But what exactly is viral marketing? Should you rely on viral marketing? What are the chances of you getting succeed via this method? Is it still worthwhile to chase trends these days, or should businesses instead focus on social as part of a larger marketing funnel? Well, social media is continuously changing, so one must learn about viral media marketing if they are using social media channels to promote their business. Let’s get started with the basics of it.
What is Viral Marketing? The Concept & The Approach
Viral marketing is a digital marketing strategy that aims to intentionally make content so relatable, engaging, and shareable that internet users voluntarily pass it on to others. It causes an exponential increase in brand awareness by organically generating and pushing the message of a product or service. Social networking platforms and online communities play a vital role in spreading that particular video or post of brands quickly and extensively. It is named “Viral” because it spreads across a population like a virus, and it is not limited to its target audience.
These days, companies have been using “MEMES”, which are viral templates (a photo or a video), and businesses modify them according to their message. The billion-dollar food-delivery start-ups like Zomato and Swiggy in India are prime examples of companies that use viral marketing or buzz marketing.
Real-Life Examples of International Brands That Used Viral Marketing Successfully
1. The “Dove Real Beauty Sketches” campaign:
In the year 2013, Dove took a bold step by challenging traditional beauty standards and featuring women of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities in their campaign. People around the world resonated deeply with this, and it led to a surge in video share. This campaign created a compound effect on online users and led to over 11 billion views and a significant boost in Dove’s sales.
2. The “Share a Coke” campaign from Coca-Cola:
Launched in the year 2014, “Share a Coke” was a Coca-Cola multi-national marketing campaign. This was one of the craziest campaigns from the company. Coca-Cola replaced their iconic logo with the words “Share a Coke with” followed by a person’s name replacing “Coca-Cola” on one side of a bottle. That company encouraged people to share personalized bottles with friends and family. This simple yet effective campaign sparked conversations, social media engagement, and a significant increase in Coca-Cola sales.
Why is Viral Marketing Important?
Viral marketing is significant because it is a very effective method of promoting a product, service, or brand via word-of-mouth, social media, and other types of online sharing. Businesses can experience the importance of viral media marketing because it allows them to raise brand recognition, generate leads, and enhance conversions for a fraction of the expense of traditional marketing tactics.
Pros of Viral Marketing
You will Get More Reach on Online Platforms:
Viral marketing helps businesses reach a wider audience quickly and easily in just a short span of time. This is because social media users share viral content with their own networks through social networking platforms and other online platforms which eventually help you to reach a global audience. This increased reach enables the organization to explore new areas and perhaps grow its client base. When people share viral content online, it spreads like wildfire and ultimately exposes potential customers to the brand’s message. This can lead to increased brand awareness and recognition.
It is a Cost-Effective Marketing Option:
The expenses of viral marketing are a fraction of the price of typical advertising efforts. When customers infectiously share their great experiences with a company’s products and services with others, promotion is practically free. Since buzz marketing depends on people spreading the word rather than paid advertising, so it is an economical method of promoting a good or service. It can save you piles of money over SEO and PPC advertising.
Increases the Credibility of Your Business:
When consumers share a message with their friends and family, it might be perceived as a more reliable recommendation than if it came directly from a corporation. Also, when you share viral content, you are essentially endorsing the brand to their friends and followers.
It’s the Best Way to Build Brand Awareness:
In a congested environment, buzz marketing can help develop brand recognition and generate conversation about a product or service.
It Drives Engagement:
Viral media marketing is also important to inspire consumers to interact with the content and share it with others. In that way, viral media marketing is beneficial in increasing brand loyalty and customer engagement.
The Downsides of Viral Marketing
Lack of control:
One of the most significant challenges of viral marketing is the lack of control that firms have over the distribution of their content. Once a piece of material is released, it is no longer within the company’s control and may be shared or modified in unexpected ways.
Risk of unfavorable brand connections:
Another possible danger of viral media marketing is the likelihood of unfavorable brand connotations. If a piece of material is seen as provocative or inflammatory, the brand may suffer.
The challenge of anticipating success:
Anticipating which pieces of material will go viral and which will not be challenging. This might make it difficult for firms to devote time and money to viral media marketing campaigns.
Should You Rely on Viral Marketing?
If you’re thinking about diving into viral media marketing then you must make sure you’ve got a solid game plan. Your strategy must include outlining your goals and objectives clearly, and figuring out how you’ll measure success. Furthermore, it would be advantageous if you could be creative and provide concepts that are likely to resonate with your target audience. Before deciding if viral marketing is a good fit for your brand, take these factors into account:
- Is your target audience likely to engage with viral content?
- Is viral marketing common in your industry?
- Do you have the resources to create high-quality viral content?
- Do you have a product or service that can appeal to more people?
You must figure out answers to these questions before making an informed decision. However, there is still one major factor left untouched and that is; what you can do to make your content go viral. So, let’s jump right onto that!
The Art of Going Viral: Understanding the Psychology of Viral Marketing
What causes something to go viral?
Understanding the human psychology is at the foundation of any effective viral marketing effort. People like to share items that make them appear good or that connect with their ideals on a psychological level. People want to be a part of something greater than themselves, and they want to keep up to date on the newest trends. They like to give the impression that they are “in the know” or aware of the most recent advancements.
People are more willing to share information that makes them appear good, so making something that resonates with the values and emotions of the viewers may be really powerful. You need to create a narrative or tale around your product or brand that people can relate with is a part of this.
Takeaway: The combination of psychological and societal variables is necessary to make any content go viral. In simple terms, to make something popular and widely shared, you need a mix of factors related to people’s thoughts and feelings, as well as aspects connected to society as a whole.
Now the question is, what feelings should you arouse in your viewers in order for your content to become viral? Well, there are broadly ten emotions that tend to increase the shareability of your content. If you succeed in eliciting these emotions with your content, then your viral marketing methods will contribute significantly to the creation of powerful network effects. Here is the list:
- Excitement – create anticipation for something new
- Amusement – make your audience laugh
- Happiness – make them feel good
- Delight – make them feel special
- Pleasure – give them something of value
- Joy – give them an opportunity to share their joy
- Interest – make them curious
- Surprise – catch them off guard
- Hope – give them a brighter outlook
- Affection – invoke a sense of warmth
The Outstroke
Let us reiterate that whatever plan you choose has advantages and disadvantages. You must look for the flaws in your campaign, and if there is a flaw then no method will be able to deliver the desired outcomes, and your company may lose its current reputation. So, to be clear, viral marketing is the best technique to increase brand recognition in a short amount of time and at a low cost when ideas are done correctly.
