{"id":138449,"date":"2020-12-18T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-18T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/?p=138449"},"modified":"2020-12-22T12:24:37","modified_gmt":"2020-12-22T12:24:37","slug":"secret-successful-viral-marketing-campaigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/digital-marketing-strategy\/secret-successful-viral-marketing-campaigns\/","title":{"rendered":"The secret of successful viral marketing and advertising campaigns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Viral marketing is not an exact science. It\u2019s not the case that if you want to create a viral marketing campaign you simply have to think about it, plan it, and then you have it. If only it was that simple<\/h2>\n

Viral marketing has grown in popularity for consumers seeking entertainment and content creators finding new ways to reach their customers.<\/p>\n

Chances are that every CEO out there would like to have a viral marketing campaign for their company. Why? Because it is one of the most effective types of marketing. You don\u2019t have to spend large budgets on creating ads or getting them out there. The focus here is on great content<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is viral marketing?<\/h4>\n

Viral marketing - or word of mouth marketing, as it was known before the technology era - has been existing for decades, but only during the past few years, since the appearance of social media networks, has it been known as viral marketing.<\/p>\n

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Get started today using a tried and tested step-by-step process to optimize your marketing.<\/p>Start Now<\/a><\/div>\"\"<\/div><\/p>\n

According to Investopedia<\/a>, viral marketing \"seeks to spread information about a product or service from person to person by word of mouth or sharing via the internet or email.\"<\/p>\n

The word of mouth aspect in viral marketing is crucial - viral content inspires consumers to share your marketing message with their friends, family and networks to increase your reach through a trust-worthy medium.<\/p>\n

Memorization vs emotions. Regular vs viral campaigns.<\/h3>\n

Whenever you are advertising certain products or services, you are making use of one of the two aspects of humankind:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Memorization<\/li>\n
  • Emotions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Colt Charlton, a chief marketing officer, says: \"The first aspect is taken into consideration when using regular advertising. For example, in the marketing industry, there\u2019s a rule called the Rule of Seven. It was defined in the 1930s and it\u2019s still valid today. According to it, a customer will need to see a message seven times before acting on it. To achieve this, you will have to pump lots of cash into ads in order to get to your message to customers seven times.\"<\/p>\n

    Content that goes viral elicits an emotional response in people. This causes them to share the content and it spreads rapidly. When people develop strong feelings around a message, the impulse to share becomes irresistible. Marketers need to have a powerful message that triggers people to want to share, almost without thinking about doing so.<\/p>\n

    When people are surprised by the unexpected, they are more likely to share. Challenge their assumptions, give them a startling fact, make a bold assertion or provide an innovative new way of doing something. If you can make people burst into spontaneous laughter, the first thing they\u2019ll want to do is share your content.<\/p>\n

    If you identify the key issues that interest your audience, you will have a better idea on how to create that emotional response. If content is to go viral, it can\u2019t just be okay. It has to push the envelope and deliver a message worth sharing.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Advanced Module<\/div>
    \"Compete

    Compete using the ‘Skyscraper Technique\u200b’<\/strong><\/p>

    Part of the Content marketing Toolkit<\/p>

    Learn about Brian Dean\u2019s \u201cSkyscraper Technique\u201d and how this can be used to create content that attracts backlinks and increases dwell time<\/p>Learn More<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n

    Social media trends for viral marketing<\/h3>\n

    American retailer Kroger had great success on TikTok with #TransformUrDorm. Tiktok's Hashtag Challenge Plus feature allows customers to purchase products featured on the hashtag, with the #TransformUrDorm tag being viewed over 875 million times.<\/p>\n

    Partnering with four influencers for the campaign: Joey Klaasen, Cosette Rinab, Mia Finney, and Victoria Bachlet, collectively boasting 13.8 million followers, Kroger received\u00a0 3 million views, 252K likes, 1352 comments, and 1747 shares<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    \"Viral<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Advanced Module<\/div>
    \"Learn

    Learn the latest social media developments<\/strong><\/p>

    Part of the Social media marketing Toolkit<\/p>

    Learn how to give your business an edge by keeping up to date with the latest social media developments and supporting your continuous professional development.<\/p>Learn More<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n

    What type of emotions are you looking to tap into?<\/h3>\n

    Emotion-based advertising makes the customer act upon the message faster than usual. According to research done by SEMrush<\/a> the 10,000 most shared articles on the web generated the following emotions:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Awe <\/strong>- 25%<\/li>\n
    • Laughter <\/strong>- 17%<\/li>\n
    • Amusement <\/strong>- 15%<\/li>\n
    • Joy <\/strong>- 14%<\/li>\n
    • Anger <\/strong>- 6%<\/li>\n
    • Empathy<\/strong> - 6%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      In this instance, the positive emotions, such as awe, laughter, amusement, and joy, are the ones that generate the most viral campaigns.<\/p>\n

      Further research by the Froniers in Psychology journal<\/a> in September 2020 concluded that measuring\u00a0consumers' unconscious emotional responses to advertising content might be key to a fuller understanding of consumer behaviour - a victory for the psychology of marketing.<\/p>\n

      A campaign that went viral because it connected to emotion was the Dove Real Beauty Sketches. The short film was viewed more than 114 million times<\/a> in the first month.<\/p>\n