Viral Marketing is a type of internet marketing that depends on users to carry it to a mass audience and spread like a virus. If you can catch your users attention and have them buy into the theme of what you are doing it will take on a life of its own. I equate it to a snowball. The further it goes down the hill the more mass and speed it picks up. The benefits are that these users become your promotions team and it is FREE!

With all the social media avenues these days, viral marketing is perfect because of the simplicity and likelihood of users sharing and forwarding your message. Even images, text, ebooks, and hashtags can make your campaign go viral. Viral campaigns are the social media equivalent of word of mouth.

When a viral campaign is employed by a company as an advertising strategy it could catch on and mean a massive improvement in sales, brand recognition and profits. What goes viral and what doesn’t depends on how easily it is to spread, how much effort and time is involved and who gets on board early. Companies have to decide how they want to execute a viral marketing campaign. It may include blogging, banner ads, video and almost always includes a social media component.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has taken the internet by storm. As of Sept. 4 ALSA.org has received $108.4 million in Ice Bucket Challenge donations making it one of the best viral marketing campaigns in history. One of the reasons it exploded on the scene were because influencers got in on the action and challenged other influencers.

This is a great one from Bill Gates.

Here is a graphic from Vulture that shows how the phenomenon got help from celebrities.

Some of the most effective viral marketing campaigns have employed video. This is easier than ever with the access to smart phones a way to record video is never far away.

To have the best chance of going viral. Keep it simple. Simple to replicate, simple to share.

Make sure its unique. Make a list of ideas and pick the best ones. Use a professional agency or do the best you can with what you have. If you are unique and have a great idea you should be able to track the progress and have it gain steam and become viral.

Draw from current events, news or trends. This makes the content relevant and much more likely to explode on social networks.

Optimize your content. Make it easy to share (include sharing options on your blog or web page. Use a customized hashtag and make it go viral as fast as possible with the most easy to share and replicate content possible. Good luck out there and let us know your idea and if you need help, contact us today.