Science of the Memes
Karl R. Carter, ASBC®
Science of the Memes
Today I’d like to discuss the science of the memes and how spreading ideas around and through society is ingrained in humans.
Memes
This refers to types of ideas that spread the fastest through society, why they spread fast and how that affects consumerism. You can use this same information to create a lasting positive impression about your company, products and services. People are more likely to try a new product or services when they feel protected and reassured by the masses.
It’s been determined that spreading ideas is essential to the survival of a society. There are 5 main situations where this occurs. They are:
Crisis
Mission
Problem
Danger
Opportunity
Think of evangelism. This is prime example of people not only spreading the word, but convincing people to jump on board and start to spread the word themselves. To do this effectively, you need to incorporate a few key things that always catch people’s eye:
Sex
News
Unique Results
The Unusual
Helping Others
Secrets
Next we are going to switch gears a little and talk about viral marketing. While, traditional marketing can be used to your advantage, the reality is viral and online marketing is the king of the castle. You can spread the word online like the plague, if you know what to do. Here are some simple steps to do this:
Find an interesting idea
Make it easy for people to experience or trial
Spread the idea while people who are in close contact with others
Take advantage of existing communication methods
Develop the way of trying your product in such a way that it automatically draws more try-ers
Some great places to use viral marketing are:
Geocities
Ebay
Roger Wilco
ICQ
AOL Instant Messenger
MSN Instant Messenger
Winamp
Hotmail
“Tell A Friend” Buttons
E-Greeting Cards
There are six things everyone should be doing to benefit from word of mouth on the Internet:
Put WOM components on your website.
Assign people to monitor your viral marketing.
Place testimonials in different places on your website to walk a customer through the purchasing cycle.
Set up an email marketing campaign.
Stay up to date on what products and services the experts in your industry are recommending.
Use your website to demonstrate the great ways people are using or finding success with your products and services.
Here are other non-viral Internet opportunities to explore:
iPhone’s
Handheld PC’s
Blackberry’s
And other well connected electronic devices
This wraps up the lesson on traditional and viral marketing. If you need help putting together any of the plans or successes in this lesson, let’s talk about it.