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viral marketing

Viral Marketing 101: Basics

You see it everywhere. Viral videos on YouTube and TikTok, videos from businesses that are putting themselves out there and showing the world both what they have to offer and the sense of wit that lingers behind their business image. But for many businesses, the question is how to utilise viral marketing so that you can create viral content that engages audiences in all the right ways. Well, this guide is here to take you through some of the best methods and secrets. 

What is Viral Marketing? 

Put simply, viral marketing is a form of advertisement that relies on the audience to generate and spread the message behind a product or service. This form of marketing is considered viral once it starts being shared by the public at large and not just the target audience. It will start appearing on everyone’s social media feeds with multiple reactions and shares. 

A really good example of excellent viral marketing can be seen from the Dollar Shave Club back in 2012. At this point, it was still a little company, but their video marketing went viral alongside the slogan “Our Blades Are F***ing Great.” It was funny, unconventional, and racked up tens of millions of views in no time at all. Subscriptions spiked, and it became a $1billion company. 

What Do Viral Marketing Campaigns Share? 

The big thing that all viral campaigns share is that they are organic. They are never forced, and the truth is that they can’t be. Viral marketing relies on the public to share, react to, and comment on the content that you are providing and videos are the best way to achieve this. They are snappy, engaging, and people love to watch them. 

Viral content always has good timing. Your marketing team needs to be right on top of the latest trends, fingers on the pulse of social media channels as they scan for the latest craze. Trends go as quickly as they come, so you need to act fast if you want to capture the audience and get your content out there. 

The Secrets to Viral Marketing Success 

Viral marketing is not always going to be easy, and you can’t expect your first video release to be a massive success. In fact, it will likely be a failure. But, the fact of the matter is that 56% of web surfers find new sites through viral marketing, and a whopping 80% of businesses have incorporated it into their marketing plan. So, what are the secrets to success? 

  • Create a plan of action. Why do you want to go viral in the first place? 
  • Use analytics to discover what your target market loves and the kind of content they react well to. This will give your viral campaign a good headstart. 
  • Make your content accessible to everyone, priming it for sharing and allowing those that are outside of your target market to feel engaged by it. 
  • Humanise your content. Personable, relatable, this is what people want from viral marketing so that they can form a connection and attachment to a business. 
  • Utilise hashtags. Do your research and use them in a way that will gain wider organic reach. You can even create your own hashtag, just like the world record egg. 

To Conclude 

No one said that viral marketing would be easy, but once you get into the swing of things the content that you generate will be snappy, interesting, and enough for people to want to share with friends and family. All you need to do is incorporate these little tips for success and work hard to create the kind of video content that people want to see, share, and follow.