Every day, we hear about viral marketing, a new viral video, or content that has spread like wildfire. But what exactly is viral marketing? And how did it become so popular? Is this the result of a viral product or viral advertising? Is it simply luck that makes something such a big hit at random?
This type of content usually has a well-planned viral strategy, but virality can also be attributed to chance, creativity, and planning. To simplify this concept, we’ll go over its definition, how it works, its benefits, and some viral marketing examples.
⭐What Is Viral Marketing and How Does It Work?
Viral marketing generates interest in a brand or product (and thus potential sales) by spreading messages quickly from person to person. The idea is that users choose whether or not to share the content.
Social networks are the natural habitat of this type of marketing due to their speed and ease of sharing. The most common recent example is the creation of emotional, surprising, funny, or unique YouTube videos, which are then shared on Facebook, Twitter, and other channels.
Virality, on the other hand, can be a double-edged sword. It is important to remember that in this type of campaign, the users have a large amount of control, and there is a risk that the message will be misinterpreted or parodied. A successful viral campaign, on the other hand, can work wonders for your brand’s results.
⭐What Is The Distinction Between Viral Marketing And Guerrilla Marketing?
While viral marketing relies on users organically and quickly spreading your content, guerrilla marketing takes a slightly different approach. It’s about breaking down traditional marketing methods and reaching users outside of traditional channels. In other words, guerrilla marketing aims to surprise the viewer and generate publicity, whereas viral marketing seeks to generate organic and voluntary content distribution from users.
⭐How a Viral Campaign Operates
A viral marketing campaign is, in theory, very simple to implement. You create an appealing video or another type of content for your target audience, post it on the Internet, and promote it. Now, you can wait for the fuse to light up and for users to start sharing like crazy.
In some cases, virality occurs by chance. For example, suppose a private user uploads a video that quickly becomes popular and spreads throughout the Internet.
There are two types of brand video dispersion strategies: visible and concealed. In the former, the user is aware from the start that they are viewing advertising or branded content, whereas, in the latter, the brand’s involvement is revealed only later.
If you use hidden marketing techniques, you must be careful that the user does not feel tricked, cheated, or deceived.
Whatever strategy you choose, never become “spammy” or go overboard with your content. Instead of repeating your message, the best strategy is to find a suitable location and time and let the “viral fuse” light itself.
⭐4 Benefits of Viral Marketing
- Low cost: What distinguishes viral campaigns is that users do a significant portion of the brand’s work, drastically reducing distribution costs. Purchasing advertising or media space is unnecessary.
- Its ability to reach a large number of users: A viral video on the Internet has the potential to reach a large international audience without requiring a large investment or extra effort. As a result, a small business or even an individual can go viral.
- It is non-intrusive. Because the social media user decides to participate and share content in viral marketing, the brand is less likely to come across as invasive. As a result, brand perception and interaction are significantly improved compared to more traditional forms of advertising.
- It aids in the development of your brand. If you nail it in terms of creativity, you create content that is so amazing that users share it and form a personal connection with your brand. It is undoubtedly a very effective tool for branding and raising awareness.
The Most Effective Online Viral Marketing Techniques
⭐Tip 1) Select the right audience and channels
The first step in creating a viral marketing campaign is determining your target audience and where they live online. Nothing goes viral; you must send the appropriate message to the appropriate people. If you want them to share your message with others, your message must pique their interest.
The channel is also important because if you market on the wrong channel, you will not be able to reach your intended audience. You will not be able to grow interested if you cannot reach the targeted audience.
⭐Tip 2) Create videos
Making a video is another excellent way to go viral. A video can engage your audience in your product and experience.
If you upload a video to YouTube or Daily Motion, you can share it with your friends. They will share it if they find it interesting and useful.
When the video becomes popular, it has the potential to spread all over the Internet.
Furthermore, if your video is really interesting, people will embed it on their websites or blogs.
