All Marketing Rules Have Changed. Now What?

Jun 18th, 2009 by Val Nelson

: Image by Brett L. via Flickr

In the previous post about social media, I explained how the playing field has changed for everything, as fueled by the rising access to social media.

When it comes to promoting something on the web, you are not in charge of your own messaging anymore. Everyone is in charge.

What?

Hold on, this could be good news for you.

Potentially, people will spread your message for you, wider than you could ever imagine, if you’re doing it right.

This is called viral marketing, which refers to a message spreading like a virus, that is to say, exponentially and easily from person to person. Sounds bad but look at how successful viruses are. A more positive-sounding description might be “word-of-mouse.”

Viral Marketing or Word-of-Mouse Samples

The Iranian protests and Obama’s election victory are prominent examples of the success of viral marketing.

Momsrising.org’s Mother’s Day video is another hugely successful viral marketing sample. (Watch the video and you’ll get why people spread it to millions of viewers.)

Next Step

To understand how the rules have changed and how to keep up, read The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations. Seriously, order it from the library now. You’ll be on the right page for the 21st century. As a bonus, it’s a pleasure to read.