Todays post comes from a question I got from a reader of the Viral Marketing Idea Friday posts, and more specifically one I did on marketing a preschool several weeks ago. Here is the question:

I read your port on Viral Marketing. I need to increase enrollment at my preschool and kind of at a stand still as to what else to do. Print media is so expensive and cannot afford to keep doing them because of the limited funds. Please let me know if you can help me.

Thank You

After more conversation via email, this preschool business owner went on to say:

I don’t have a marketing budget as such since I am a small preschool. The demographics have changed in the area I think and the older people are living in the area so thats one of the main reasons why I am having a hard time getting kids to school ages 2 to 6 yrs. Let me know what you think

I want to give some tips to anyone who may be in the same situation as this preschool owner. I want you to start thinking local online marketing. One, because its powerful, and two because everything I am going to share with you in todays post is FREE. That is one of the reasons I love local marketing and search more then anything is because it can really level the playing field for a no budget business, and their ability to compete in a huge market.

I did ask this preschool owner if they had a website and blog, and they did have a website, but not a blog so that would be one area where they could improve so they could take advantage of some of my viral marketing posts and create some amazing content that will generate buzz and help them rank easier.

So Tip #1 - Get a blog, and you can get the free WordPress software, and it is pretty simple to integrate if you have even basic understanding of FTP and hosting accounts.

Tip #2 - sign your business up at Google Local. In many cases once you are approved (and in the database) you can instantly enjoy a #1 (or top) ranking in the local results, and also in many cases there is not many people that are using this service (especially in targeted niches) and you can enjoy these top rankings for free by yourself or only with a few other choices. You can even go in and write reviews about the preschool, and have other parents who have used your services go in and write reviews because reviews are a huge thing that people are using and reading these days through the local results.

Tip #3 - similar to #2, but sign up for Yahoo Local results. Sign up through the link, and enjoy top rankings once again for free if you are one of the only businesses in the area doing what you do. You can also improve where you show up by having people that have used your services review you, and leave comments for others to read and make their own choice.

Tip #4 - Use Local Services like Yelp. Yelp is a place where you can review local businesses (even your own), add pictures, tell people if they were cool, useful, or pathetic. Again, you can have people who have used your services go and write reviews and comments about your business.

Tip #5 - Judys Book - a great place to find businesses near you, so another local marketing website that thousands of people in local areas use.

It is important to understand that you will not get millions of visitors a month from only marketing with these “local” tips here, but you will get very targeted traffic that could fill up your little business, and at this point that is probably ok with all who are in this position. Right? Once again, all of these places are free to sign up with - all you have to do is take the time to sign up with each of them. I also left several other local places that you could use to market your business for free with, but I hope this gets you thinking in the right way so you can use the Internet for the powerful tool that it is and find them yourself. Some are better then others, but testing, testing, and re-testing is what helped me get to where I am today!

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I think I have outdone myself this week with finding the absolute most boring industry on the planet. If you are a part of the fixed assets software community then please accept my (not so sincere) apology for poking fun at your boring industry!

After having a pretty good talk with a friend of mine who happens to own a fixed assets and depreciation software company I realized that this industry does have some pretty interesting things that could in fact go viral.

One of the more interesting parts of the conversation led to the things that people try to claim as fixed assets, or more surprisingly what could be claimed as a fixed asset for tax purposes. I really was surprised on both ends of the spectrum. So what could a catchy viral title be for this industry? I would start with these: “10 Things You Never Knew Were Fixed Assets” and “The 10 Stupidest Things People Have Ever Tried To Pass Off As Fixed Assets” and you can even spice up the post with really cool videos you find, and pictures rather then just listing out the items. Its fun for us to look at the silly things people try to claim.

I was told a story of a client trying to claim his “hooker” during his businesses trips as a fixed asset because he always went back to her every business trip. He joked with this client that even though he could take her for a ride, it is not the same thing as a tractor (which would be considered a fixed asset). The client did not appreciate the joke! The funnies thing of all is that he had receipts (or documented invoices) and all to prove it too!

There you go - I gave you way to much info that you can have fun with today for this industry. Remember, even the most boring industries can go viral and I think I proved that one today! Please continue to email us, and leave comments with your viral marketing idea Friday requests.

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I had an interesting conversation with a lady who owns a company that teaches parenting classes that I want to share for today’s viral marketing idea post. Todays post also stems from something I witnessed the other day at my daughters baseball practice. I am not in the business of judging other peoples parenting skills, especially when I feel I have a lot to learn still as a parent of only 7 years, almost 8 but I have seen some parents act pretty bad, and treat their kids even worse in front of everyone to the point of feeling uncomfortable.

What is one to do in a situation like this? For the sake of viral marketing - think like a viral marketer!

I am not trying to make light of the situation here (bad parenting) by making this a viral post, but I am trying to have some fun with it, and maybe it can help get more word out (to those who need it) of help available.

