Let me share something with you. I am a communication theory geek. Mc Luhan, Adorno, Horkheimer, Noelle-Neumann, Umberto Eco, Watzlawick, Van Dijk, Tufte, and many other great minds live in my library shelves and drink Scotch with me in the evenings.

This post is going to be the first one of many in which I explain Communication Theory elements that have a direct impact on your SEO and Viral Marketing Campaigns.

During the time I was exclusively a Black Hat SEO, these guys did little for me in terms of business and generating revenue. How could they help when I was building millions of auto-generated pages to trick the search engines?

However when I decided to get in the business of Linkbait and Viral Marketing, well, what can I say. The communication studies university fees started to pay off big time.

So without further introduction let me introduce you to the first communication theory that you need to keep in your mind tool box.

The Spiral Of Silence

I already described how the fear of social isolation is the key to unlocking the power of Tribe Penetration Marketing.

I didn’t expand on the theory behind this concept though. This is what this post is about.

The spiral of silence theory is based on the premise that the majority of people is afraid of isolation, and that when expressing their opinions they are in fact trying to identify themselves with the majority (thus, avoiding isolation.)

The main source of information contributing to create the dominant climate of opinion is the complex of Mass Media Communication.

In other words, it is the Media that creates a certain conception of reality, and people will inevitably stick to it because they feel that if they don’t they will become isolated.

Why is it called Spiral Of Silence? Because the logic within the theory states that the more one version of the facts is broadcasted, those who oppose it will be more silent about it.

The author of this theory (Noelle-Neumann) illustrates how this process occurred in Germany in the years between 1960 and 1980, benefiting the Social-Democrats in the government due to the undeniable leftist bias amongst journalists in the main Media Outlets.

Some of you may be thinking about the United States of America and the dominant climate of opinion after 9/11 that allowed a president to violate international laws and go to war using evidence that was being challenged by most of its ally countries and proved to be wrong in the end.

This theory is the result of research conducted in times when the Internet wasn’t a reality yet, so it will be up to us to take it one step further and see how it applies to Online Marketing.

SEO and Viral Marketing

But Marcos, you mentioned something about Scotch, and then you went ranting about theories and mass media communication. How is this relevant to SEO and Viral Marketing? Are you drunk?

I am so glad you asked.

The theory describes a communication model that applies to social groups when there is one group of messages that become more dominant than others, provoking most opposing voices to become silent.

Do you still not see how is this relevant to your Viral Marketing Campaign? Do you really need me to draw the B and the C or you already jumped from A to D?

Just in case, here is the B and the C. Let’s talk about the one social media site we all love to include in our marketing campaigns. That’s right, Digg.

What is the dominant climate of opinion amongst such social group? Would you try to market anything that opposes such climate? What do you think that bury button is for? What do you think the Bury Brigade is there for?

Don’t get me wrong. A polemic hook can be a killer linkbait. But that’s one home run you will have a hard time enjoying again, at least from the same domain.

When you are trying to build a consistent and solid relationship with your target group the future proof strategy to success is to decode the complex of messages that are mostly accepted and agreed upon in such group. Map them up and become the most committed messenger of such messages.

The targeted social group will embrace you as one of its own and be receptive to what you have to say.

Then you will be in a position to inoculate your virus, I mean, spread your message.

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