Viral marketing has fast become a buzzword in advertising, as has the notion of social network marketing. Just for the record, these are simply marketing practices that just use a new set of tools.

365's video and audio team is the "Easy Button" solution to making quality streaming content and keeping your content updated, relevant and quick-to-market so that you are always ahead of the competitor down the street. Here are a few tips.

Be Purple

In Seth Goodin's book The Purple Cow, he defines how to separate your message from a world of brown cows. That means we had better show some creativity and not just stick to the tri-folds.

Get to the Point

When we say "Get to the Point," we meant it. We need to be direct with your message. Social and viral messages need to be creative, but let's not leave the universe guessing what your message is.

Be Cheap

Yes, we said cheap. This isn't the Oscars. It isn't free, but we don't need a $25,000 video shoot to make an impact. We just need to be smart, funny and a bit out-of-the-box.

Involve & Attach Your Market

If the response from the consumer does not happen on a visceral and emotional level, then we are missing the point. Attaching people to a brand is more than having them remember it. The message needs to create an awareness of your brand as well as create a call to action from your customer.

Be Realistic

Selling is a system, and while we would all love to get 1 million hits on a viral clip, we should first make it a point to get the 100 specifically targeted hits we need. "More views" doesn't equal more revenue. The right views do.