According to JupiterResearch who have just published a report on Viral Marketing only 15% of viral campaigns in the past year achieved the goal of prompting consumers to promote the marketer’s message. Their researcher also found that the most popular technique used to stimulate viral behaviour was targeting of influentials. Yet oddly enough they claim, viral marketers plan to decrease use of this tactic by 55% within the next year. Why?
I read about this on Seth Godin’s blog, personally I’d keep the $1,500 that JupiterResearch charge as they seem to have missed one key point, in Godin’s words:
Excuse me… the most effective technique is making stuff worth talking about in the first place. True viral marketing happens not when the marketer plans for it or targets bloggers or skateboarders or pirates with goatees, but when the item/service/event is worth talking about.
If you really want to buy a book or report about Viral Marketing then it seems to me that Godin’s Unleashing The Idea Virus will probably be better value.
This blog is about business opportunities and ideas that I spot, think of or hear about and think are useful and interesting. It is intended to provide ideas and inspriation for you to help you find the right business idea for you to then grow it into a successful business.
I suggest their next research report should be on how many readers won’t be buying research reports next year because that contain totally useless information. Whoops, was I being cynical again.
At $1500 a report perhaps I ought to be producing them - though you do also get to spend 30 minutes on the phone to the analyst that produced the report, but I expect 30 minutes of the phone with Seth Godin would be cheaper and much better value.