[This is part three of our three-part series on viral marketing. In the prior issues, we outlined the elements of viral marketing and what you need to make it successful. In our final issue, we will outline how to measure your campaign’s effectiveness.
Measuring a successful viral marketing campaign can be difficult because viral marketing is a whole new breed of animal. When we do our analysis of our viral campaigns, we break them into three distinct phases, each phase having its own form of measurement. The following is our process:
Phase 1””Start-up: This phase is all about measuring buzz and awareness. Is anyone talking about your campaign? Have the local media covered it? Is traffic on your website, blog or landing page beginning to grow? Are you seeing the right prospect coming to your site?
Phase 2””Growth: This is where your viral campaign has hit critical mass and is growing. In this phase, you need to measure your campaign’s frequency, such as how many free demos were downloaded, how many people came to your location, the number of unique page views to your blog, etc. You want to know how many people have responded and how often they are coming back.
Phase 3””Wind-up: This final phase is all about how long your viral campaign can last. Is your community as vibrant as it was six months ago? Some viral campaigns are designed to burn out quickly, while others can sustain themselves for many years. At this phase you need to measure the long-term impact of your relationships. How often do they buy? Who have they referred? Are they an influencer that drives direct sales?
Typically, the results in a viral campaign are slower and more difficult to measure than a traditional campaign, but the relationship formed with the customer is deeper.
Why? Because viral marketing is about creating a relationship between your company and its customers. Relationships take time to mature and bear fruit. But in the long run, having a loyal customer who feels a connection to you sure beats the price shopper or the “what have you done for me lately” type of customer.
Until next month…
