You might think that viral marketing is something that takes root and grows on its own. In fact, many times that’s precisely what happens. The famous concert in 1969 known as Woodstock happened that way. A few people planned to get together at Yasger’s farm and before you know it, there were several thousand people there coming from all over the place. It was a huge success despite the no shows.

Viral marketing often happens that way. But not all the time. Some marketers have planned a viral campaign and managed it through to see it just as successful as Woodstock. But as many as are planned that succeed can also fail.

To plan and manage a successful viral marketing campaign you have to understand a little bit about human nature. You have to know what motivates people to act. What makes them tick. Then you dangle the proverbial carrot and watch them go. Once the viral aspect of the marketing campaign kicks in then it takes on a life of its own. You couldn’t stop it if you wanted to. And that’s what makes it so beautiful.