Newsletters, special offers, catchy promotions and seasons greetings can all be conveyed via email and all it takes is an email database and sufficient bandwidth. However, while some firms have started to use viral marketing, it largely remains an area viewed with suspicion.

Large spammers such as casinos and adult sites are notorious for sending unwanted email. And recently in the US, Razorfish, a digital solutions provider, landed themselves in hot water by sending unsolicited email (ie spam) to a database. Not only did they receive a large number of complaints, but all of the unsubscribe messages were not directed exclusively to Razorfish's mailing-list software management application. Instead, every unsubscribe message was forwarded to every email address on the original email list, which generated another round of unflattering messages.

Despite these examples, viral marketing is a very effective tool when used appropriately. Firstly, ensure that every person on your email database has given you permission to send information to them. With new privacy laws coming in on 21 December you need to ensure that you manage personal information about your clients, suppliers or potential customers appropriately.

Secondly, ensure that whatever you send to them is relevant and interesting. The basic rules of marketing don't change when applied to the virtual world and you also need to take technological restrictions into account. If you send a newsletter, be aware that not everyone can read HTML, so provide an alternative. If you devise a flashy executable, try to keep it between 200 - 400KB in size and remember that some organisations reject executables for fear of viruses.

There are a number of ways to devise a viral campaign using email to promote your organisation. Contact Media Link and discuss your desired outcomes with us to develop a viral marketing approach for you.

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