Viral marketing

Every marketing team makes content in the hopes it will go viral. Viral marketing is the descriptor given to content that generates excitement naturally online.

Entertainment and value are at the heart of viral marketing. Viral marketing spreads like a virus from consumer to consumer and from platform to platform, getting noticed by people at rapid rates.

Social media serves as an environment which encourages people to share, a great place for viral marketing to take off. As an example, an uplifting post might pop up on Twitter; then followers will share that video across YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

The fundamentals of viral marketing

Viral marketing is focused on what the customer wants. There is no right answer when it comes to “what works” but successful campaigns usually have the following questions answered by the time they launch their content:

• What people want to consume online
• Why people share posts and information
• How customers share posts and information

Aligning with a customer’s needs and wants is the most integral part of the process. For that reason, each of these characteristics define viral campaigns:

• Usefulness: Viewers will share content they feel they could use or find value in. Finding a new niche to provide value for is one of the best ways to escape getting lumped in with other more generic content.
• Emotional charge: Striking an emotional chord is incredibly effective in promoting shares. Keep in mind that viral campaigns establish an emotional connection with their audience quickly. This characteristic of a viral marketing campaign could be positive or negative, evoking hope or anxiety (and a need to resolve that anxiety) in an audience.
• Scalability: Encouraging the audience to retweet or linking to content through blogs can grow the reach of your content exponentially.

Agencies, businesses, and creators can keep tabs on their campaign performance by using social media tools like Vista Social.

Benefits of viral marketing

Viral marketing is a quick, high reward way to spread a message or CTA online, here are the potential benefits an organization could incur through this tactic:

• Extensive reach: Word of mouth marketing can reach beyond your current followers and get into new spaces.
• Organic tone: Viral content is more easily shared because it feels natural to an audience. There is no obvious sales pitch and no “in your face” marketing message that would annoy an audience.
• Low-cost ROI: Little is required in terms of getting started making viral posts because they are less formal and more entertaining. There are no overproduced videos or high production costs to be concerned with.
• Brand growth: Creating buzz about a brand through viral marketing is a sustainable way to ensure that a brand is always top of mind for people.

It is important to note that sometimes an audience will take the wrong message away from viral content, and the rapid pace of sharing might overwhelm what you were initially trying to accomplish

If viral marketing has unintended consequences, taking steps to protect the brand’s reputation is crucial. To avoid any missteps, designing campaigns catered specifically to your audience should be a surefire way to viral marketing correctly.