Viral Traffic is something most marketers would practically kill for, yet it’s often more elusive than the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot! It can be tough to get viral traffic, but as you’ve undoubtedly seen others do it, you know it’s possible.

So why exactly is viral traffic so valuable, anyway?

Well, it’s somewhat like the power of word-of-mouth marketing. You’ve undoubtedly heard how valuable word-of-mouth marketing is, right?

It’s a form of social proof.

Let me ask you a question: If you were looking to buy something, who would you be more likely to trust… the salesperson who stands to gain a commission for selling you the product, or a good friend or family member who recommends the product as one they have tried and loved?

Unless you have incredibly untrustworthy friends and family, chances are you’d believe them over the salesperson you don’t know. It’s human nature to be skeptical of people they don’t know. Many people are even skeptical of people they do know.

But viral marketing uses the power of social proof, because people ‘warm up’ prospects for you. When someone shares your content, it’s almost as good as a recommendation. When a friend sees the link, they’re already warmed up to you because of this quasi-recommendation.

Let’s compare viral marketing with traditional advertising for a moment…

If you put up a traditional ad… say an ad on Facebook… people are coming to your site as completely cold prospects. This means they generally don’t know you, they don’t know your product, and thus they won’t readily trust you.

If you have a viral campaign going and you get a prospect via a social share, that prospect is already slightly warmed up to you. It may be to a very small degree if that prospect hardly knows the sharer, or it may be to quite a large degree if the sharer is a close friend or family member.