.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Measuring the impact or success of a viral marketing program can be difficult. A viral campaign has three phases, and each can be measured in different ways:

Start-up: This phase is about measuring buzz and awareness. Is anyone talking about the campaign? Have the local media covered it? Is traffic beginning to grow at the Web site/blog/store? Are we seeing a different group or kind of person – are we reaching out beyond our own inner circle?

Growth: This is the phase where the viral campaign has achieved critical mass and is growing. Now you are counting frequency, demos downloaded, number of guests in the restaurant, referral sources, media attention, unique page views on the blog, return visitors, etc.

The Tail: This phase is about how long the viral campaign can last. Is the community as vibrant six months later? Two years? Some viral campaigns are designed to burn out quickly. Others can sustain themselves for years. Now is the time to measure the long-term impact of the relationships.

How often do they buy? Whom have they referred? Are they influencers who drive indirect sales?

It’s a broad generalization, but the results in a viral campaign are slower to result in return on investment, yet the relationship with the customer is deeper and worth more, long-term.

Why? Viral marketing is about creating a relationship between your company and its customers.

Relationships take time to mature and bear fruit. But in the long run, having a loyal customer who feels a connection to you sure beats a price shopper or the “what have you done for me lately?” customer.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2007 Drew McLellan