I know what I'm NOT having for dinner

Everyone hates spam. You do. I do. The media does. Politicians do. Everyone hates spam.

But, the reason spam is....everywhere.... is because it is effective and really really cheap for the producer. But if we choose to take a lesson from (but not sink to the depths of) all things-spammy, then we will quickly realize that there are innovative ways to leverage the cost-effectiveness of electronic marketing without making your customers cringe.

According to MarketingSherpa, here are the top viral marketing techniques used by the businesses today, with the percentage of those companies implementing that method.

• encouraging e-mail forwarding (91%)
• "tell-a-friend" boxes on websites (80%)
• online games, quizzes or polls (69%)
• cool microsites (54%)
• offering e-cards (47%)
• videocasts (46%)
• audiocasts (29%)

The number of videocasts will surely only increase over time, as more and more consumers adopt high-speed internet. Look for videocasts to reach 75% in the next 12 months, with audiocasts on the decline accordingly.

(Source: Entrepreneur magazine)