Viral marketing, a colloquial name given to a subset of social media marketing, is growing like a wild weed. Traditional marketing giants like Unilever and Comcast, to name a few, are increasingly active in using the SMM tools to promote their brands and interact with consumers.

One has to wonder: is it just a flu or has the virus spread so deep as to become a reality?

I firmly believe we are on the way to a pandemic, and SMM will rule modern marketing. Yes, we are infected (in a good way) and there is no vaccination. However, I still feel the virus is just showing its symptoms, and a few things need to happen before it settles in and becomes reality. Let me give you the reasons why I believe we will get irremediably sick, why that is a very good thing, and what I think will have to happen for us to get there.

There are plenty of reasons to explain why SMM will be huge. I know everyone has favorites, so I will dare to give you mine…

Word of Mouth: Every marketer’s dream (especially traditional marketers) is for their product, brand or campaign to generate WOM. It is one of marketing’s basic rules for success. The best way to get the message through effectively is by having people recommend it to one another. The problem has always been the cost of generating high volume WOM. With the internet, this problem is pretty much solved. One example of this is bloggers, who have become a trustworthy source for information. If you get a big blogger to talk about your product, the impact this may have on sales can be greater than a regular TV campaign.

Targeting: So far I have not seen a more effective targeting tool than the internet. Advertisers are confident their message is reaching relevant audience, which makes each hit more efficient in delivering a message.

Engagement: With the possibility of better interaction with the audience, marketers now have the obligation to change the way they approach their target market. New marketing has to be engaging for the audience to stick with it. And by engaging, I mean it has to add value to the consumer either by being funny, instructive, informative, or whatever it is that makes it worth the audience’s time.

Cost: Please bear in mind that by cost I don’t mean cheap. However, SMM is not exclusively for deep-pocketed advertisers. SMM can be ideal for any kind of budget. Advertising is now within reach of everyone, and for the first time quality will be what differentiates good marketing from average marketing.

It would look like infection is imminent. However, I think some things need to be accomplished for SMM to settle in as one of the most important trends in marketing:

Involve Traditional Marketing: For SSM to become big, it is imperative that the big brands get involved with it, understand the benefits of using it, and help to further develop it. SMM has been making big efforts to differentiate itself from traditional marketing, but I fear this has also led to traditional marketers not understanding this new language and therefore not engaging with it.

Metrics: The SMM community needs to agree on the way impact is measured. Just as traditional media’s metrics are standard (GRP’s, SOV, TRP’s, etc.), Social Media needs standard ways to measure the impact of different campaigns. We need to be able to tell advertisers how their money is doing, and they need to be able to compare these results both against what their competitors are doing, and against what other agencies offer.

Academia: It is important for this new trend to start teaching and researching; to unify concepts, debate them, and generate new ones. Social Media Marketing can no longer be an empiric subject, and we need to make sure we get it into universities and colleges.

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Instead of scaring you with the harsh reality of the economy, I would much rather give you hope and advice on how to tackle it head on! The solution I’m proposing is “personal branding,” which is the process by which we market ourselves to others.

As a Mashable reader and social media connoisseur, realize that the difference between the branding of the past, and that of the present, is that social media has handed you the keys and a microphone to your future success. What I mean is that you are empowered, and are given the opportunity to let your voice be heard, at the cost of your time. OK, now for the tips…

1. Become an invaluable asset to your colleagues, professional network & clients -  The first people who get laid off are the ones that are not needed for business to be conducted. If the business depends on your services and expertise, then you will, more than likely, remain in your current position, despite the economic climate.

2. Position yourself as the go-to-person for a specific skill - When it comes to branding, you want to own a word or phrase in the minds of others. It’s also beneficial to be someone that gets called upon when a specific need arises.

3. Gain self-confidence and rise to the occasion - The worst thing you can do during a recession is lose faith, be uncertain and show it emotionally on the outside. An individual’s success or failure lies in their mental state. Those who are confident in their own abilities, skills, internal network and the future, will survive and thrive during a period of economic struggle.

