| April 1st (April Fools Day) is a day when people | | | | form of promotion. This means that while you |
| like to play pranks. Google, much like everyone | | | | won't hear or see their ads in any magazine, |
| else, enjoys playing pranks on this day. The | | | | newspaper, radio, television, or billboard, the word |
| introduction of GMail on April 1st was so shocking | | | | on the street is Google. They have street credit! |
| that people took it for a joke. Hotmail - the | | | | I have to admit I can't help but admire the way |
| world's largest web-based email provider - was | | | | Google thinks. I'm actually one of their devoted |
| only offering a free 2 MB inbox for it's users at | | | | followers when it comes to "pushing the |
| the time. GMail stepped up Yahoo's 200 MB inbox | | | | envelope". I just had to add a post on my blog |
| to a whopping 1 GB with the added bonus of an | | | | the minute I saw this year's Google prank. |
| infinitely growing inbox (today your GMail inbox | | | | I know a lot of you may think Google just does |
| would be over 2 GB and growing). | | | | this for kicks, but if you look closely you'll notice |
| The joke was on us though. Google continued to | | | | it's more than just that. They actually take the |
| humor its users and indulged employees to come | | | | time to make you believe it, placing things like |
| up with more and more practical jokes that would | | | | FAQs, installation guides, scientific explanations, |
| create a buzz and eventually spread the word | | | | etcetera . . . on their web site. Why go through all |
| about Google. Things like the Google Pigeon Rank, | | | | that trouble? Well, that's their opportunity cost for |
| Google Gulp, Google Mentalplex, Google Lunar | | | | marketing their business this way. Google likes to |
| Jobs, and this year the Google TiSP are actually | | | | be serious, but they're telling us that, by putting |
| attracting more business to Google! | | | | up these jokes, there's a lighter - more childish - |
| So what lesson is there in all of this for your small | | | | side to Google. |
| business? It's actually quite simple. Google is using | | | | You too can market your small business without |
| a form of marketing that's both cheap and | | | | spending money on advertising by doing what |
| extremely powerful, when applied correctly. It's | | | | Google does. All it takes is one person to notice |
| called viral marketing. | | | | your business and if you hook them in, the way |
| Viral marketing spreads from one consumer to | | | | Google does, they'll bring the customers right to |
| the other, completely eliminating the need for paid | | | | your door. If you don't believe me, just ask |
| placement of an advertisement to get your | | | | yourself this 'How did you hear about Google? |
| message across, and develops into a hush-hush | | | | |