A lot of people are quick to assume that the phenomenon of going viral is something which is completely random and spontaneous. Still, this trend has recurred so many times that it is now completely safe to make presumptions of a content or campaign based on volumes of data from previous such cases. For an experienced marketer, this creates a reliable way of creating a perfect viral marketing campaign and effortlessly increasing the reach and the efficiency of one’s online expansion efforts. With this in mind and without further ado, here are several business promotion tips that will help your campaign go viral.
1. Identify recent trends.
One of the greatest misconceptions about the term viral is that so many people believe that in order to go viral, you have to discover or invent a trend when this is clearly not true. We all know the term “riding on a hype train” and this can be quite efficient as a marketing strategy. Think about the 2012 phenomenon of Gangnam Style and how the entirety of K-Pop profited from it. Sure, this music genre already had a cult following and none of the other bends quite reached the popularity of this song, yet, all of a sudden, the entire industry became a topic on everyone’s lips. In other words, in order to go viral, you don’t have to be the first one to discover a trend, you only need to be there early.
2. Appeal to one’s emotions.
Maya Angelou once said that even though a person might forget what you looked like or what you talked about, they will never forget about how you’ve made them feel.
Therefore, you need to create content that is capable of provoking strong emotions with your fans. The message you have to send needs to be a clear one, it should either be funny, happy and cheerful or serious, relevant and professional.
Either way, you speak to a certain group in a language that they are bound to understand, which is something that should always work to your advantage.
3. Improve your visibility.
In order for people to truly start believing in your cause, you need to persuade them that this was their idea all along. Think about it, if you send someone an email with a link to your website, by following they’re merely agreeing with you. On the other hand, if you go to an SEO company and organically improve your visibility, this will increase a chance that your audience will find you on their own. By believing that they’re the ones who discover you, they will also have a feeling of pride and accomplishment by promoting you. In this way, you’re just setting a situation for the avalanche that is bound to start sooner or later.
4. Keep it simple.
One of the main reasons why soccer, cricket, and field hockey are the three most popular sports in the world is due to the fact that they have simple rules and are easy to play even without expensive equipment.
This is a rule that you need to apply to your campaign. A clear message, simple symbols, and slogans that get stuck in one’s head. If your offer requires a complex analysis in order to be understood or recreated, then you’re probably not doing that good of a job.
Moreover, you shouldn’t neglect the potential of WOM recommendation either.
Believe it or not, people still hang out offline and, when they do, they often talk about things they saw online. So, ask yourself this question – is your ad or your content easy to describe in a few short sentences (even better if it’s just one)? If you did hear about it, would you feel intrigued to look it up when you arrive home? Doing this alone can make a huge difference.
5. Avoid hard-sell.
As we already discussed, it is vital that your campaign appears organic and spontaneous. With this in mind, you should avoid hard-sell tactics and corporate jargon as much as you can. Riding the hype train is one thing but hyping your own products, services, and trends so much that you can’t possibly live up to the expectations is definitely a negative practice. In other words, try to be as subtle and non-imposing as possible.
6. Capitalize on the former glory.
Finally, if you’re already an author of a previously successful campaign or viral piece of content you should probably make a mention of this somewhere. Moreover, if you’re currently working with some of the biggest authority figures in the industry, you shouldn’t avoid name-dropping either, despite the term’s negative connotation.
One last thing, there’s always a possibility that some people already have developed a brand loyalty towards you or your company. In this case, you will merely help them out find you. All in all, all of your previous work and your overall work portfolio should be observed as resources which, when properly utilized, can add value to your marketing campaign.
In conclusion.
There is one more thing that we need to stress out. While all of the above-listed trends are known to work, you need to understand that there is no such thing as 100 % guarantee that any marketing method will work. Any business is a game of chance (to a lesser degree if conducted according to these principles) and, at the end of the day, you never know which factor will make the difference. All in all, by adhering to the above-listed principles, you stand to significantly improve your chances.
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