Remember the Kylie Lip Challenge or the Ice Bucket Challenge? Chances are if you’ve spent any time on social media in past couple of months, you’ve seen some of your friends dump a bucket of ice water over their heads or suck their lips into a small container. Maybe you’ve even seen a Kennedy do it. Or the New York Jets. Or Martha Stewart. Or Justin Timberlake.
Maybe you’ve taken the “Ice Bucket Challenge” yourself . In the process, you’ve taken part in an explosively viral grassroots marketing campaign for a good cause. But then, I sincerely hope that you haven’t taken part in the ‘Kylie Lip Challenge’ and well if you have, then I am seriously judging you!
Anyway, we have all spoke about how these went ‘viral’. But have you ever wondered what the term ‘viral’ really means? And how do marketers manage to hit the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow by simply circulating content? Oh wait a minute! They actually don’t even circulate it, that’s all us- the consumers- we promulgate the content. We make it go ‘viral’. In today’s digital world, we are no longer passive consumers of the media, but active participants in it.
Viral marketing has become the defining marketing trend of the decade. Brands big and small launch viral videos via YouTube, post new product information on their social media pages, court the blogosphere and send forth armies of evangelists to spread the gospel by word‐of‐mouth (WOM). Earlier in one of my posts I spoke about E-WOM (Electronic Word of Mouth). In the digital age of today, E-WOM is one of the most cost effective and potent methods. The advantages include lower advertising costs, fast growth, mainstream media exposure and rapid lead generation.
Viral marketing is any marketing technique that induces websites or users to pass on a marketing message to other sites or users, creating a potentially exponential growth in the message’s visibility and effect. When put simply, “Viral marketing is an approach designed to get others to share your product/content for you.” It is where you encourage the “word of mouth” spread of your product or service. It’s just like a game of Chinese Whispers or Rumors we used to play as kids. That’s nice in theory. But in the real world most products don’t have a realistic chance of going viral. So is marketing making room for a game of rumors? Undoubtedly YES!
Viral content requires the aligning of the stars, but if you crack it then the benefits are global, rapid and financial. Here are some of the rumors I read that can make your campaign go viral.
# Make them Feel.
Most of the world’s effective viral campaigns usually inspire strong emotional reactions from viewers – whether it’s shock and awe, genuine sympathy, surprise, envy, curiosity, or astonishment. People will only share your content if they relate to it.
# Identify Them.
Unless you know who you’re talking to, you won’t get your message out there. A thorough familiarity with your audience is important. Your goal is not just to promote your product but to promote it by producing meaningful and relevant content. To do this, you need to tailor your message to your audience. Use language, images and, of course, a medium that your intended customers will relate to.
# Reach Out.
Nothing goes viral on its own, you need to push your message to your audience so they can share it. When you get a great piece of content whether it is in writing, a video or an infographic which resonates with your audience you need to get it in front of that audience. You can have the most amazing content but if no one knows about it they cannot connect with the message or share it.
And last but definitely not the least.
# Make it Simple.
“Edit unnecessary things.”
Three simple words that hold more relevance today than ever. If you think about it, this principle can be applied to almost anything. With minimalism at the forefront, it has become customary to eliminate the frills and retain the essentials. When I say ‘Simplicity Sells’, I’m not just being profound. Each day, a plethora of information is fed to us, only a fraction of which we actually recall. Thus, it becomes essential to choose brevity over fanciness. Your message should be simple but compelling and without an ounce of excess flab. Just get your brand out there… in a good way. High quality content is key.
If you want to play the game of Chinese whispers at least make it easy for people to follow.
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