Nearly 20 percent of advertisers plan to use viral marketing in the next year--half of them for the first time, according to a new study by Jupiter Research, a division of JupiterKagan Inc. But while
viral campaigns may help boost brand awareness, 69 percent of consumers don't trust product information they find on social media such as blogs and online social networks. They're twice as likely to
trust product information they find on a company or a professional review site. To improve results, Jupiter advises marketers to test several versions of a viral campaign with focus groups before
running a full one. Advertisers should also invest in search and Web site optimization to capitalize on the 31 percent of consumers who go to a search engine for more product information after viewing
an online ad.
