Warning! Danger Will Robinson! Viral marketing can be very dangerous. Do not attempt it unless youre 100 percent sure you know what youre doing. If youre only 99 percent sure, dont even chance it. The reason? Unlike traditional advertising where you control the message, viral marketing lets users control the message. Thats where the danger lies. If you push users too hard, it can turn against you. If you dont push enough, nothings going to happen. You have to find that happy balance. Most importantly, you cant tell users what to say.

Thats the problem the marketing wonks had with the TV show Freaks and Geeks. Someone told them the Internet was a great place to drum up public interest. So before questioning what the right plan of attack should be, they immediately jumped into a viral marketing campaign with the fans of the show. Going to Freaks and Geeks chat rooms and message boards, they begged fans to spread the word. It might have been good if they just left it at that, but they pushed. They went too far when they suggested specific things the fans should say when spreading the word.

Big mistake. They crossed the line from entertaining to annoying. Fans took note, posting messages about the incident in newsgroups.

Viral marketing harnesses the evangelical zeal of customers. It can be the ultimate return on an investment-- or the complete opposite. Dont toy with customers. Theyre willing to spread the good news. Treat them with respect and theyll do the same for you.

For additional reading on viral marketing, check out these links:

• Six Simple Principles of Viral Marketing
• Viral Marketing Statistics From Iconocast