If you've spent any amount of time on Facebook, you've probably seen your friends' pages littered with achievements that they've earned in various Facebook games. You've likely been invited by friends to play such games. Perhaps you have even played one of these games yourself.

The most successful Facebook games, the ones that are circulated the most by your friends, are making tons of sales. Here's the best part: you can learn from how these games go viral, and use the same technique to bolster your sales!

For the purposes of this article, I'm going to focus on one of my favorite Facebook games, Family Feud (modeled on the classic game show). This is a game that gets millions of users to play each and every month, and makes tons of money off of sales. Recognize, though, that even though I'm focusing on this one game, there are many other games using the same techniques to make sales to their users.

So, what are some of the techniques Family Feud (and other Facebook games) used to go viral?

1. They offer free services!

I've never paid a dime to play Family Feud, although there are certainly a lot of people who do spend money on the game. Family Feud gives you two free games per day, and as I don't have a ton of time to play games, I don't need any more than the two free games. By giving me something for free, they make me want to open up the game, and see what they're selling. The more frequently I return to Family Feud, the more likely I am to give them sales.

You, too, should find a way to offer a free products or service to draw people in. Personally, I like giving information for free, in the form of the articles you've read right here on this site; I also offer free seminars and presentations. Free products or services get people coming to you, and make it more likely that you will make your sales.

More importantly, though, as your free products get redistributed (e.g., if the article you wrote gets forwarded to other colleagues), you are effectively receiving free marketing as you go viral. This viral marketing generates leads for you that could be converted into sales!

2. They get free marketing from their users!

As you play Family Feud, you are given the option to post your achievements on your Facebook page. This is likely why you've seen these games littering your friends' Facebook pages. Let's face it; after a brilliant game, you want to share your gaming prowess with everyone! This is why high score lists are so popular in video games. Family Feud, among other games, make it far too easy to do precisely that.

And when you do share your achievements with the world, guess what Family Feud gets? You guessed it. Free marketing!

You, too, should find ways to get your free products or services out there. Set up strategic alliances with people who are looking to give out free information to their newsletters or mailing lists. This is a win-win relationship, where they get the free information they need to fill their newsletters, and you get the viral marketing that you're looking for to increase sales of your products or services.

3. They have a built-in referral system!

Perhaps the most brilliant thing about the Family Feud game is that it's almost entirely a one-player game--entirely a one-player game right up until the end, that is! You get to play most of the Family Feud game all by yourself, but if you do make it to the Fast Money round (the bonus round at the end of the game), you need a partner to help you out.

I've converted a few of my friends into Family Feud players simply because I needed the help to get my bonus money, and complete the game! This built-in referral system, coupled with the free marketing system outlined above, mean that even if I never spend a dime on Family Feud, they will likely still make money off of me since I will refer other people who will give them sales!

You, too, should find creative ways to generate referrals. Offering your clients incentives for their referrals will get them throwing referrals at you, which leads you to even more sales.

Let's face it; there's a reason why some of these Facebook games are exceedingly popular without spending a single dime on advertising. They've gone viral by using free marketing techniques, and are making tons of sales. You, too, can see your sales soar if you take advantage of viral marketing.

Author's Bio: 

Matt Vassar is a sales training consultant as well as a professor at Stanford University. His Secrets to Soaring Sales system can be found at: http://secretstosoaringsales.com/blog.