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The V-word certainly is not popular since January 2020, and maybe the global marketing industry will change the digital term to “Snow-Balled” - until then, we are stuck with the term ‘viral’.
Uniquely, it’s a positive word in digital marketing. If your digital marketing agency or SEO agency hits the jackpot for you, your campaign can be 500-1000 times more impactful than a non-viral campaign with a viral message.
There’s no magic recipe, but here are some viral-making tips.
Have An Opinion
Something goes viral because you have achieved an emotional reaction from people. You have hooked into something that they care about. Being all-things-to-all-people will most probably leave your brand/s sailing carefully down a neutral path.
You need to lose some to win more. Have an opinion and take a stand. #viralmarketing
Don’t Try To Be Cool
Everyone is elbowing everyone on the coolness rankings. Don’t be everyone; be unexpected. Google and other search engines are monitoring social signal metrics in their search algorithms, so you need interactive social media.
If you sell wall tiles, don’t show endless beautiful interiors. Try a campaign of #CanYouTileIt? And tile the outside of gift boxes, the dog house exterior, or use small mosaic tiles to tile heart shapes on rocks in the wilderness, etc.
Reebok had people excited with an interactive, small pavement-based billboard installation. It had a speed cam and a shoe display in locked boxes. To open up the locked boxes and get free trainers, you had to run past the billboard faster than 17 kilometers per hour.
Leave Something To The Imagination
Don’t make content that is always shoving your product to the fore. Woo consumers with interesting content, intriguing stories, and let them conclude that your company is on-trend and might have some cool products.
An introduction to your brand and product must be super-discreet!
Strike While The Iron Is Hot
Whilst sequels in Hollywood are risky, sequels in marketing are vital. When followers are noticing you, act on it. Give the ‘audience’ another scoop of fun or quality info and ALWAYS make it easy and obvious for the audience to take the next steps via sharing-widgets or links to a contact page.
Take note of audience comments and see if there are suggestions you can include in the sequel campaign. This will boost views.
Don’t Put Steps In The Way
Don’t try to turn a marketing campaign into a data harvesting exercise. The audience will view that as sneaky or creepy. You will lose viewers faster than dandruff in a gale. Don’t ask people to sign up or join a club. Just let them share and enjoy, and they will come back for more, thereby developing an affinity for your brand. And your brand will be spread far and wide.
Always Solve A Customer’s “Problem”
People buy things because they are solving a problem, i.e. food for hunger, paint to improve a wall etc. Make sure your marketing campaign solves a problem, even if it shows the solution in a quirky way (like tiling a rock in the wilderness).
The marketing campaigns must help consumers solve their problems. If it is only about brand recognition, you will negatively impact your brand reputation.
If your business supplies tradesmen, then perhaps get selfies of them with their most beloved tool or piece of equipment “on a date”.
Conclusion
Establishing a marketing campaign that is preloaded with viral potential (or Snow Ball potential) is far more complex than it appears. It needs thorough social media knowledge, inclusivity, careful planning, and research.
If you have any questions about whether your campaign has Snow Ball potential, please drop us a line or give us a call Ph: +27 64 531 5603. As a digital marketing agency and SEO agency, we have the know-how and creativity to get a buzz going around your brand.
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