Yes. Ironic as it sounds, it can be – provided you know how to do it right.

I have to confess this apply more effectively towards the informational marketing niche. More specifically digital informational products.

You see. In the digital informational product arena, almost everything gets pirated. It is the reality of the game you have to face up to.

Everything can be downloaded and distributed, whether you like it or not.

E-books. Mp3. Graphics. Videos. Games. All can be easily ripped off.

With the explosion of file sharing sites and peer-to-peer network (P2P), it is only a matter of time before you find your product up there within those ranks too.

So How Do We Solve This Darn Problem?

Well…as they say, if you can’t win ‘em…join ‘em!

Wait up! I’m not talking about being a pirate yourself, silly. But about how to turn it around – to your advantage!

Think about it.

There are millions of free-loaders and pirates wanting your product for FREE! Just check out the tonnes of traffic file sharing or torrent sites like Warez and PirateBay receive.

What does this mean?

There is a big ready audience for you out there! And if they download your product, chances are they are very targeted!

And because they come to your product, instead of YOU…going to them, they are much more qualified. They actually want your product, goddamn it!

If your product gives them sufficient value, you can easily sell to them later!

Can you see the various profitable possibilities forming already?

This is what you can do:

1. Have an opt in form in your e-book product or include a read-me text that gives them a link to your opt in form. Tie that in with an incentive.

Just do anything to allow those ‘thieves’ to see your incentivized offer, and get their names. Now you actually know who these people are once you capture their names.

Congratulations. You have just leveraged on the pirates to build your list.

Can you sell to them again? Yes you can. Go ahead. Up-sell and cross-sell these suckers! Tie in with one-time offers and all those marketing gimmicks you can think of. It’s payback time!

2. Include affiliate links in your product. If they don’t want your product, there is always a chance they may click on your affiliate link. And you can profit from that.

Pretty neat eh?

3. Gather all your freebie stuff you already plan to give away. Go distribute to all the file sharing and torrent sites. Just google them if you don’t know any.

And incorporate the 2 techniques above.

Better still, make your stuff re-brandable with their affiliate links, and you just give them an incentive to distribute the product for you.

There you go. You can unleash a viral campaign – with the help of pirates! Not too bad if I do say so myself.

Okay. What you waiting for? Let’s get cracking!

This is just another way to turn something disadvantageous around to your favor.

As always, I love to hear your views on this. I’m all ears.

All Success,

[tags]E-MoneyMarketing, piracy, informational marketing, online marketing, affiliate marketing, business, viral marketing[/tags]

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I realized that throughout all my blog entries, I have not exactly touched on viral marketing.

Damn, where have I been? It’s time to right a wrong. And this entry will be the start of more viral marketing stuff to come. You can bet on it.

But first, what the heck is viral marketing?

Let me attempt to explain.

You got a flu before right? Chances are, you probably got that shit from some guy. And that particular guy could have gotten it from another. And you just happened to be at the end of the chain.

Or maybe not, if you are not treated properly. You gonna pass that shit to someone else.

Alright, I hope you get the drift.

In a more formal marketing speak, viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use preexisting social networks to produce increases in brand awareness, through repeatable viral processes.

It is similar to how pathological and computer viruses spread.

There are lots of viral marketing techniques you can use to spread the awareness of your product or service. I’m going to talk about just 11. 11 simple techniques (I know…11 is a weird number) even a kid can pull off.

Kid-ishly-simple, but it certainly isn’t child’s play in terms of effectiveness.

1. Word-of-Mouth

This is a no-brainer. You get people talking about it. How? Have loads of quality. And I mean LOADS of VALUE-ADDED QUALITY. A whole truckload of it. And then you add some more, with some icing if you will.

That’s right. Some people tend to focus on many other matters, but they forget the fundamental essence – the quality.

If you produce a product or service of genuine quality, the word will get out. Introduce funny, innovative and unique elements – you get a winning mix.

Remember Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’? Where he did the wiggly crazy moves with those saliva-spewing zombies, and had every kid in the world skipping school, watching his MTVs and imitating his every jiggle?

That’s cool. That’s real. That’s just…damnnnnnn good!

2. Viral videos

Video marketing is hot. Youtube is hot. According to Alexa, Youtube’s traffic is ranked a heavenly 3rd with only the mammoth Google and Microsoft standing in it’s way.

You know what that translate to? HUMINGOUS T-Rex sized amount of traffic!