As a result, people will not only watch your video on video-sharing platforms, but they will also see it on other websites. This will increase its popularity.
The rule of thumb for going viral with a video is that the more shocking, memorable, or funny your video is, the more likely it is to go viral.
⭐Tip 3) Provide a valuable product or service for free
Who doesn’t appreciate getting something valuable for free?
I don’t think you’ll find many people who say they don’t want something valuable for free.
That is why “free” is the most powerful in a marketer’s vocabulary.
Most viral marketing programs provide a valuable product or service for free to attract attention.
You may not profit today or tomorrow by giving away something valuable, but if you can generate people’s interest in you, you will profit soon.
But how exactly?
Here’s how it works:
Free generally catches the attention of visitors. Eyeballs will then see the desirable items you are selling and increase their desire to buy!
Sales opportunities, valuable email addresses, and advertising revenue are all brought by eyeballs.
If you want to earn money, you must first pay for it.
⭐Tip 4) Create emotional appeal
Viral marketing will have little impact unless it has an emotional appeal. Emotions are at the heart of viral marketing.
As a result, this is the most effective viral marketing technique.
The question now is how to elicit a powerful emotion.
Here are some of the steps you must take to elicit emotion. You should-
- Make something filled with love or hatred
- Be either an idiot or a genius
- Make something that will either make people happy or extremely angry
Any viral campaign’s emotional drive must be strong enough to attract attention.
⭐Tip 5) Do something unexpected
The title speaks for itself.
If you want people to notice your marketing campaign, you must do something unexpected – something out of the ordinary.
People will not bother looking if they know it has been done before. People are always eager to see and learn new things.
Forget about trying to look cool; everyone does it.
Forget about promoting your product/service as simply excellent – everyone else is doing it.
⭐Tip 6) Allow sharing, embedding, and downloading
During flu season, nurses advise staying away from people who have a cough, not touching your eyes, mouth, or nose, and washing your hands frequently because viruses only spread when they are easily transmitted.
Similarly, if your message or content is simple to share, download, or embed, it will spread as quickly as a virus. That means you must enable people to:
- Easily share your content or message; and
- Easily embed it on their websites.
- Obtain the content
Furthermore, from a marketing standpoint, you should simplify your message so that it is easily understood, encouraging people to share it with others. Everything you do to make that easier will benefit your campaign.
⭐Tip 7) Don’t Concentrate on Traditional Marketing
Traditional marketing is about promoting your product or service, telling people how great it is and how it will benefit them, and possibly using movie stars or supermodels.
But do you believe people are interested in you or your product?
No way, no how!
People always anticipate something good with an intriguing story.
As a result, instead of focusing on yourself, your product or service, or your company, concentrate solely on creating a good and interesting story.
⭐Tip 8) Social Outreach
Another effective viral marketing technique is social outreach. It’s easier to reach more people when influential people in your industry recommend your product or service or put your content in front of your target audience.
Reach out to industry influencers and ask if they’d be interested in trying your product or service or seeing your content. Don’t directly ask them to share it, as they’ll usually spread it if it’s useful to their followers.
The key is to provide unique content that can genuinely benefit their followers/readers and then leverage that aspect to get them to share your content.
Consider this: if industry experts share your article or recommend your product or service, others will do the same.
⭐Tip 9) Reinforcement
A one-time viral message is easily forgotten.
People have only recently become aware of your campaign. They thought it was interesting and unexpected, and their emotions were high – you had their full attention.
You may believe that your job is finished.
If you believe this, it may not be a good idea; as I mentioned earlier, a single viral message can be quickly forgotten.
What will you do now?
You must act now because you have already captured the audience’s attention. Giving them more is one of the simplest ways to accomplish this.
As a result, a series of viral messages will boost the effectiveness of your campaign.
To summarize, viral marketing techniques constantly evolve because trends influence them.
You can make your marketing campaign or content viral by implementing the 9 proven viral marketing techniques listed above.
