What is going viral? And how easy is it?

'Going viral' is a phrase we hear a lot... but what does it mean? And what does it mean to us? A phrase coined in the 1990s; then it was more associated with viral marketing. It was a well-planned process that could take weeks to get anywhere; although when it did, it was huge. It boosts brands, services, products and even people into the forefront of our online world. Now it is more associated with celebrities videos or actions that get spread globally very quickly... for example Russell Brands interview on BBC Newsnight...

 

Image: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk

This video went viral within 24 hours. Yes, it is two big-named celebrities discussing politics in a way many people have not seen for years. In this instance it went viral because it was controversial. As always controversy and mass exposure seem to go hand in hand; over the past few years we have seen this in different forms - the Gangnam Style video, Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke at the VMA's etc...

So in the world of celebrity it seems simple enough but is the root of this not really down to clever marketing? After all, celebrities are products, each of them is their own brand and they have the potential to make big money if they get the right recognition. They sell tickets, merchandise, magazines and more and if you are in the limelight (for whatever reason) you will sell more. This is how it works... going viral means you will sell more.

It is quite clear how we can use these examples to link going viral to the business world. Actual products and brands getting mass exposure within a short amount of time can be fantastic for sales.

To tie this up to social media, see the picture below.

 

 Image: http://www.facegroup.com

As you can see, in this model, it has two main factors- spike and growth. This is a massive thing and luckily for many people it is free. Now breaking it down again, it really is about putting the right message online, to the right people in the right space. With enough market research and the right people spreading the word you can do this and you can go viral.

It must be remembered that however effortless going viral may seem, there is in fact a formula for it and if you want something recognised you must put in the hard work and research. If you were to use any social networking site to go viral and to push anything you must be marketing it to the correct audience, get people following you who are interested in what you have. It really is applying the basics of marketing and advertising onto the social media model.

How To Use Social Media For Viral Marketing

Viral marketing depends on word-of-mouth: the willingness people have to share the things they see and enjoy with their friends. Thanks to social media, sharing content has never been easier. Popular posts and pictures can spread around the internet like wildfire, gaining the person or company that posted it a lot of great publicity.

Frustratingly, however, viral marketing is very difficult: as much as you prepare your content and share it online, there’s no way to predict how well your posts will do. In order to be with any chance of your content going viral, preparation is key. Here are a few tips and hints on how to successfully implement social media in your viral marketing strategies.

Prepare

If you’re creating content that you want to go viral, then you need to know your audience. There’s no point in creating content that will attract 18-25 year old, single men if you’re trying to promote a family car. You also need to work out what sort of content you want to use. Any type of content can go viral – tweets, images, infographics, articles – but videos go viral more frequently and in a bigger way than any other type of content. Choose a type of content that will work for what you’re trying to promote, will appeal to your audience and can be shared across numerous social media networks.

As I said earlier, preparation is key to viral marketing. You need to be prepared if your social content does go viral on social media. Even if you’re content goes viral, you might lose out if you can’t follow up on it. You need to make sure that you can engage with people who enjoy your content, and then follow it up with a campaign. Viral content rarely lasts very long, it’s more of a flash in the pan, but if you follow up successful viral content with a campaign you can keep it in the public eye for longer.

You also need to make sure that you maintain active social media accounts before you attempt viral marketing. If you just post something cold, it’s unlikely to do very well. Instead engage and interact online: share and comment on other people’s content and maybe they’ll share your content. Whatever content you post you also need to make sure that it’s mobile compatible – almost 30% of social media users access sites on their mobiles.

2. Make it Sharable

Content can only go viral if it’s easy to share and people will only share content that they find interesting. Make sure that your content is compelling and appealing and, very importantly, that it isn’t too long: people want content that gives them instant gratification. Also, the faster content can be enjoyed, the quicker it will get shared. Last month, Unruly released a white paper detailing how to make content sharable. They concluded that content has to elicit a strong emotional reaction in order to get shared. Create content that is funny or exciting: the more funny and exciting, the more likely it will be shared.

You also need to make sure that, if your content is posted on sites other then social media platforms, the share buttons are very obvious and easy to use. Put on a tally so that people can see how often your content gets shared on social media as an added incentive. Content with high share tallies persuade people that they are popular, and that sharing them is the usual thing to do.

You could even offer a reward to people who share your content: make a competition where the entry is dependent on sharing a photo or video, and then reward the winner with a prize. You also want to get the right people sharing your content. Try to publicise your content to people with large followings on social media. A celebrity endorsement can boost sharing and engagement massively.

3. Start a Conversation

When it comes to viral marketing, being controversial can be one of the best strategies to ensure success. It your content touches on a controversial subject, dividing opinion, you can start debates in the comments sections of social media sites. This will, in turn, draw more attention to your content as people will see their friends commenting on your content in their news feed on Facebook, or theirTwitter/Google+ stream.

Often, topical content sparks the best conversations. Stay abreast of what’s happening in the world: a story or item of news that might be relevant to your industry can be leveraged to promote your business. Content centred on a popular news article can draw the attention of people checking it out.

Going viral is never assured, however much you prepare, and there really isn’t a sure fire way that you can make your content viral. However, by following these steps (and with a lot of luck), your content might well go viral on social media sites.

Has any of your content gone viral?