The rise and rise of social media platforms brought with it unprecedented and revolutionary changes in the way we consume information. All this has brought on many important viral marketing strategies.
The idea of viral marketing has greatly the way business is done in all aspects of life; politically, socially and even economically.
Indeed, the business community has so much to gain if these technological advances are properly harnessed. Marketing is no longer dependent on conventional methods alone, but rather a mix of several elements.
Viral marketing has become a quick, cost-effective, measurable, and result-oriented of shouting about goods and services. It is however imperative that you lay the right foundation to tap the potential that viral marketing carries. What approach can you give your viral marketing campaign to gain the desired results? Here are some strategies.
Target the Most appropriate Audience
Viral marketing campaigns have a way of transcending social, cultural, political, economic and geographic barriers so that they are consumed by virtually anyone who can access and relate to them. This notwithstanding, it is important to frame your campaign with a given audience in mind.
Just like in conventional marketing campaigns, targeting the right audience is key to the success of viral marketing. It is this arrangement and thought process that will help you determine who your marketing campaign is meant for. In return, you will frame your message appropriately and use the most effective channel where your target audience is likely to be found.
Just like in conventional marketing campaigns, targeting the right audience is key to the success of viral marketing. It is this arrangement and thought process that will help you determine who your marketing campaign is meant for. In return, you will frame your message appropriately and use the most effective channel where your target audience is likely to be found.
Use Emotional Appeal: Humor, Empathy and Anything in Between.
Why do people pay hundreds of dollars to watch a game or go to a concert? Why do people give copious generously to charitable events? The answer is simple; these occurrences appeal to a certain part of humanity. They evoke emotions such as joy and sympathy. Use the same mantra to create content for your viral marketing campaign.
At the heart of every viral campaign is the movement from one person to the other and the copypasta strategy that follows. It, therefore, has to appeal to each individual in a certain way. Humorous viral videos are very popular nowadays and range from anything as gross as a child’s visit to the dentist to an elephant helping pick litter in a compound. The bottom line is to have the videos evoke some emotions and appeal to the inner feelings of people.
Offer Superior Products
In the end, the quality of your product will be under review. In some cases, quality products will gain popularity because of their impressive outcome and they naturally keep the story going. This is particularly true when it comes to healthy products as well a body care products. People get into discussions about how the products affect their lives. Quality products easily win the hearts of people.
An outstanding example is the story of a hotel that employs people with hearing disability as waiters. Patrons to the restaurant narrated how understanding, friendly and knowledgeable the waiters in spite of their challenge. This is a good approach to viral marketing as it helps people to start conversations around the products. a positive review on a viral marketing.
However, people will also talk as much about products. Your focus should be getting a positive review of your in your viral marketing campaign.
Brand Message
Successful viral messages should and must not campaign to get viral alone. There should be a crafty and well-thought brand message to go along. This is of course enhanced well through creative engagement.
A sports shoe manufacturer, for instance, can demonstrate the humble beginnings of an athlete struggling to practice in a hardship area until he discovers that the right shoes can propel his career much faster.
Of course, the success of the story will be determined by several other factors including how it is narrated through picture and voice. The bottom line, however, is that there is an achievement that goes along with the intended message.
Rewards as a way of enticing
Viral marketing can also be accelerated through rewards to viewers and consumers. This can get very successful for premium products or generally any great product. A premium smartphone brand or car manufacturer can promise an appetizing discount as a reward to an audience that helps in spreading a viral message.
This is easily achievable, especially where one is required to subscribe after watching or reading a post on a given product. You actually get hooked to subscriptions in the end but the company is wise enough to ask for your consent.
Rewards may also be incorporated in charitable work and tweaked with an emotional appeal. This is particularly common during calamities and brands wittingly seize the opportunity to create viral marketing gimmicks. Calamities such as hunger can get a food processing company to coin a message that demonstrates its food products as a solution.
Conclusion
One of the key elements of a viral marketing campaign should be to help your target audience start a conversation around your brand. If well crafted, viral marketing campaigns achieve highly positive results for brands. It is also common for content to go viral naturally without any prompting. The most important thing should be to borrow lessons from successful campaigns but also try to be original and highly creative.
About the Author: Olivia Perez
Olivia is a marketing and communication expert. She also serves as content developer with many years of experience. She helps clients in long term wealth plans. She has previously covered an extensive range of topics in her posts, including Marketing and Social Media.
