Unleashing The Ideavirus Book

There's good advice on marketing, especially online marketing, but the approach is most relevant to products and services that are related to communications (such as online communications tools), or are very public. I struggle to think of ways to apply this to marketing the services of my web agency, OptimWise. Other small businesses will likely have the same challenge applying the lessons.

Godin explains how to go beyond word of mouth to spreading an "ideavirus": a big idea that runs amok across the target audience; a fashionable idea that propagates through a section of the population, teaching, changing, and influencing everyone it touches.

Godin frequently cites Hotmail as an example of an ideavirus. Hotmail offered free email, which attracted attention, but it really became an ideavirus because every email included an ad for Hotmail in the email signature. It also helped that Hotmail worked smoothly; it was easy to sign up and use.

Ideavirus Sequence
1. Invent a virus-worthy idea
2. Make it smooth and persistent
3. Incent powerful sneezers
4. Get their permission to follow up

Notes
Consumers actively resist marketing, so stop marketing at them. Create an environment where consumers market to each other. Marketing is about spreading ideas.

Concentrate the message. 1%, or even 15% of the group being excited about your idea is not enough. You must dominate and amaze your target group. Focus obsessively on a geographic, demographic, or psychographic group.

Word of mouth tends to be slower, more analog, and quicker to die off than ideavirus.

Give people a reason to listen, then create an infrastructure that amplifies their ability to spread word of mouth.

Primary goal of a product or service is not just to satisfy needs of one user. It must be so cool and productive that consumer tells 5 friends.

Start by "paying" users to spread ideavirus, and when you reach critical mass, start charging for it.

In viral marketing, the medium carries the message. The more people use it, the more the ideavirus spreads. Examples: Hotmail, VW Beetle, online affiliate programs.

Viral marketing requires that product is communication-focused, or very public.

Rewards go to first, fastest, coolest, very best. You must be brave and bold in creation of products and services.

To get permission to start an ongoing dialog with the user about your products and their needs, create an ideavirus. Create products so dynamic and virus-worthy that you earn attention and permission.

What to do with website visitors:
1. Get permission to follow up. Make it easy for them to learn why they should embrace your idea over time.
2. Make as many supporting manifestos available as possible, to turn consumers from skeptics into converts. Show endorsements, press reviews, criticisms and common objections.
3. Make it easy for consumers to spread ideavirus by providing a multitude of "tell a friend" tools and rewards for spreading word.

Try to convert your idea into a virus that has to do with communication. It's much more likely to go viral. Best is an actual communication tool. Inventing words or musical concepts can work too. Find powerful sneezers and beg, cajole, bribe them to use tool.