You may have heard about “viral marketing” and how it’s a byproduct of the Internet.  Everyone from political candidates to car companies are trying to get their latest marketing effort to “go viral” in hopes of turning hundreds of thousands of people on to their product.

In technology terms, viral marketing is what happens when an idea (sometimes called a ’meme’) spreads from blog to blog or through email much like a virus spreads in the organic world.

“Viral marketing” is what you and I would call “word of mouth.”

Here’s a simple, Internet-based example:

I write this blog about funeral service.  A funeral director in Missouri reads it.  He likes it.  (He knows who he is.) 

He reads every day and takes note that we sell quilted cot covers.  Someone he knows in the offline world says, “Gee wiz, I need a new cot cover.”

To which our reader says, “By golly, I happen to know a company that makes them.  And their blog sure is swell!”

At this point, a co-worker leans in to remind them that it’s no longer 1954.

So the referred person checks us out, places an order and loves the product.

The original reader sees our cover on his acquaintance’s cot and thinks, “wow, those are nice.”

And pretty soon he’s ordering a few.

Okay, maybe that example isn’t exactly viral, in the strict sense that all the techies talk about viral. 

But it illustrates an important point about the way that your customers find you.  I offered free information to everyone who wants to read it.  In fact, I’ve tried to build a specific voice (my own) through the opinion pieces and other stories I share so you’ll recognize me and want to come back to hear more.

Every once in a while, my stories have to do with the business I run everyday: quilted cot covers at www.cotcovers.com.  It makes sense that I’d talk about it, since I spend so much time thinking about it, planning the future of it and worrying over it.

You, in turn, know that I make quilted covers (which you might not need right now), but you also get a lot of other, useful stuff out of me.

When it’s time to buy a quilted cot cover, is there any doubt that you’ll be buying it from me?

The same it true for your clients.  When you sponsor the local baseball team, you don’t expect for the families of the tykes to make pre-arrangements in the stands.  When you volunteer at your church or advertise in the cheerleading program, you do so with your eye to future referrals.

Viral marketing has been around for years.  In fact, I think advertising consultants have only called it “viral marketing” so they can charge big bucks to teach companies how to use this “new” concept!