The potential brand benefits are worth the intermediate work of viral campaigns. Andreas Roell shows you why.

Viral marketing, if executed well, can earn its name and spread like a virus. While there are more flops than success stories, there are some viral marketing campaigns that we all remember. Slogans and sayings like "Yo quiero Taco Bell," "I see dead people" and "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" remind marketers that viral marketing can be effective and enduring. If the saying is true -- that all one has is his reputation -- then marketers will definitely want to catch the viral marketing that is going around.

The best part of a viral campaign is that the promoted product, project or brand seems uninvolved in the publicity. With actual consumers doing the promoting, an unbeatable authenticity is created that builds unparalleled brand awareness. eMarketer states that 46 percent of online consumers read between four and seven product reviews before making a purchase. And, as a marketer, if you can get people talking about your product on their own, you've just generated the free publicity we all dream about.

Some marketers wonder if viral marketing is worth the hassle since it is hard to create, and even harder to replicate. As mentioned before, the best laid campaigns appear to be self-igniting, where the brand and marketing agency do not seem actively involved. The campaign then needs to speak for itself, and to do so, strategy, planning, timing and execution all need to be flawless. So, you may ask, are the possible brand benefits worth the intermediate work? I think so because the buzz and brand awareness generated by a successful viral campaign is a foundation on which to build all future campaigns. Search engine marketing, online promotions and conversion rates will all improve with the increased brand awareness.

Author notes: Andreas Roell is CEO/president of Geary Interactive. Read full bio.