Viral marketing is inexpensive - not free

People interested in using viral marketing to promote a product should not make the mistake of thinking it is free, according to a new report.

Viral marketing is the process of using existing social networks - such as social networking websites - to create a ‘buzz’ about something.

Research by Marketing Sherpa found that using paid search was considered by marketers as the best way of doing just that, despite the implied lack of costs involved in the technique.

It looked at viral marketing involving free videos.

“Viral marketers need to remember that the point of viral marketing is not the fact that it’s free - it’s its ability to spread buzz inexpensively,” the company said.

“While it may seem counterintuitive, the best way to promote free video is to pay for it.”

One of the most famous viral marketing campaigns was Will It Blend?, which featured a series of videos involving an industrial strength blender and various objects, which were used to test the blender.

It was a popular hit on YouTube, but also provided huge publicity for the company behind the blender.