4. Focus on social equity, not just monetary equity - On the web, social equity is viewable through the amount of content you produce on your blog, or the amount of engagement you have on social networks. Over time, this equity begins to become a valuable asset to your career.

5. Build contact lists before you need them - I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “build a network before you need it.” Well, today I’m offering you a social media strategy if you ever need to recover from being laid off. If you create a blog, join social networks, create a database of your network and possibly start an email newsletter; you are in effect establishing lists.

I speak with a lot of people who get jobs by notifying these “lists” that they just got laid off and are interested in a specific position. The key here is to build these lists out (RSS subscribers, Twitter followers, Facebook friends) before you need them. Then, you have a whole pool of people that can help you out. All it takes is one person from that list to get you back in the game!

6. Go on a branding spree by advertising it everywhere - Your brand needs to be where people are searching, especially where your unique audience is searching.

7. Make your brand so visible that people can’t avoid seeing you - You need to not only advertise your brand on social networks, but comment on blogs, join forums and Facebook pages, as well as write articles for other blogs. If you aren’t already famous, then use the same avatar on all your social networking sites and keep your bio consistent, to the point and with links to your other sites. Make your name and face travel and see some great results.

8. Become so remarkable that complete strangers talk about you - If you have a loud enough voice and take a stand on a topic, you can be a brand that is spoken about by people you may not even know. These individuals might actually be able to pull you into a new opportunity at some point.

9. Be a content producer, not just a consumer - It’s really easy to brand yourself an innocent observer. The problem is that consumers aren’t sharing any value with the world, while producers are building value in themselves and getting their ideas noticed.

10. Have an “endorsement mindset” - Last but not least, and possibly one of the most important things to keep in mind, is the power of positive endorsements. Collect endorsements throughout your life like you would collect baseball cards. You are the chief marketing officer for the brand called you, but what others say about your brand is more impactful than what you say about yourself.

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I’ve seen so many posts about how to fight the negative impacts of a recession on  business success that it’s making me crazy. Why is it that people wait until it’s announced that we’re finally in a recession before they start doing what they could’ve been doing all along?

Customer-focused lead nurturing is one of the best ways to prevent experiencing an adverse impact to customer acquisition during a recession.

Here are a few meaty reasons why lead nurturing is a recession buster…

• You’re already growing a relationship with people who’ve given you their permission to contact them with relevant content.

1. This means you can reach out with proactive dialogue to both learn about what’s keeping them up at night due to this economic shift and then ease their concerns by helping them make the best choices during risky times.
2. You can create marketing content to address these concerns and give them helpful ideas for riding out the storm so they’re in a better position when the winds change.

• Providing continuity of experience during tough times raises your viability as a long-term partner choice.

1. Whatever you do, don’t stop now. If you cut and run to save budget you’re not only wasting leads, but you’re showing them you’ll jump ship when the going gets tough.
2. Do NOT start panicking and use hard-sell tactics. Stick to your story. Your confidence and stability during a downturn does a lot for your company’s reputation, not to mention showing people they can trust you to stay focused on what’s best for them.

If your leads were interested in your product offerings before the recession, they probably need you now, more than ever. Keep in mind that they’ll buy eventually and your goal is to have them buy from your company. Don’t be pushy, be helpful. Prove to your leads that you’re the trusted advisor they’ve been looking for.

If nothing else, a recession gives you the perfect venue for proving you’re focused on them. Nurturing an audience you already have is much more lucrative than flailing about for short-term sales.

In fact, if you go to the trouble to find out how the economy is conflicting with their decision to buy, you’ve got the opportunity to show them the pros and cons of putting off a decision that can deliver a business value they can’t afford to put off.

Lead nurturing belongs in your marketing strategy mix—recession or not.

