No deep pockets for an Internet marketing campaign? No worries! You can always resort to free marketing techniques such as viral marketing to promote your online businesses. If you are not familiar with the concept, here is quick primer.

Viral marketing is a technique that depends on word of mouth. The marketing materials spread by itself on the Internet. Soon, so much buzz is being generated that almost everyone would have heard about it. That is free marketing for you because you don't have to pay a single cent for the attention that you are getting.

Although viral marketing is free, bear in mind that a viral campaign can back fire. Once the campaign goes viral, you have no control over the messages that are being sent. Sometimes, these messages may not be what you want. So you have to be a little cautious when planning your viral campaigns.

Viral marketing starts off with you putting out something that others can view or download for free. For example, you can give away a free PDF report or upload a video to YouTube. The free item is the catalyst for the viral effect.

To increase your chances of success, make sure that whatever you are giving away is worth spreading. For instance, your video has to have an interesting angle or be packed with so much valuable content that others simply have to share it. Give as many compelling reasons as possible for the receiver to pass on the content to the next person.

If your content isn't good enough, you get a negative result. The viral campaign fails instantly. Still, many marketers are trying their hand at viral marketing because the rewards can be very handsome. A viral campaign can continue to deliver free traffic to the marketer for many months to come. Some videos on YouTube has already received millions of impressions, and they continue to receive views day after day. These videos are embedded on many blogs, and these blogs contribute to the total number of views.

Having just a catalyst isn't good enough. You also need a social environment for your viral campaign to take off. Think of it as a spring board for your marketing campaign. Without the right environment, the viral campaign will never be successful. Having the right environment means that it must be easy for your content to spread. A video on YouTube is a prime example because YouTube provides the tools for users to share the content. They can bookmark the videos and share them with friends. They can send emails to their family members from the website. And they can also embed the videos on their own sites.

A strong catalyst in the right social environment is a powerful combination. Once the viral effect takes over, there is nothing more that a marketer can do. The content just keeps spreading like wild fire on the Internet. Success will then be inevitable.