We can understand if you still have a burning desire to “become viral.” It makes sense for brands to want to reach as many consumers as possible. More so with their names and content. In fact, increasing brand awareness is the top aim for marketers. And that too using social media today. This explains why a large number of companies use viral marketing. They want to launch themselves into the world of social media fame. But does it still make sense in today’s world? To chase after fads and singular events? Instead, businesses are giving importance to social media. Treating it as a component of a larger marketing funnel. As we begin a new decade, we have new ideas. The idea of viral marketing merits some review. 

The prevalence of memes, however, is amazing. It serves as an excellent example. It does that for modern social media viral marketing. Although it is not always connected to a specific product. The fundamentals of going viral and how memes spread go hand in hand.

Because they resonate with people, memes are widely shared and promoted. And through “liking” and “sharing,” non-meme users take part in meme trends. The same guidelines apply to viral marketing. Here fans and clients spread a brand’s material. This is because its message or advert is interesting.

Many viral marketers will attempt it. But very few will succeed in achieving the kind of global exposure they desire.

What Is Viral Marketing? 

Viral marketing is a form of advertising. It depends on the audience to spread the word about a service. Marketing also reaches the stage where the general public spreads it. The public spreads it because they want to. Then the said service or good has gone “viral.” If you succeed, everyone will see your message on social media.

Knowing why something goes viral is difficult. Getting to how it happens is simple. The recurrent customers and the maybes are the two types of customer segments. They are the focus of all viral marketing examples. It does not matter if it was willful or not. A business is successful in turning the “maybe” into a “yes.” Then it can enter a new market by increasing its reach and clientele. 

Viral marketing aims to gather knowledge about a good or service. They want to do it from person to person using email. Or even the internet, or word-of-mouth. There is an aim for viral marketing. That is to get people to spread a marketing message to everyone. This will lead to an increase in the number of people who receive it. A sales strategy known as viral marketing relies on word-of-mouth advertising. Or in traditional ways. They collect information about a good or service. The speed of doing so is amazing.

Benefits and Importance 

Viral marketing is becoming a constant in our life. So, of course, it has its benefits. We have mentioned a few below.

• Fast adverting: This is something that is obvious. Although we concentrate on the sales that come from viral marketing. We cannot deny that it has a significant impact on lead creation. Trending subjects draw the attention of people. Everyone may not be ready to buy from you at the moment. You have to generate enough interest. Then, they will be sure to keep you in mind for when they are.
• Access to the major media: This is quite important. There is no denying the strength and audience of mainstream media. Even if inbound marketers will argue that you don’t need it to raise awareness. When done, viral marketing gives media outlets. It gives them a cause to feature your business. This happens without costing you anything or asking them to. There is a benefit to receiving widespread media attention. It is that it becomes viral. Smaller media sites pick up the stories promoted by the big names.
• Rapid Growth: Business success is rarely instant. Viral marketing is a strategy that has a lot of potential. This generates rapid development in a very short period of time. It is quite difficult to achieve. But it is the most alluring to business owners. Viral marketing can be successful without instant fame. You’re already in the lead. That is if you can achieve even modest growth at a reasonable price.

How to Use Viral Marketing 

Everyone who works in marketing has tried to develop a campaign that goes viral. Yet many marketing experts are still unsure of the exact factors. They want to know what causes something to spread. The majority of the time, things on the internet spread due to the snowball effect. Someone finds something they like. Then they share it with their friends, who then see it and do the same, and so on.

The message and manner you use to present it both affect your marketing campaign goes viral. In order for people to share your content, your message must be compelling enough. Also, the format should enhance the experience.

Now, to develop such a piece of content, you must be aware of your target market. They are also aware of content types they prefer, and the things that most pique their interest. The virality of a piece of content is also aided by trend-jacking. Remember that trends change. Also, you must be proactive if you want to capitalise on them. Furthermore, not all trends will be helpful to your company. Therefore you must be very selective. Especially when choosing trends to use in your viral marketing initiatives.

The Best Viral Marketing Strategy

Viral marketing is something that happens in many ways. Yet there are some strategies which are the best. We have mentioned some. 

