Creating a marketing drive that goes “Viral” is the goal of every marketer.
Since accomplishing this feat means massive exposure, increased brand awareness, and more sales of your products or services, what is the secret to creating such a campaign?
The answer is complicated.
In fact, it’s almost impossible to foretell what campaigns will go viral, and which ones will flounder. But that is not to say that there aren’t some common features found in viral marketing campaigns that you can emulate to increase your odds of hitting the ball out of the proverbial ballpark.
If you are striving to build a viral marketing campaign, here’s how you can give your best shot.
1. Master the target audience
As you consider the emotional triggers to hit, make sure you know the triggers that influence your audience.
What is it they want from you?
Are they looking to be entertained?
If you can distinguish these triggers and work them into your content, it will be far more effective.
Remember, a campaign with celebrities going without makeup and taking selfies may work well for a beauty care company, but it’s not going to reach executive-level bankers. You must understand your audience and its triggers for success.
Viral content is only valid if it speaks to people so convincingly that they are keen to share the content. Armed with this knowledge, it will be considerably easier for you and your team to build content that users are likely to share online.
2. Make It Visual
The elements that go viral are the things that are visually appealing, in almost all instances. When choosing visuals, first make sure it matches your brand. Never do any creativity that compromises your brand in any way. Make sure that the visuals are viral-worthy. The more surprising, the more chance of it going viral and being shared.
3. Boost visibility with advertising
While not fixed, it can be difficult for a small organization to create viral content. Funding in paid ads on social networks can boost the visibility of a campaign. Consider designing ads that are targeted to a group of influential users. If these users re-share the ad, the ad will be broadcast to a wider audience efficiently and cost-effectively.
4. Create media attention
If viral marketing takes off, strive to amplify the message of the brand via various media outlets. When it is clear that the brand is creating or doing something newsworthy, the media will be desirous to provide brands with attention. A great way to prove newsworthiness is to show media outlets that thousands or millions of people have responded positively to your brand’s campaign.
5. Target Emotions
Every viral marketing campaign that has existed is due to emotion. You have to include a strong emotional connection as part of your marketing or it will be ignored in today’s environment.
Here are some of the points you have to follow to create emotion. You need to –
- Create something filled with love
- Be a genius
- Create something that will make people happy
- Create relevant experiences
- Connect it to everyday life scenarios
6. Don’t try to force it
Don’t hit your audience too hard with the campaign. If it’s going to go viral, it will. If it’s not, no amount of blasting is going to make it happen.
Remember, the purpose of a viral marketing campaign is two-fold. First, it is to boost exposure for your brand. Second, it is to enhance your relationship with your existing audience by giving them something of value. If you can keep these two objects in mind, you can create a successful campaign that has a strong likelihood of going successful.
First and foremost, it is important to create content that uniquely speaks to the target audience. Creating a zealous marketing campaign that is productive can be challenging. But, not for Shobiz.
Our vision is to always deliver experiential brand solutions that impact our client’s businesses. We create experiences that the intangible message of a brand becomes alive and creates a lifelong experience for a customer.