Devoted to online marketing, viral marketing, and web marketing

Reading an excellent article on viral marketing in the offline world, it offered a couple of good points to consider if your campaign takes off.

One thing to remember is that the greatest campaign one can have is the quality of the product or service you offer; that does more to spread the news than anything else that can be done.

An interesting thing about viral marketing is we need to learn that it can lead to explosive growth, which sounds great, but can also cause someone to do dumb things.

One example is the Krispy Kreme story. They became successful so fast from word of mouth spreading, that the franchisees borrowed many times too heavily, and as a result the growth started to implode.

The famous Anita Roddick made mistakes also, as she despised advertising of any type. Once the word of mouth advertising slowed, the growth of her Body Shop began to slip. Eventually she was removed from the company she started.

What we need to understand is while doing everything we can to make viral marketing work, we need to comprehend and be prepared for what will happen if and when it really takes off. Success in this area isn't guaranteed simply because people are now aware of your product or service.

It's the decisions that are made afterward that determine whether the spreading of the word will make your business a long-term success.

Make sure you are ready for when your product or service goes viral. Have a plan in place and know where you want to go before it happens. This will ensure that you will tap into the current success and build the company into a lasting enterprise.