Viral marketing. The phrase seems like a thing you like to keep off at all charges. That’s as far away from the truth as you can be.Viral marketing is really one of the most productive, inexpensive and consistent means of driving targeted traffic to your website. It’s been around longer than I – and in all possibility you – have been on the Internet and is one of those sure means of online marketing that make a win-win situation for each one included.When I first discovered Viral marketing (it wasn’t being named Viral marketing back then) it was an exciting new way to, in reality, get word of mouth traffic. Greeting cards, freebies and tell a friend scripts were all the rage and each reputable online business owner had at least one of the three going for his or her business. As with the majority of things on the Internet, the technique exploded, combusted and more or less dissolved.I say more or less, because while it was no longer the most ‘common’ method to get traffic, the smarter business owners knew that it was a secure and consistent technique to be referenced traffic. That’s true. The huge capacity of Viral marketing lies in the fact that most people who receive a link or email from their associates will, as a matter of fact, bother to open and read the email – and in all eventuality go to the site as well.The online business owners who wanted to remain the long run admitted this and utilised it for all it’s worth. And to them, Viral marketing technique a steady stream of referenced visitors who are already predisposed to confide their web site.So, what is it that really creates a good Viral marketing campaign?As with any other manner of promotional technique, there are some factors that are vital to the success of your Viral marketing program.1. Make a great product. Well, really. That’s the first rule of any prospering business – online and offline. If you don’t have a notable product then how in the world are you going to convince people to take it? A notable product also builds it that much easier for people to tell their pals about the website.2. Provide a lucrative freebie to users in exchange for referring some friends to the web-site, signing up for your newsletter or only in exchange for a chance to email them some promotional offers. The freebie can be a PDF report, a CGI script, an ebook, a white paper, a tutorial, a video, an audio – anything that you can think of that would interest your target audience.3. Make certain that plenty of links back to your web site are embedded within the freebie. Links back to the website might be to other information that can interest the user or to the product if you are delivering one.4. Produce a buzz about your viral marketing campaign. Yeah, well. Even a viral marketing campaign needs *some* traffic to get moving! Speak about your giveaway in online forums, blogs and all over the Internet. Here’s where most business owners do the fault. They don’t see that every marketing campaign requires the initial impetus to start. Once the first traffic goes to your web-site, the marketing campaign will take over and create a snowball effect.One great thing to do is to permit everyone to spread your freebie on their site provided they keep the information just as it is – including the credits and links. You can also give them resell rights if you have an affiliate program.