If you live in the digital age, you have probably come across different “challenges” on TikTok and Instagram. On Twitter, you have shared a number of memes. Maybe a funny tweet from your local sandwich shop went viral, driving up sales. This describes viral marketing. Maybe a funny tweet from your local sandwich shop went viral, driving up sales. This describes viral marketing. Viral marketing is a strategy used to persuade others to promote your goods on your behalf.
In essence, when you run a viral marketing campaign, you depend on people outside of your business to spread the word about it and keep it going. Because of this, viral marketing may be one of your most economical marketing techniques. Nobody needs to be paid for sharing your content or using the hashtag you came up with. People will take it from there if you just introduce something they want to share.
While your campaign may initially need a little push (possibly paid social media promotion), as it gains traction with your audience, they will take over the sharing for you, allowing you to reduce your advertising expenditure. Furthermore, the brand recognition created by your viral campaign increases the likelihood that your future initiatives will organically reach a wider audience.
It takes a long time for a business to succeed. Even cases that appear to be overnight successes typically involve a 10-year struggle in which the founders hustled through numerous failed attempts before finally succeeding. However, among the very few strategies that have the potential to spur rapid growth, viral marketing is one that can do so.
Although inbound marketers typically argue that you don’t need traditional media to raise awareness, the influence and audience it still commands cannot be disputed. When done properly, viral marketing gives media outlets a reason to write about your brand without you having to pay or lobby for it.
The plain truth is that trust and acceptance typically follow recognition. More people are willing to give your brand a chance when it “goes viral” and attracts a new audience. Consider Dollar Shave Club and the surge in interest in new razors that followed the release of its viral video.
Although we more often concentrate on the sales that come from viral marketing, we cannot deny that it has a significant impact on lead generation. Trending topics always draw attention from people. Everyone may not be prepared to buy from you at the moment, but if you generate enough interest, they will be sure to keep you in mind for when they are.
1. Excellent planning 2. Audience involvement 3. Spectacle + press-worthiness 4. Humour + like-ability 5. A worthwhile cause 6. Celebrity star power (optional) 7. Low barrier to entry 8. A really good incentive 9. Exclusivity 10. Urgency