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A frighteningly long list of retail closures came across the transom during the last few days, and while I haven’t yet fact-checked every point (stay tuned for links, chronology, etc.), I quickly found enough supporting material to merit republishing and amending the list.

The sheer breadth of the damage here is breathtaking. The bloodbath crosses every kind of retail sector, and is clearly not just a reflection of the tough times we’re in, but a harbinger of worse times to come.

Every closed retail location may represent eventual savings for the company involved (after shouldering the actual costs of the close itself, that is), but also represents dozens or even hundreds of out-of-work employees (who are, after all, someone else’s customers), reductions up the supply chain, and rent and taxes removed from that store’s local economy.

In other words, this is bad news with ripple effects that will be felt for months and years to come. (For starters? According to one report, “Consumers will lose $100 million this year on worthless gift cards, from restaurants and stores that have gone belly up.”)

Things don’t look like they’re going to be getting better any time soon given the following news reported in an AP article today…

Consumers nationwide are reeling from job losses, tanking investment portfolios and sinking home values. They are expected to hunker down further in the coming months, making it likely the economy will continue to shrink through the rest of this year and into 2009, more than fulfilling a classic definition of a recession: two straight quarters of economic contraction.”

The Commerce Department’s updated reading on the economy’s performance showed gross domestic product shrank at a 0.5 percent annual rate in the July-September quarter, weaker than the 0.3 percent rate of decline first estimated a month ago, and the worst showing since the third quarter of 2001.

One has to wonder how online shopping will impact all of this. Maybe the retailers with a strong online selling model will be hurt less then those without one. For the detailed list of planned retail store closures, click here.

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A world-class marketing database is an environment that has the ability to change and adapt in lock-step with your corporation’s changes while also enabling you to learn from the data within itself. This allows for better marketing decision-making capabilities which, in turn, will inform you on how to adjust your database.

A world-class marketing database is not just software; rather, it is a dynamic, living organism comprised of marketing database strategist(s), architect(s), and developers who are constantly in-touch with the direction of your corporation’s marketing efforts, sales initiatives and goals.

Here’s the truth: There is no turnkey, world-class database that will handle any and all of your marketing needs and will maximize the ROI of all “your” marketing efforts. That said, the name of the game IS maximization of profit, not just increased response. In order to achieve that, a customized marketing database that can grow, change and adapt to your business’ needs is crucial.

Your company’s mission, vision, product line, sales channels, current and future customer base will drive your database. If you find yourself saying “But all of those aspects change over time,” then you’re on the right track. Those things DO change, which is why your database needs to be able to change and grow, not stagnate in times gone by while holding you back like an anchor.

The road to any world-class database starts with a simple definition of your marketing needs and goals, both short and long term. From that definition a discovery phase should take place to survey the land. Something as simple as a SWOT data analysis of your current marketing efforts will help uncover gaps in your existing strategies. A side-by-side comparison of your marketing strategies can help you identify overlap in these efforts as well. If you have the budget for hiring a consultant to help identify existing data stores in your organization outside of the marketing arena, this can also help to save both time and money.

The fact of the matter is that your company will spend as much (and likely more) time and money on trying to fit your data into a one-size-fits-all database as you would building a database that is designed to fit your specific and unique marketing needs. The short version of the story is that while your cost in developing a database solution will go down, your cost in support, license upgrades, and report development will likely go up.

Some developers believe the solution is a turnkey, one-size-fits-all CRM database utilizing simple querying and point-and-click campaign creation. Sales people often champion the “standard” methodology that their database team uses to store and track marketing initiatives and responses.

Both are wrong.

A world-class marketing database is simply a database that meets all of your marketing needs, whatever those needs may be.

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With marketing budgets tighter than ever, business owners must make every dollar count and wring more return out of their online advertising investment. By using this FREE tool to calculate your ROI before launching an ad campaign, you can fine-tune your strategy and more accurately forecast your budget.

