Viral Marketing has been a buzz word in the Internet world.   It is defined as any strategy that encourages individuals to pass on a marketing message to others, creating the potential for growth in the message’s exposure and influence.  eMarketing quotes a 2006 study by JupiterResearch, cited in Internet Retailer, the biggest goal of viral marketers was to increase brand awareness (71%). Half also expected to drive online sales, and 44% hoped to drive offline sales.  eMarketing also posted results from a MarketingSherpa survey that reveals that BtoB Marketers were more interested in getting their viral campaigns mentioned in an online publication or business print publication.  Does your company have a viral marketing strategy?  What effective viral marketing tactics have you used?

Here at TechTarget our publishers and editors have been conducting pretty in-depth technology marketing surveys intent on discovering what the various scenarios are that take place in the enterprise when IT pros start their research process for IT solutions. From our perspective we like to understand how that process intersects with their media consumption patterns.

What is clear and in common amongst most study findings (regardless of technology sector) is that most buyers’ journeys begin in response to a problem in their enterprise that either bubbles up from various aspects of their company infrastructure or ones that have already bubbled up and are now the main focus of their management — in many cases a CIO.

Now this isn’t really news for a lot of IT marketers but what is noteworthy is that typically all of us focus on how to influence the IT guys once they are in full pursuit of a solution. As a result lots of IT enterprises spend their dollars trying to get their brands or solutions in front of the buying audience when they are in full throttle ready to short list vendors. This is done with a focus on selling them the “right” solution, reflected in the many white papers and webcasts sponsored by IT vendors that are primarily product-focused.

In truth, our experience set with IT buying teams tell us two things pretty consistently that may be where IT marketers should put their focus and their dollars-sponsors who communicate to them thru media/content before they even identify their infrastructure problems establish a piece of mindshare on their radar screens and these will be the vendors who they think of first when they do identify their problems and then start searching for the right solution or vendor. Traditionally this is called creating mindshare for your brand with your buying audience and its something that not has been replaced with Web 2.0.

Also, specifically, IT buyers tell us they do not like vendor content (white papers and webcasts) that are too-product focused. They want content that helps them figure out how to solve their problems-either thru case study examples or research. This request totally reinforces their need to consume vendor sponsored content or editorial content early stage-when they first realize they have a problem and are wondering what they should or others have done about it.

In one of my previous post, I discussed the strategy of hiring email marketing experts and developing a centralized email marketing unit that manages all email marketing initiatives.  Again, Loren McDonald of J.L. Hasley takes on this topic in a recent MarketingProfs article.  McDonald reminds us that centralization will free marketers to focus exclusively on their campaign strategy and goals.  The centralized group of email marketing experts will allow expert management of email best practices, permissions, privacy, brands, email products, data, ROI reporting, research and vendor relationships.  In addition, these email marketers will be charged with managing the relationships and expectations set by the individual product marketers. 
 
McDonald also sites a JupiterResearch study that says only 38% of companies have an email communications department.  Does that seem high or low to you?  For those who have one, how did you prove the need for this type of centralization with your senior management?