What is Viral Marketing?
Viral marketing encompasses all techniques used to spread a message exponentially (much like a virus…).
In the past, this was primarily done through literal word-of-mouth marketing. With the advent of the Internet, Generations Y and Z began making these references via social media platforms.
This has led to marketing messages reaching far more people at a much faster rate.
Viral marketing can take several forms: email marketing, games and contests, video campaigns, discount coupons, etc.
How can one successfully execute a viral marketing campaign? What are its advantages and risks?
In the following, we will attempt to show all aspects of developing this tool to successfully execute a viral marketing campaign.
How to Implement a Successful Viral Marketing System?
1- Create an emotional connection
For your viral campaign to resonate with the audience, it must create an emotional connection with them.
When creating the content or video, you need to keep in mind that it should trigger an emotional reaction in the end user.
This could be love, hate, anger, or happiness; emotions must be evoked for the message to be shared.
2- Share your content at the right time
You must also consider the date and time when you share your content. Marketers often leverage major holidays and significant events.
During these times, more people are browsing their social media feeds, watching TV, and keeping up with the news.
3- Make sharing easy
The ability to share content is the core idea of viral marketing. Everyone should be able to easily download and share the content, whether it’s a hashtag, images, or offering something desirable.
If your content isn’t easy to share, it has no chance of going viral.
4- Use the right platform and use it correctly
Nowadays, all brands are present on social media to reach their audience and stay current. However, not all brands are on every platform, as not all platforms are ideal for your product.
For your campaign, consider the platforms where your followers are active and where your message is most likely to be shared.
For a campaign based on images, Instagram is the obvious choice. But if it involves videos, a platform specialized and optimized for video, such as YouTube or TikTok, would be more appropriate.
5- Stay creative and clear
Try to make your content catchy and unique, while remaining explicit and understandable. Viral marketing involves giving users a significant amount of control. They won’t share the content if they’re not sure of its meaning.
Marketing campaigns only go viral if they are based on a unique, interesting, and innovative idea.
6- Appeal to a target audience
A successful viral marketing campaign considers the target audience. For a campaign to go viral, it must resonate with the audience and make them feel strongly enough about your content that they decide to share it with their family, friends, and followers.
Identify your target audience early in the campaign creation process.
What are the advantages of Viral Marketing?
Discover with Inclusion some of the benefits of a successful viral marketing campaign:
Cost Reduction: Your users and community will do the work by spreading your message to more and more consumers without requiring any compensation, and with a much greater reach. The company is only responsible for the initial costs of creating promotional materials.
Extended Reach: Viral content often has the potential to reach a large international audience. This is ideal for new and small businesses to help them grow their customer base.
Audience Attraction: Viral marketing content can be more engaging and interesting than traditional marketing, thus attracting more attention from the public.
More Data for Business Growth: A successful viral marketing campaign allows you to collect data that can help you tailor future content, products, or services. For example, if an ad for a specific product receives a lot of attention, you know to continue developing that product.
What are the risks of viral marketing?
However, Inclusion warns you about the risks associated with viral marketing, including the potential for nuisance.
Due to the large volume of emails people receive daily, viral marketing messages can be perceived as spam. Another consideration is “bad buzz” (negative buzz marketing).
A message may not be interpreted as intended and could be discussed negatively. Additionally, viral marketing can be challenging to measure.
In conclusion
Viral marketing is one of the most powerful communication tools available on the market; its power comes both from the tools at your disposal and from its impact on the targeted audience.
If you have a new product or an exciting message, or if your brand is inherently exciting and your audience is eager to be part of it, Inclusion offers you a viral marketing campaign that could potentially propel you towards success.
