This post answers question #6 in The Importance of Viral Marketing, a podcast interview I did with AllBusiness.com's Chris Bjorkland. The podcast was based on NextStage's research into WOM, viral and buzz marketing and is good listening (wink).
This arc provides a text version of that interview. There was a lot more in the podcast than appears in this arc, save a few last questions we didn't have time for. Each post in this arc will have one question (regular type) followed by my response (italics). Question #6 was "Some viral messages keep re-appearing and become annoying. What are some ways you can control how long a message is out there? How can the message get distorted?"
How long should a message be out there? Until either the market is saturated or until the audience is immune to the effects of the message. There are ways to calculate how long both will take and the best strategy is, as the comics say, to leave them wanting more.Both market saturation and audience immunity basically mean there’s no longer anybody out there to carry your message forward. Not a good situation. Market saturation occurs when a single product or service has so penetrated the target audience that there’s nobody left interested in it. This is where product upgrades, new features, etc., play a role in keeping the message alive.
Audience Immunity is, I think, worse because you still have plenty of product or service but nobody cares about what you’re offering. You can always upgrade, modify, or cut the price of a product or service and get back into the market. But if people don’t care about your offering – and I’m not saying anything about its merits – then your sunk and your warehouses or infrastructure are full.
(more to follow (The Big Money Take Away)...)
Please contact NextStage for information regarding presentations and trainings on this and other topics.
Links for this post:
- 3 Rules for Creating Buzz
- AllBusiness.com's Chris Bjorklund interviews viral marketing expert Joseph Carrabis, founder of NextStage Evolution, Part 1
- AllBusiness.com's Chris Bjorklund interviews viral marketing expert Joseph Carrabis, founder of NextStage Evolution, Part 2
- AllBusiness.com's Chris Bjorklund interviews viral marketing expert Joseph Carrabis, founder of NextStage Evolution, Part 3
- AllBusiness.com's Chris Bjorklund interviews viral marketing expert Joseph Carrabis, founder of NextStage Evolution, Part 3a
- AllBusiness.com's Chris Bjorklund interviews viral marketing expert Joseph Carrabis, founder of NextStage Evolution, Part 4
- AllBusiness.com's Chris Bjorklund interviews viral marketing expert Joseph Carrabis, founder of NextStage Evolution, Part 4a
- AllBusiness.com's Chris Bjorklund interviews viral marketing expert Joseph Carrabis, founder of NextStage Evolution, Part 4b
- AllBusiness.com's Chris Bjorklund interviews viral marketing expert Joseph Carrabis, founder of NextStage Evolution, Part 5
- AllBusiness.com's Chris Bjorklund interviews viral marketing expert Joseph Carrabis, founder of NextStage Evolution, Part 5a
- Holmes&Watsons
- Social Networks and Viral Marketing
- Viral Marketing blog posts
- Why Some Viral Marketing Doesn't Work
- Yes, You Can Predict Viral Marketing
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