Viral marketing is a creative marketing technique that relies in large part on social networks to reach its audience. It is worth mentioning that viral marketing shouldn't be confused with other traditional publicity techniques because whilst the second relies mainly on paid promotional services the other uses the free online community has a means of spreading the word. If done correctly more knowledgeable marketers will even be able to put into motion an entire well orientated marketing campaign, many times requiring no money what so ever.

Mounting a viral marketing campaign or trying to accomplish a viral effect isn't easy, but with the help of a few methods and practical tools the chore could be greatly facilitated. These seven profitable online marketing rules will provide a good starting point whilst also helping make a site more profitable.

Provide email newsletters

Creating an interesting newsletter only takes a few hours at best and the results could be quite rewarding. The email newsletter will basically serve two very distinct purposes. The first mission will be to provide subscribers with valuable information and the second to serve as a reminder to visit the site. To take the most advantage of each subscriber the newsletter should contain catchy bold headings and only short well written introductions containing a link to the articles available on the site. An email newsletter although not the best example of viral marketing, can still deliver compensating results especially if the newsletters are made widely available.

Feed the world

Feeds are the single most important allies when it comes to Viral Marketing. The internet has taken a rather particular liking to feeds and now there are hundreds if not thousands of sites dedicated entirely to them. Feed aggregating sites can catapult and propagate the reach of a feed way beyond its normal boundaries. Also another benefit worth mentioning is that just like email newsletter, after a reader subscribes to a feed, they can be used to provide valuable news updates and serve as a reminder to visit the site.

Give free goodies

People love free things no matter what they might be. The internet revolves around free services, it could be considered a tradition. A site could offer a wide range of things starting from icons, wallpapers, templates, themes, software, plugins, ebooks or even services like free hosting and publicity.

Start a competition

Starting a competition is an excellent way to motivate readers to take a more active role on the site. This will be achieved by engaging the reader's competitive nature. Just like free gifts, people love to win prizes no matter what they might be. These can even one of the free goodies but instead of giving them away, they are awarded as a final prize.

Employ the power of free services

Social networking and bookmarking sites are the nucleus of any successful viral marketing campaign. Using free sites like Myspace, Flickr, Yahoo Mash, Digg, reddit and Twitter could help kick off the much desired viral effect. These sites are perfect since they are completely free and have an extensive user base ready to be exploited. Most people are not aware but the blogosphere is a giant social network worth millions in publicity and a remarkable breeding place for viral marketing.

Captivate dreams

Internet users are normal human beings that just like everyone else in the world, have expectations, personal desires and dreams. Individuals will only share, propagate, something that is worthwhile and meaningful. Something spectacular that will catch the attention of the community driving them to desire and want to be part of the movement. When writing an article, beginning a competition, offering free gifts or selling a product, it is essential to include a good sum of marketing magic to turn that ordinary item into something literally spectacular.

Go the extra mile

Viral marketing requires perseverance and a good amount of inventiveness. With the spreading out of the internet most individuals have become quite sedated to nearly all common advertisement techniques. Going the extra mile means creating new emotions, developing new solutions, solving old problems and making a lot of noise in the process. Create a buzz with bold statements, integrate innovations and turn ordinary everyday things into cyber works of art.

Viral marketing is the alteration and exploration of new frontiers. To be successful, marketers will have to establish new ingenious ideas and persuade the various social communities to desire them. In the end viral marketing will be a natural process of autonomous propagation, requiring no interference from its creator.