So as you can see, the audience and traffic is already there. The fruit is ripe for the picking.

Put up a buzz-worthy video, packed with solid content, and watch your influence and presence spread virally.

3. Newsletter/E-Newsletter

Newsletter are one of the very best ways to reach out your audience.

Just take a look at Early To Rise and Daily Reckoning – two of Agora Publishing (300 million dollar business, mind you!) flag ship’s newsletters.

Over a million subscribers in total. Ton of value-added content. Need I say more?

They are cheap to produce and have massive reach. Include a call to action which can be a tell-a-friend to kick-start the viral effect.

If the tell-a-friend mechanism is incentivized, or the content is genuinely good, people will tell.

Better yet, include a soft copy PDF report version of your newsletter whereby readers can download to their computer for their reference offline.

Again, include a tell-a-friend call-to-action in the PDF report. Use every single opportunity to get your readers to refer a friend. Works powerfully.

4. Free Report

Come out with a free and useful report and have it made available to your readers for download in exchange for an email address.

If you are very confident of your content and that you want to build up a strong trust factor with your readers, you may want to make the download available – without the opt in.

If you think they will  really find it useful, then have a message to prompt them to download at the end of the report. You will be surprised at how well this may turn out.

What will be even better is if you make your report re-brandable with their names and affiliate links. That will provide an incentive for them to give away your report.

Your readers will be happy to give value to others by providing a high quality report, and yet at the same time, they stand to gain monetarily if their referees decide to buy through their affiliate links.

Kill two birds with one stone right?

5. Article Marketing

Article marketing is one of the most powerful way of boosting your online presence – virally!

There are loads of article directories you can submit your articles to, such as ezinearticles.com

Imagine. Someone with a high traffic site decide to publish your article. They look at your bio profile, and they come clicking to your page.

Free, targeted and potentially huge traffic that can go on a period of time. All these with just a one time effort.

Again, the quality of your articles will be a crucial factor towards how successful the viral impact of your articles will be.

6. Tell-A-Friend script

You want someone to refer a friend? Then make it easy for them. Have a script for them to fill in the relevant details in the form.

Have the form included in whatever pages you can think of.

At the end of each posts in your blog (like mine. *hint*). Your thank-you page after someone has brought your product. Your 404 error page (make use of this!). Your download page.

Think out of the box.

7. Signature

Have your signature with a link in your email or forum signature. Back that up with a call-to-action incorporated with a benefit statement, and watch traffic rush through to your site.

8. Master Resell Rights

If you want to grant master resell rights, first, you need to have a product. Giving master resell rights allows that person to sell to someone for 100% profit, whereby the buyer can then in turn sell to another.

Needless to say, the resell license have to be bought, but the content inside cannot be changed, unless stated so. That means your logo and your branding can all be kept intact.

You have someone spreading your influence for you. Without you having to do all the hard work.

If your product is a hot selling one, you will get many resellers beating down the door to sell your product for you.

The buyers become sellers. The seller’s buyers become sellers themselves. And the viral chain goes on and on – to your profit!

9. Affiliate Marketing

Similar to the above point. The only difference is that you get someone selling for you and you give them a cut for the sale they bring in.

Zero marketing cost. Zero risk (financially-wise). But very rewarding. Affiliate marketing will ensure huge amount of brand and product awareness leverage for you.

Some people give out 100% commission to motivate their affiliates. And they get all the profits at the back-end.

Not a strategy that fits every business. But still a powerful one you can consider implementing.

Importantly, you may want to make it easy for affiliates to sign up and provide all the marketing materials your affiliates need.

10. Contest

Contest are very good for creating buzz. Especially so if your contest involves very attractive prizes tied in with a tell-a-friend element.

If done right and enough creativity is exercized, contest can be a great publicity generating machine.

11. Giveaways

FREE.

Oh yes. The magical word to most people’s ears.

Mention that and you will get many interested.

FREE + Quality giveaways + Incentive for referral (e.g. affiliate link for back-end product) = MASSIVE exposure!

Think about it.

Okay, I’ve written long enough. Your turn now. How do you generate buzz and get people talking about you and your product?

Let’s share it!

All Success,

[tags]E-MoneyMarketing, viral marketing, viral advertising, word-of-mouth, online marketing, business, affiliate marketing, contest, giveaways, master resell rights, video marketing, article marketing[/tags]

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