Using the Pay-Per Click ROI Calculator, you can calculate your return on investment for different online advertising campaigns. Simply enter your advertising campaign parameters, including the number of clicks purchased, the cost-per-click, expected response rate, and average purchase to calculate your projected ROI instantly.

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It’s no longer a surprise to hear that innovative social-media tools have helped marketers reach consumers — at least in the area of brand recognition – but business-to-business marketers haven’t been as quick to make the leap into the Web 2.0 world. A recent Forrester Research report, however, counters some of the concerns B2B marketers have had with less-than-traditional marketing efforts.

In “Making Social Media Work in B2B Marketing,” Forrester analyst Laura Ramos points out that while Web conferencing, webinars, and email newsletters have gained ground in B2B marketing, adoption in areas such as blogging, social networking, and online communities remains relatively low.

Ramos highlights three core aspects of B2B marketers’ embrace of social media:

• The Web 2.0 buzz outpaces reality: In fact, more than 60 percent of B2B marketers still use conventional lead-generation tactics to reach audiences — such as email newsletters, webinars, microsites, and online display ads. Less than 31 percent have embraced tactics such as blogs, podcasts, and social networks to reach out to prospects and existing clients.
• B2B marketers don’t want to spend resources on less-than-traditional methods: Especially because of the tough state of the economy, marketers are sticking to tried-and-true methods. Less than 10 percent of B2B marketers are including widgets, mashups, advergames, mobile ads, or virtual worlds in their marketing plans for the near future.
• Web 2.0 return on investment (ROI) remains an obstacle. Although 25 percent of respondents say that they think social networks and online communities help to build brand awareness, they can’t connect these tactics to the sales pipeline, which remains a barrier to adoption.

Forrester reminds marketers to keep the acronym POST — People, Objectives, Strategy, and Technology — top-of-mind when delving into social computing. Ramos recommends a four-step methodology:

1. Understand your buyer’s social behavior: How much or how often do your buyers participate in social media? Create processes that build on customer profiles.
2. Set objectives based on audience: Engage with the five customer-centric strategies — listen, talk, energize, support, and embrace social media — not only to sell to the customer, but to foster an ongoing relationship.
3. Align strategy to audience and objectives: Identify the customer’s preferred method of communication and the impact of communication on that relationship.
4. Pick technology last: Understand the target audience and what its rate of adoption of new technology looks like. Compared to more-traditional clients, tech-savvy ones may appreciate more-extensive Web 2.0 efforts.

Although Ramos maintains that social-media projects may have no immediate or obvious ties to the sales pipeline, she adds that Web 2.0 holds value for even the B2B segment. “The need to foster deeper social interaction and intimacy requires B2B marketers to look far beyond the front of the sales pipeline and use Web 2.0 tactics to engage customers in mutually beneficial business activity,” she writes. “Instead of heaping social activity onto an overflowing plate, socially savvy marketers use technology to streamline lead management; close the loop with sales; and free up time to listen to, talk with, and embrace community members for the long haul.”

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Some email marketers say that the growth of social media directly challenges email’s supremacy for communication. To me, now is a prime opportunity to expand the subscriber relationship to incorporate community, content sharing, feedback and user-generated content.

Integrating Email with Social Media

Three aspects of social media integrate well with email:

1. User Community/User-generated content: Readers post information and experiences about your products or comments content on your Web site, which you can reprint, with permission, in your emails.

2. Reviews/ratings/popularity: Your customers can decide which product to buy or which article to read based on popularity (top sellers, most read or forwarded) with statistics posted in your emails.

3. Sharing and viral content: Email has always been viral, whether users just forward your messages on or use your forward-to-a-friend function. But the forward rate is typically very low–maybe 0.1 percent without incentives to a few percent or more with incentives.

