The trick to viral marketing is to not only create something that becomes viral, but to have a goal and outcome for it as well.

A good example of this was when I signed up for a piece of software that monitored the blogs I like so that I could comment faster on the new posts.  I do not remember how I found out about it, but it got me on the guys list.  Later I joined a broader system that had a monthly membership fee.

No, this is not a huge viral marketing example like Hotmail.  Instead, its interesting because it was  viral and it was targeted to his audience.  He knew exactly what his audience would be interested in and wanted to grow his list of people that were likely to buy his other products.

It was not a trick - it was good marketing.  A good give away that generated a list of people willing to pay for more down the road.

Too often, something becomes viral and people refer to it as viral marketing.  Unless it has a marketing goal it is just a popular thing.

Here are some examples of Viral Marketing goals.

1. Email List Development - This is the big goal.  It is easy to integrate and you can get a lot of value in the future from your list.
2. Up sell - of course, if you up sell hard you are probably not going to go viral.  Unless you are Frank Kerns and very obvious about it.
3. Branding - If your video just went viral, you are probably not getting emails or anything.  Hopefully it is strengthening your brand and getting people to go do a search for you.
4. Traffic - Your viral marketing effort may have links back to your site for case studies, instructions, a user forum, etc.  It depends on the product.
5. RSS Subscribers or Twitter Followers - If your viral effort is interesting, you can encourage people to follow your twitter or rss to find out about updates and new items.

Viral Marketing Ideas

So what things can have a viral marketing hit?  Here is a list of the common possibilities.  Before you assume you know exactly what everyone wants, go look at sites that list these kinds of things and see what is popular.  Youtube for video and download.com for software.

1. Free Software Download
2. FireFox Toolbar
3. Funny or very informative video
4. eBooks, PDF Download - Report or Case Study
5. Blog Theme or Widget
6. Friend or connection option in web service (Like LinkedIn, Plaxo)
7. Audio Recording or interview
8. Deal too good to be true (For real, not just telling them that)

Remember, Viral Marketing is not about getting the most video views.  It is about having a goal and a target and giving that audience something they can spread to their friends.

For More Information read: Viral Marketing