• Properly utilise social media: This is a must. It is not surprising that businesses favour online platforms. That too over all others. Especially when it comes to promoting a product, service, or brand. This is because of the broad acceptance of social media platforms. Also, the role they play. When creating a social media strategy, marketers should follow a plan. First, they start by determining who their target market is. Then, pushing content on the channels that they frequent the most.
• Think back to the Emotional Touch: This is quite useful. Including an emotional component in your material is one of the best methods to make it go viral. People get emotional about a subject that is close to their hearts. So you must appeal to those emotions. A significant part of the audience will soon notice and spread your content.
• Employ influencers: This increases your viewers. One must introduce their business to their devoted audience. In that influencers can help your campaign succeed. Many companies utilise influencers in their marketing. This will help them to spread their word to those who would be very hard to reach otherwise. One must accelerate the sharing process. Then these influencers can jumpstart buzz creation. Then they can assist in making the campaign go viral.

Pros and Cons

Though viral marketing may appear full proof and easy. That isn’t the case. Like everything else, that is a cover. Viral marketing also has its pros and cons. We have mentioned some of them here.

Pros

• Viral marketing enables businesses to promote their goods. They reach their customers with their recent marketing initiatives. The company is able to access new areas. Also, they grow its customer base thanks to this increased reach.
• Viral marketing can also result in explosive and swift growth. This is due to the ease and speed with which the material spreads online. However, it’s crucial to remember how fast the content becomes viral. That depends on whether the company has the appropriate technologies.

Cons 

• Viral marketing can sometimes elicit a reaction that was not intended. Consumers tend to spread bad news more than good news. The research also indicates that people react more to bad news. Negative publicity may be damaging to business and sometimes difficult to overcome.

• Customers are unlikely to share if they think the viral campaign would risk them. If it risks their privacy. The company’s marketing strategy fails as a result, and its reputation is no longer good. Previous unsuccessful initiatives may have a negative impact on viral marketing strategies.

 

Top 3 Viral Marketing Examples

We have mentioned some viral marketing examples.

• Challenge to retweet chicken nuggets from Wendy’s

It all began in 2017. This started with a simple tweet. There was a tweet to the fast food restaurant Wendy’s. In that Carter Wilkerson enquired on how many retweets he would need. This is to receive a free year of chicken nuggets. The chain bit the bait and responded, “18 million.” Even though his tweet didn’t quite reach 18 million. It did succeed in becoming the most-retweeted tweet ever.

• Using an iPhone, Apple

Everybody knows Apple. Even Apple, a famous brand in the industry, needs a marketing strategy to help them keep its fans. And to highlight how incredible their cameras were, Apple launched a campaign. It was the “Shot on iPhone” campaign in conjunction with the release of the iPhone X.

• The Skittles company’s “Taste the Rainbow” promotion

This is quite famous. The company has continued to employ the original tagline. Even though it was only adopted in 1994 since it is so memorable. The 1994 advertisement first highlighted the ability to mix up unique taste mixtures. The phrase “Taste the Rainbow” is the result of all the flavours.

Tips and Best Practices

All marketers ought to at least understand what makes social content popular. We have mentioned some tips for marketers. You can have a look at them if want to create content that will go viral.

• Be certain that your content is ready for distribution: This is very basic. You must ensure that your information is ready for rapid and simple distribution. Then, consider which social media platforms would work best for a certain promotion. Making sharing as simple as workable is wise. You can help the sharing of your campaign with your audience.

• Think about why you want to become famous in the first place: Every marketer needs to do this. Uncertainty about the purpose of wanting to appear in everyone’s social media feed. This is one of the major issues facing businesses trying to go viral. Instead of throwing something together and hoping it sticks. You must develop useful content if you align your viral endeavours and aims.

• Make your writing engaging and original: This is a simple but crucial piece of advice to provide. The majority of viral content shares the traits of being appealing and relevant. They are natural and approachable in this way. 

In Conclusion

The frequency of viral content in the form of memes, shares and likes has increased. It is happening since the development of social media and the internet. Some marketing strategies aim to make something go viral. But it’s often unclear exactly what does so. It is simple and inexpensive to spread a message once something goes viral. Viral marketing can broaden a business’s audience and, its clientele.

All chosen viral marketing examples have three main parts. The content, the medium, and the setting. To develop a fruitful viral marketing campaign, each component needs to be there. Any size of business can develop viral marketing initiatives. Either they can stand on their own or be a component of a bigger modern campaign.

For raising awareness and encouraging a business or product. Viral marketing is a practical and affordable strategy. Businesses rely on their target audience to spread the word about advertising efforts. Successful campaigns can aid in business expansion, market expansion, and revenue growth. Businesses must arrange their material for easy sharing on the appropriate channels. They must advertise. Poor execution could lead to bad outcomes. And that can harm a company’s reputation and earnings.

What do you think about viral marketing? Do you think you are also a part of it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!