Twenty years ago, Viral Marketing was not an understood term. Oh sure, people practiced it to some degree, but it wasn't known as such. Pass-Along or MGM (Member Get Member) were terms used instead back then. Even then, those terms didn't fully encompass the art.

Nowadays, marketers often design entire campaigns with the express goal in mind to have the target audience pass the message or offer along. Hereunder are my top ten tips for Viral Marketing. Enjoy.

1. Think Pull Marketing, not Push Marketing: Traditional marketing is geared to push its messages in your face. With today's media glut, this is now unacceptable. Make your messages and offers so attractive that people reach out to pull them in.

2. Incentivize the Users: Give them some reason that appeals to their self-interest to pass your message along. It can be a financial incentive, or simply ego gratification.

3. Read Seth Godin's Permission Marketing: It's mandatory reading that will help shift one's thinking into good creative that people feel fine about forwarding.

4. The Message Is the Value: Even if you don't offer a financial incentive, the information within your ad should be valuable enough to pass along. Self-serving puffery is ignored, and you move down the food chain of attention the next time you present yourself to that prospect.

5. Link Labels: Make every hyperlink on your website so engaging that even you would click on it. If it bores you, imagine what it will do to a perfect stranger.

6. Look at What You Pass Along: Ask yourself why you forward certain emails to colleagues. Start a clip file of best emails you've forwarded, and then start there when you design your own email campaign. Have you ever forwarded this newsletter? Ask yourself why.

7. Seduce Journalists: If you can convince a skeptical journalist that you've got something interesting to offer, that's usually a good indication that you've got something worth marketing. Journalists have seen it all and get way too many pitches everyday. If they like it, see it through.

8. Be Outrageous: Don't blend in. Don't look like everything else in your category. Dare to be different and break out of the norm. You may fail, or you may hit a home run. Either way, you can't fault yourself for being courageous.

9. Learn From Your Competition: Too many companies refuse to acknowledge that their competitors are worthy of respect. If they're profitable and give you agita, they are worthy of your respect. Carry their lessons forward with you.

10. Honor History: But don't be a slave to it. Know that breakout successes come from punching a hole in what was considered common sense and knowledge at the time. Dare to be different. If it crashes and burns, you should not fault yourself for the attempt. The value from the learning curve should be worth it in its own right.

Bonus Tip

11. Listen. Get Outside Your Own Mind: After 11 years in this business, I've learned the most valuable thing to is to listen attentively to those you respect, in and out of this online marketing business. You and I don't know it all and never will. Humility is your secret weapon. Don't forget it. LC