Adding a forwarding request or a link to your Web forwarding form might move the needle a little, but neither solves some basic problems…

• Sending to a large group of forwardees takes a lot of time for the recipient.
• Some recipients worry that companies will spam their friends if they use a Web form.
• Forwarding from the email client can break your HTML.
• Actions on forwarded email can be difficult to track.
• Email Social Media-Sharing Case Study

Incorporating a “share” capability in your emails solves these email-forwarding weaknesses. We at Silverpop are in the final stages of beta-testing a “share to social” feature–a one-click button that lets readers post an article headline, description and link to the Web version of an email on their social-network pages (MySpace and Facebook for now, with more to come).

Why Integrate Email and Social?
Retooling your email program for social media has these benefits:

• Your readers can generate buzz and brand awareness when they post your messages in personal spaces where they have control of content and trust of friends. A positive personal endorsement from a friend is the best possible introduction to your brand that you could hope for.
• Exposing your email program to new audiences can build your email list.
• You encourage more reader interest and involvement, which builds relevance and anticipation–both of which build inbox recognition.

All of these together can lead to greater ROI without significantly greater expense.

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The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced the release of “Email Data Management Best Practices” on Thursday. It’s a document designed to improve the effectiveness of email marketing by providing standards and guidelines in privacy, data security, permission and deliverability.

Some of the key recommendations are:

• Senders should only send commercial email to individuals who have provided informed consent.
• For all third-party licensed data, a global unsubscribe mechanism should be implemented.
• Consumer permission to receive commercial email from a List Owner cannot be replicated or transferred without reference to the original point of collection.
• Clear, conspicuous and repeated notice of data collection and use are required.
• Advertisers and marketers should authenticate their email by publicly registering the domains from which they send email.
• Anyone using email for marketing purposes should adopt and use authentication protocols for both their email and corporate domains.
• All parties should use a one-way encrypted hash to encrypt suppression files.

To get a broader view of what drove these recommendations, David sat down with John Engler, vice president and general manager of Unsub Central, and a member of the IAB subcommittee that developed the standards. See the complete source article for a few comments from that interview.

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“New breed marketing automation provides a broader platform to deliver multichannel marketing programs which improve campaign velocity and relevance, better accountability of all marketing programs and overall improvement of marketing effectiveness and efficiency,” said Suresh Vittal, principal analyst at Forrester Research. “They are not just focused on email but multiple channels like direct mail, Web, call center and even mass advertising.”

For Jonathan Block, senior director of research at SiriusDecisions Inc., the top companies are Eloqua Corp., Vtrenz, Aprimo Inc., Unica Corp. and Manticore Technology Inc., while Vittal listed the leaders as Unica, Aprimo, SAS Institute Inc., Neolane Inc. and Alterian.

Block noted, however, that there is little to mark the difference between these companies, at least in terms of the technology itself…

“Marketing automation is somewhat commoditized at this point; vendor differentiation is more around what we call ‘essential elements’ — the overall ability of a vendor to deliver and implement their solution, including integration, training, support and best practices,” he said.

Like most technologies, there are benefits and drawbacks to using marketing automation. “A marketing-automation platform will not only streamline the campaign and lead-management process, but provide real-time visibility to both sales and marketing on the true disposition of every lead, a critical consideration in executing best practices in your demand creation efforts,” explained Block.

The major drawback is exactly what you thought it would be: money. “These solutions can become expensive,” said Vittal. But there are other marketing automation cons as well. “Marketers often tell us that they are hard to use, and lack support from their internal IT organizations. Remember, these applications need IT support that most outsourced solutions don’t require,” Vittal added.

Whether you choose an email-marketing specialist or a “new breed” marketing automation company, Vittal offered this checklist of critical vendor questions to help you determine what you need:

• How will the technology ease your pain?
• What product developments are planned?
• How well does the application manage customer data?
• What software and maintenance fees are associated with the application?
• How much will database and hardware requirements cost?
• How will the application influence human resources or business processes?
• What are the business and project management skills offered by the vendor?
• How good is the vendor at integrating external applications?

At the end of the day, you can’t live without e-marketing. But if you choose the wrong vendor or service, you may find you can’t live with it either.

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