Viral E-mail Marketing
By Pattie LaCroix
October 31, 2005
E-mail is the most widely used online application. It has become as pervasive as the telephone in our lives, and marketers have long since recognized its power for spreading their message. Unfortunately, this has given rise to unsolicited e-mail "spam" filling our inboxes on a daily basis. The alternative is permission-based e-mail - that to which we subscribe. On average, Canadians subscribe to about seven e-mail listings. E-mail has also facilitated the evolution of "viral e-mail", e-mail that connects with us in such a way that we want to pass it on to our friends and colleagues.
Viral e-mail is about value. Because of their value to the end user - an incentive, an offer, entertainment (humour, personality test, quiz), or a recent report or study - such e-mails will often be forwarded to the recipient's network. Suggesting that someone pass along your e-mail is not a viral e-mail; the value of the e-mail must be strong enough to engage the recipient to pass it along even without you requesting them to do so.
It is important to remember that viral marketing itself is not a campaign; it is part of an overall integrated campaign. Viral e-mail is a tactic, not a strategy, and it is best used for brand exposure. Therefore, it is important that if you are driving people to your web site that you are able to deliver whatever it is that you promised in the viral e-mail.
Here are a few tips you might want to consider when developing your own viral e-mail marketing campaign:
- Incentive - an incentive needs to be offered in order for the e-mail to be passed along. This incentive is often based in the e-mail itself - current information, an entertainment factor, or a specific product offering, such as a contest.
- Opting in - don't consider a referral an opt-in. The data collected on referrals should not be considered as an opt-in, however, you should provide referrals with the opportunity to opt in.
- Track and analyze results - pass along, click-through, and conversion rates should be the basic metrics that you are able to measure with your e-mail distribution system.
- Personalize referrals - it is important that a referral be identified as coming from a friend, in other words, that the e-mail is coming from a recognizable source. Open rates increase dramatically when this is in place.
- Be creative - use the medium well. Rich media viral e-mails (when bandwidth permits) increase the pass along rate. Offer a balance of emotional and intellectual interactivity in your e-mail.
On average, when a person has a positive online experience they are likely to pass this along to twelve other people. Viral e-mail marketing, as part of your overall integrated campaign, can play a significant role is your brand awareness. It can effectively broaden the audience that could become engaged in your story. Probably the most exciting element of viral e-mail marketing campaigns that nonprofits have yet to fully embrace is the understanding of value. At a time when we have become less and less receptive to online advertising, we have also become more selective about opening e-mails that appear to have immediate value to us. It is this strong pull of value in the success of viral e-mail marketing campaigns that has yet to be fully exploited by nonprofits.
There is an enormous opportunity to engage a broader constituency in the work that nonprofits do in our communities; the challenge here is to become creative about how we tell these stories. Becoming better storytellers will prove to be instrumental in the success of viral e-mail marketing campaigns delivered by NGOs.
Pattie LaCroix has directed marketing and communications programs for
nonprofits for over ten years. As vice president of Communicopia, she is passionate
about creating online communications strategies for nonprofits that engage their
audience and build support for their work. You can contact Pattie through www.communicopia.net.
