself.
- Twitter – This is a new site that launched in November 2007 and has earned a small but determined following. While we don’t think broadcasting one’s lunch menu will drive business (although many people certainly do this), this site has a lot of potential. We know one CNN reporter who posts his upcoming topics a few hours before airtime and his ratings have been sky high. Is this a result of his Twitter activity? Again, hard to tell, we’re just letting you know what we know. How Twitter applies to the printing industry is up to each of us.
- Facebook – It’s not just for kids anymore.
What Grow Sales, Inc. Can Do for You
Grow Sales, Inc. has been advising graphic arts companies on everything from sales strategies to working with new promotional technology since 1996. In addition to our industry-focused advising services, we provide outbound marketing, sales support, web design and public relations expertise. To learn more about how we can help you grow your business profitably, call us at (301) 294-9900 or email info@growsales.com.
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