What is viral marketing
Viral marketing is a type of marketing that uses advertising techniques to fully exploit social networks and other electronic methods. Try to produce exponential and rapid increases in brand recognition.
How? Through massive self-replication, just like the spread of a virus.
It is generally based on word of mouth, using the social network effect and all the services available on mobile devices to reach a large number of people quickly.
Why is it called viral marketing? Because like viruses it spreads uncontrollably.
Viral marketing content is self-shared. That is, it is the users themselves who are responsible for carrying out the work of the marketing campaign, sharing the content and through likes and comments.
The brand that launches the content has almost nothing to do from the moment it decides to launch it, just wait and see how the benefits come.
That sounds good, right? It’s every marketer’s dream! But it has only one drawback; less than 1% get it.
But that 1%, how do you get it? Is it a matter of chance or well-calculated viral advertising? Both. There is content that is created without an advertising purpose, simply to inform users of a situation or for fun. While, on the contrary, there are other contents that are made with the intention of going viral.
A clear example of viral marketing is the famous program “The Island of Temptations.” Viewers watch the program and minutes later their community managers share memes, short videos, polls, etc. All this so that people can share it again, go viral and more and more Spaniards watch his dating show.
Why does one content go viral and another not?
So far there is no one who has been able to fake a viralization. What goes viral on social media is by users’ own choice.
Of course, there are agencies and Marketing experts who have analyzed user behaviors to discover how to create viral content. This helps, but does not provide you with a 100% guarantee.
But why is my advertising not viral and my competitor’s is?
Buzz Sumo, a company dedicated to the study of success in social networks, has analyzed 100 million articles and has drawn its own conclusions about it. They are as follows:
- Long content is more shared. There are many who think that people do not like long content because they have little time, but it is precisely in social networks where the Internet user is most idle.
- Viral marketing does not exist without photos or video. Blog articles that contain images are shared 65% more than those that do not.
- The blame for the content going viral is on social media. Most of the people who surf the Internet have a profile on social networks. Thanks to them, you will make what they share go viral. If you want to do viral marketing you need social networks.
- Use the number 10. It is the best number to create lists, that famous “top 10”.
- Biography helps. The more complete your bio on social media, the better. You will have more chances that the user feels identified with your brand.
- Use influencers. Put an influencer in your life and you will succeed. Influencers increase your engagement by 30% and will provide you with loyal audiences.
- Share content on Tuesdays. Tuesday is the best day to post based on statistics from Buzz Sumo and Google Analytics.
Types of viral campaign
- Pass it on. It’s about sending a message that encourages you to pass it on to others. The so-called word of mouth.
- Viral incentivized. Offer some kind of reward for forwarding submitted content. It is a drastic way to create viral content.
- Covert Marketing. It is a message that is presented as a specific page or activity, without reference to what you send it. It is not apparent that a marketing campaign is in progress. It has the appearance of spontaneous and informal.
- Fan clubs. The same dynamic is followed as the singer’s fan clubs. A brand fan page is created, so that those who wish to criticize the brand go there and a community is created where these criticisms are explained and fought. It is widely used among influencers.
- Rumor marketing. It is understood as a message, announcements or news that border on the inappropriate. It is highly commented and criticized content, but the expected effect is achieved: viralization. It is used a lot in show business.
- Databases. Invite other members to be part of your online community through databases. Viral content is sent to these contacts so that it reaches many, in a short time.
If you want to know more about the types of viral marketing we recommend you visit the following blogs:
Viral Marketing: What It Is And How It Works
30 examples and ideas of Viral Marketing and ingenious advertising
Advantages of viral marketing
These are some of the advantages of viral marketing.
- Low cost. You just have to think of the idea, others will share it!
- Powerful. Reach millions of people in a short time.
- It is not an invasive marketing strategy. Viral content is always welcome.
- Help boost your brand. You will be able to increase your sales funnel, but you will also gain a reputation for your brand. They will associate the viral content with your company, so you must be careful in what you want to viralize.
If you have a startup and need to create traffic quickly and efficiently, you are in the right place. GMOL Solutions has an excellent group of professionals who will help you create the content you are looking for, analyzing and measuring your potential clients.
Trust professionals, trust GMOL Solutions.
