Viral Marketing for Dummies: The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Are you aware that the potency of your campaign can be magnified by the almighty power of ‘viral marketing’?

Utterly mystifying, isn’t it?

Virality can be a tricky phenomenon to comprehend. Indeed, some may perceive it as an exotic concept or one that is difficult to comprehend. Nevertheless, if your brand is already recognized by potential customers and becomes famous for any reason – like through word-of-mouth – then it can truly become an asset!

For marketers, virality is an enigma. It’s an elusive force that defies explanation; its effects are often unpredictable and sometimes even detrimental. Try using this novel approach in your next marketing campaign and watch how quickly success turns into failure! Yet, when utilized properly…

Viral Marketing for Dummies: The Good

Unbridled enthusiasm for a product can be one of the most striking facets of the success stories that come out of viral marketing. It’s a rather delightful way to experience your offering!

To comprehend what this means, bear in mind that ‘viral marketing’ is often utilized when advertising. When consumers encounter an advert or post regarding a certain brand or product on social media, it doesn’t take much to spark an interest; they simply have to glance over it – no need for further investigation or even involvement beyond that point. That initial exposure is all it takes for them to become captivated by the narrative and eventually purchase whatever item is being touted!

Viral Marketing for Dummies: The Bad

The law of averages states that no matter how hard you try, there will be some low-quality content out there. This is particularly true when it comes to descriptions on a website or social media profiles, which can lead to low click-through rates and consequently little success for businesses in marketing strategies.

Offering any kind of incentive – whether financial or non-financial – through your viral marketing campaign could land you in hot water if the content does not reach its goal. Permitting participants to earn a reward for sharing their experience with others could cause legal issues down the line; it may even constitute an endorsement by the company, which could lead to allegations of conflict of interest.

Ensuring that everyone has an equitable shot at winning can prove challenging, especially when attempting to inspire participation from potential customers within your niche. Sharing opportunities with them could result in uneven distribution of rewards across subgroups and other factors that could potentially compromise your ability to gain traction with customers!

Viral Marketing for Dummies: The Ugly

Unsolicited emails can be a problem for some people, however, if you’re considering using them don’t let yourself get too worked up about it.

It is possible that any email that we send could get lodged in the spam folder. Email spam is one of the leading causes of consumer concerns with their inboxes and unwanted emails are typically distributed from unknown sources, hence why many will choose to opt-out of such offers.

If you are able to gain consent from your audience, then sending them an email could be a viable option. If not – consider other options!

When to Use Viral Marketing

If you have a small business or enterprise, viral marketing may be an effective strategy for your enterprise. It can help you gain new customers and retain existing ones; it is also cost-effective!

You could use this method to generate extra media exposure for your company. For example, if your venture requires some coverage on social media platforms like Facebook or YouTube – then you could leverage their popularity to promote and market yourself!

For the uninitiated, viral marketing entails manufacturing buzz about your brand on the web, where people share content that reinforces its message.

How Viral Marketing Works

If you have been marketing online, chances are that you’ve stumbled upon a video clip or photo whose popularity has already caught fire.

The rumblings of virality can be detected within hours after the introduction of an item into the public discourse. As soon as that information is shared, it may spread like wildfire on social media and across the internet at large!

It’s crucial to identify opportunities for using content marketing in tandem with viral videos to enhance your brand visibility and generate clicks.

Filing a Viral Video/Blog Post with YouTube or Blogger

YouTube is an essential content marketing channel, and it’s among the most effective ways of generating traffic and brand recognition. In fact, YouTube is a top three search engine ranking factor!

There are countless varieties of video formats available on YouTube; however, one of the most frequently utilized is in the form of a blog post. Typically consisting of a concise summary with added videos or audio clips to supplement its content, these videos can be uploaded to your website or published directly onto social media platforms for maximum reach!

Creating a blog post is straightforward; however, making sure that each word choice you make in it is accurate may prove challenging. Indeed! Ensure that you only include the facts (no opinionated claims) as well as do not exceed 3-4 sentences per paragraph and keep your paragraphs compact so as avoid any lengthy blocks of text – this will help you save space and leave plenty of room for visuals! Lastly but not leastly: don’t forget to add captions for those who cannot hear what is being said.

The Bottom Line

No matter how well-crafted a content marketing campaign may be, without quantifiable results like increased leads or sales, no enterprise can truly be considered a success. In order to harness the power of viral marketing effectively, businesses must have evidence that their efforts are bearing fruit.

To log tangible gains, your digital marketers must demonstrate an increase in conversions and/or website traffic. These indicators provide proof that your efforts have been successful!

Conclusion

Don’t let the ‘ugly’ viral marketing moments deter you! We all experience them, and they are no doubt memorable.

So, how do you make your brand’s ugly moments viral? This may sound counterintuitive, but it’s actually quite simple. Just don’t be ashamed of these examples – instead embrace them and use them as inspiration for future campaigns!