I don’t advertise.
I’ve been burned on that before.
It’s not that I don’t know how or that I’m gun-shy.
I’ve just found a better way (built a better reader trap, if you will).
My way doesn’t involve spending money, it doesn’t require a graphic designer and there is zero risk.
It isn’t about building back links, or writing an article.
It’s not about forum spamming or linkbaiting.
Word of Mouth (the marketing equivalent of Dumm-Dumm-Dummmmmm!)
When you read “Word of Mouth Marketing,” I know, like, half of you got the image of that on guy at every networking event who always tries to tell you about his new “opportunity” while shoving a business card in your hand.
It’s not about that.
It’s about the purest form of viral marketing: being so good that people can’t help but talk about you.
And there are some things you can do to tip the viral scales in your favor.
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Don’t Write Sucky Content
So, I know I’m getting the obvious one out the way first, but this does deserve a spot on the list.
If you’ve ever wondered why there is no great guide to viral marketing, it’s because there’s no good way to tell people how to not suck.
If I could break down “be awesome” into 10 action steps I would.
But I can’t (yet).
John Morrow over at Copyblogger has made a pretty good try at it though, so start there if you’re worried about it.
But if you can’t guarantee not sucking, make sure what you’re creating is at least something that people want, are looking for and is good enough recommend to their friends.
If the answer to any of those is no, it’s back to the drawing board.
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Make Your Stuff Easy to Share
If your blog posts aren’t optimized for social media, you’ve fucked up big.
But there is actually a bigger fuck up available to you:
Email and Print buttons.
There is still a large portion of the population that is just now getting a firm grasp on email (don’t even ask them what social media is).
Give them the option to share through email, (still the most widely used form of online communication) and give them the option to print out your work and take it with them.
Not only are they going to physically hand printed hard copies to people who will be interested enough to visit your site later, but you give them access to your brilliance any time and any place they want.
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Ask For the Share
The best way to get anything in life is still just to ask for it.
Want blog comments? Ask for them.
Want more Re-Tweets? Ask for them.
Think of it as a call to action.
Would you end a sales letter without asking the reader to buy your product?
Um. No.
So why would you end an article that you would like to have shared without asking your readers to spread it far and wide?
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Make Friends to Spread Your Work
The myth of the lone nerd in his darkened basement making millions while he plays World of Warcraft and munches on Funions is just that, a myth (at least the making millions part).
No successful person
onlinegot there by themselves.Every A-lister you know and look up to got to where they are because they had a support group to help get them there.
Support groups of online friends and partners will promote your work to their audiences and help point you toward opportunities you might be missing.
Approach every online contact with a sense of win-win (this is very different than tit-for-tat) and start making friends.
Do this right and you can’t help but grow your traffic.
If you’re not sure how to do this, Third Tribe(aff link) is a great place to start.
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Join The Conversation
There’s a difference between sharing a new post with your audience and blatant self-promotion.
Don’t promote your own stuff.
It’s disingenuous and, well, spammy.
Your focus needs to be on promoting other people’s work.
Show other people how awesome your online friend’s content is.
Comment on blogs and forums.
Promote your support group and spread any other cool stuff you find online with anyone who might benefit from your find.
That’s what the successful A-Listers do.
Find other cool things to share with your readers. It builds trust and great rapport, which brings them right back into your site and your content time and time again.
Word of mouth marketing is all about letting your true awesomeness shine through.
It’s the one form of marketing that truly can’t be manipulated.
To be successful, you have to have something that lives up to it’s promises and is truly worthy of mass attention and approval. It all goes back to point # 1: