Case Study(s) relating to Viral Marketing

Summary: Having a high-end, prestigious brand is usually a good thing -- unless that image is preventing you from attracting certain desirable prospects.

Read how the team for a temporary office space provider designed an edgier marketing strategy to counter their image as a high-cost, unattainable solution for New York City startups and entrepreneurs. Using social media, online videos, a contest and in-person events, they boosted leads 30% and revenue 114% -- and got the green light to try similar tactics around the country. continue...

Summary: Looking for an interesting way use social media assets to boost site traffic and sales? Try "Twitter Bingo." One footwear retailer did just that and noticed surprising results with a tiny investment.

See how the team tracked the effort and why they focused on increasing product page views per visitor. Includes sample tweets to guide your campaign. continue...

Summary: There’s nothing like a 40% budget cut and staff reduction to make a marketing team focus on activities that have the biggest impact for the lowest cost.

Read how a team analyzed its marketing performance to determine which programs were really working – and which weren’t. Adjusting strategy based on those trends boosted total leads 12%, while increasing the value of opportunities in the pipeline by 65%. continue...

Summary: Although economists see the recession waning, the recovery is expected to be long and slow. In this environment, email marketers need programs that maximize the revenue potential of customers who are spending again.

Read this classic Sherpa case study to see how one team boosted email-generated revenue 322% by targeting recent big spenders in their database. They created a new segment based on purchases, developed a preferred-customer program, and created post-purchase offers to generate additional conversions. continue...

Summary: The quest to stand out at a trade show often tempts marketers to offer splashy sweepstakes prizes with no relevance to their industry and no tie to their own products and services. This isn't the best way to generate qualified leads.

Read how a team of marketers designed a bingo-themed contest for an industry conference that highlighted the host’s software and their own team’s expertise using it. They used automated email to recruit players, generating a 70%+ visitor-to-registration form conversion rate. Then, they kept players engaged over two days by using SMS and Twitter to announce each drawing. continue...

Summary: When your brand isn’t getting enough attention from the right audiences, sometimes you have to push your marketing into new territory to make an impression.

See how a surfing and skateboarding brand crafted an innovative online video to attract attention from their target audience, the press, and social media users. The result was an enormous increase in website visits, media coverage and an award that helped promote their previously-lagging skateboarding line. continue...

Summary: Sometimes marketers must reach out to consumers, even if their goal is generating business leads.

Read how a benefits administration company ran a consumer-focused campaign designed to get employees to promote the firm’s services to their bosses. They tapped the consumer audience with street teams, a contest, social media outreach and a viral website that encouraged visitors to share information with their company HR reps. The campaign alone brought in 14% more leads than their goal for the entire year. continue...

Summary: Social media is built for sharing, which makes it a prime channel for spreading the word about promotions. But when you provide an incentive for sharing, the promotion has an even better chance of going viral.

See how a retailer created a product giveaway campaign that required social media users to engage on Facebook or re-tweet messages on Twitter to qualify for drawings. Not only did they significantly grow their social media followers, but for some products, sales increased 15%. continue...

Summary: If your business suffers when bad weather hits, here’s a case study to show how a rapid-response, multichannel campaign can lessen the impact.

See how a hotel and casino marketer took news of a major snow storm and turned it into a ski package offer that kept customers booking rooms. Includes the SMS, email and social media messages they used to spread the word. continue...

Summary: Does Twitter have potential as a sales promotion channel? In short, yes.

See how an online t-shirt retailer used Twitter to tease a major sales event, launch the promotion, and encourage a viral effect. The campaign broke their record for single-day sales, and realized a 4% conversion rate from Twitter traffic. continue...