Some of the first things I think of are the images that I know everyone (through all the email forwards) have seen by now of the kids who painted their entire living room with white paint:

It seems like I remember seeing this picture everywhere and on every site imaginable, and this was before all the main stream social media networks were even out there (like they are today). I could be wrong about the time of this picture, but it got me thinking about the funny viral posts that someone in the parenting industry could do.

Getting back to my conversation with this parenting class teacher, she was telling me about some of the funniest videos they have ever caught of either kids throwing temper tantrums, or the parents throwing their own (which she said were much funnier) when they just reach the breaking point with their kids. I am sure you have all watched the hit show Supernanny, and if you have you have seen some pretty amazing footage of kids and parents behaving badly. Doing a quick Google search for videos reveals even the more raw real (sometimes even scary) footage of parents and kids behaving badly. I could use this a goldmine of opportunity for viral blog posts if I were trying to drive more traffic to my parenting website (and get more leads).

This is the exact conversation, and advice I gave this parenting coach to drum up more interest in her blog. If she were to find videos of kids caught on tape making complete asses out of themselves in Wal Mart, at a soccer game, eating out etc and gave it the title “The Most Intense Temper Tantrums Ever Caught On Film” or “5 Kids You Don’t Want To Take Out To Eat” and show the videos of kids going absolute nuts inside the restaurant.

You can then take the time to let these people know about your wonderful parenting classes, and tie it in perfectly! This may seem like a no brain-er, or DUH (to us viral marketers), but you would be surprised how only after this conversation, and giving this lady some ideas that the light finally went on, and she was giving some brilliant ideas herself. Once you train yourself to think like a marketer then it becomes much easier to pull these out of your back pocket. Thats where this blog comes in, and our viral marketing idea Fridays - we know that you are busy running your business, and not focusing on being a marketer so we want to help!

Please feel free to ask any viral questions, or leave comments about your business and what you would like to see viral ideas for. You can do it on this post, or any of the viral marketing idea Friday posts.

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Todays viral post is going to be a little different, but I wanted to share a few tips for going viral that have been on my mind this week, so here goes:

#1 Think about the audience - You need to research out the group of people you will be targeting, and the social communities they use. There are a ton of targeted social networks out there, but trying to get on them all with one post is just plain silly. Angling Masters is one of the biggest social networks for fishermen, but probably not the best place for a viral piece about fashion disasters. If you know you can create a viral piece about going Green, or something to help the environment then finding the social communities for eco-friendly stories is what you want to be looking for. Go and check out the stories that are popular, or that have made it popular in the past. Find the ones that have received the most votes, and research out the titles, content and exactly just what made them go “viral”.

#2 Create Amazing Content For Actual Readers - Don’t just think $Dollar$ signs when creating a content piece you want to go viral. The truth of the matter is very little stories that go viral actually make people any money. Especially the ones that go viral on some of the bigger communities that are out there like Digg, Reddit or Delicious. How you benefit is from exposure, and the links that will be built up over the months and years. I have stories that made the front page of Digg years ago that still get new links every week, and I still see traffic from every single day. Thats right - EVERY SINGLE DAY! Why? The content is worth reading, and content worth reading is worth sharing and sharing again.

#3 Think Like A Viral Marketer - Now when you get good at this, it will scare you. You will be doing normal everyday stuff and think to yourself - “That could make a good viral post”! Sometimes its even sickening … The other day I was driving and right in front of me (I am talking RIGHT in front of me) a HUGE car crash … someone blew threw a stop sign and t-boned a truck toeing a trailer, and that truck started spinning right towards me. The first thing I thought of? Get my iPhone out and take a picture, and my second thought was that I wish I had a camera to capture that because one of my clients is in the Trucking safety industry, and there has got to be something I could use that video on!!! Then the ideas started flowing - “10 of the Craziest crashes ever caught on video” or “10 Of The Craziest Crashes Ever Filmed By An Amatuer”. You get the point - my mind is sick and wrong. Its funny because even the simple everyday interactions with my kids - I have a never ending supply of viral posts because of all the funny stuff they do for anyone in a kids industry! Now would be a good place to remind you of a post I did a while ago on “how to think like a social media marketer“.

#4 Networking - It is one thing to just become a “member” of a social network and vote on stuff, but if you can truly understand the point of the community, become a good active member of it, and contribute to it, you will see amazing results. Make friends, vote on their stuff, share it with others of every single network you are a part of, and in turn they will do the same for you. Just today I saw a post of mine show up on another targeted social network for women from a person I made friends with about a month ago. It all does come back, so don’t be greedy with your time or participation.

#5 Have Fun - If you can’t have fun, or make fun of yourself and what you are doing then you have no place in the social networks. People who thrive in the social communities and have stuff go viral all the time are the ones that love what they do. They live, eat, breathe, and drink social media. I am not saying you have to become that crazy, but if you love what you are doing, then you will become good at it. If you are new to social networking my biggest piece of advice would be to have fun, make friends, contribute to the community and enjoy the networks that you are a part of! You will see it pay off in the end!

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