Interview with Me on Viral Marketing and Social Media

PK: What do you think the biggest misconception about viral marketing is?

JL: That it’s something you can simply “make happen.” I’ve been approached by quite a few companies that call me up, stating “We’ve created this campaign, can you make it go viral.” I’m left having to explain to them that it doesn’t work that way.instead, they need to talk to someone BEFORE they begin planning the campaign. Viral marketing is not a way to promote something that already exists — it’s the careful creation of an offering and a campaign that are designed from the start to have a high appeal and to be easily spread.

PK: At past conferences, I heard you mention that yes, if you get a big story on Digg you’ll get tons of traffic, but that doesn’t necessarily equal good conversions. Do you think people are getting this?

JL: Nope. I still see people obsessed with getting on the front page of Digg. That’s fine, it can certainly send a ton of traffic and can drive lots of links, but as with any campaign, you need to weigh the time/effort with the potential reward. I’m spending a lot more time doing creative marketing via blog communities and Flickr than I am with Digg. Then again, I rarely work with products that appeal to young techie males, so Digg users aren’t really my target audience.