Viral marketing doesn’t work
For some reason that eludes there has been a disproportionate attention and focus on viral marketing. In the news you read about how youtube videos and myspace pages can allow companies and organizations to promote their services for free through viral marketing. Once you ‘get the ball rolling’ the growth should be exponential as more an more people virally spread the message of your product.
Sounds like a good marketing strategy? Maybe, if you’re one of the lucky few who’s message does go viral. Otherwise viral marketing doesn’t work and is a waste of time.
There are countless videos on youtube and myspace with the intent of creating a viral reaction, yet only a tiny, tiny percentage of them ignite any viral response. The remaining videos simply fade away in the ever growing archive of internet crap.
These videos are usually created by experts as well, and in failing to have their video go viral they lose money in the process because the directors are unable to recoup the costs. Not a very good deal.
The same not only applies to internet videos but internet meme’s, social networking sites, and other forms of online media intended to generate a viral response. It just doesn’t work and is a waste of time, as is the case with 99.9% of things.
Here is the lowdown: don’t bother with viral marketing. It doesn’t work. You will just be wasting your time and money. Internet users are INUNDATED with media attempting to generate a viral response. The odds of YOUR video or website capturing their attention, let alone going viral, is slim. Thousands of viral videos uploaded on youtube and myspace a day. There are Tons of new viral websites being created every week, each vying for an infinitesimal sliver of your attention. Obama parody pages, dancing cats, deodorant commercials, enough is enough.
6 Responses to “Viral marketing doesn’t work”
Comment from Administrator
Time November 13, 2007 at 6:02 pm
thats the gist of it
I either complain or make grandiose predictions.
As for my online income, it isn’t much.
Comment from Valentin
Time November 15, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Dave, since when income generated by a blog is the tool telling people how much credible - true - intersting - real - valid is the blog`s content ?
Are you sure competence is related to ONLY income ? In fact, is competence anyhow related to income ? Specialy, is related to PUBLISHING a big-fat figure income ?
The “less than $1000 per month then your blog lacks any validity” expression is valueless and is even more cheap coming from a black-hat marketer 
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Comment from Vlad the Impaler
Time November 16, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Well, the whole idea behind most viral stuff is taking a piece of crap and hoping a LOT of people sniff it.
By that measure, the people finding success with crap are the ones making money. So then does crap = $$$?
Ned’s right, though: for every ‘Chocolate Rain’ or Dramatic Hamster there are literally THOUSANDS of stupid videos featuring idiots trying to be funny. And thankfully, most of those disappear into the aether never to be seen or heard from ever again.
Comment from Jack Rack
Time November 19, 2007 at 5:36 am
Yea, I can’t see why how much money he makes has anything to do with the validity of this blog. Most of the ebook bullshitters who make over 1K a month know nothing about coding or SEO. They’re only good at 1 thing: bullshit. But would you say that they have credibility just because they make over 1k?
Comment from Dave
Time November 20, 2007 at 8:19 pm
The reason I’m comparing your credibility to money is because in one of your post you were bashing seo saying it doesn’t work. In the description for the website you were selling you stated it was very SEO’d and you were pulling 1k visitors per month. Money is a pretty good measure of validity if your giving out advice. Think about it. Would you take advice from a stock brocker who himself was losing money every month on stocks he purchased?
If your bashing things that dont work then you should know what does work and you should be earning a decent online income.
I’m not talking about making money by selling information or advice or even crappy ebooks like someone said in another post. I mean making money by applying the internet marketing knowledge your have.
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Comment from Dave
Time November 12, 2007 at 7:10 pm
Is this blog all bout complaining? I read some of your post basing people and companies and im just wondering how much money do you make on the web? If the answer is less than $1000 per month then your blog lacks any validity.