Viral Marketing Techniques For Your Business Growth
Introduction
Obviously, not all marketing campaigns go viral. What is the point of a marketing event that does not go viral? Every business owner aims at engaging in viral marketing. They do not just want to create marketing events that won’t get anywhere. They want to create marketing events that will make their business known far and wide. In this article, we will explore what viral marketing is, what makes up its strategy, its advantages, disadvantages, an example and its techniques.
Table of Contents
- What is Viral Marketing?
- Characteristics of Viral Marketing
- Advantages of Viral Marketing
- Disadvantages of Viral Marketing
- An example of Viral Marketing
- Techniques of Viral Marketing
- Conclusion
What is Viral Marketing?
“Viral” as a word according to the English dictionary is a “spread by word of mouth, with minimal intervention in order to create buzz and interest.” When something us said to be viral, it spreads quickly and widely across its audience.
Viral Marketing on the other hand is a marketing event that spreads easily without much ado through the word of mouth and the internet at large.
Although it has its root in word of mouth marketing, the internet provides its best and most relevant platform. As a matter of fact, in this present age, the internet travels farther and faster than word of mouth. It is very essential that business owners make good use of this great opportunity to their own benefits. A lot of people are familiar with the internet but do not make use of it in making their world of business better.
Characteristics of Viral Marketing
Business Owners want to create viral marketing campaigns. They also want marketing that spreads fast like a virus. Three attributes are common to all its examples and they are the message, the messenger and the environment. Every other characteristics of viral marketing builds on these three attributes.
The following are its characteristics:
Size of Business
Any size of business can create a viral marketing event. It doesn’t matter if it is a large or small business. Also, it doesn’t matter if it is a new or existing business either.
Creativity and Innovativeness
A marketing event that would go viral has to be essentially creative and innovative. It is its creativity that will attract people to it and in essence, make people share it everywhere. In creating an event that will go viral, creativity is keen.
Viral marketing campaigns can make use of various tools such as free products, videos, images, games, text messaging and emails to enhance its creativity.
Cost Friendly
It is very cost friendly. Although it is less expensive than traditional marketing campaigns, it grows faster with the help of social media which serves as a force multiplier.
Uniqueness
It has to have unique ways to present a brand or a product to customers. It’s uniqueness will determine how interested people will be in it as to also share it across their social media pages. This is one major characteristics that must not be ignored in viral marketing.
Advantages of Viral Marketing
Why should you invest in its campaigns? The following are its advantages:
Lower Advertising Expenses
As a matter of fact, when a business is just starting, they most times need to engage in some advertising strategies such as paid promotions and the likes. However, with this, there’s no need to spend so much on advertising since it is very cost friendly.
Fast Growth
Success in business is what all business owners want. However, in the real sense, achieving rapid business growth is a very rare occurrence. It is therefore, a strategy that can give you just the result of a fast business growth that you want. With the uniqueness of your marketing campaigns, you’re already on your way to having a fast business growth.
Increased Credibility
With this comes trust and acceptance. When people see how well your business is doing in its marketing, lots of them will be ready to give it a chance. Also, the kind of image that your marketing campaign has created for your brand has a huge impact on how people view your brand.
Rapid Lead Generation
With viral marketing, it is easier to reach a targeted audience who will as well show great interest in your services or products.
Disadvantages of Viral Marketing
Nothing comes all good. The following are its disadvantages:
Negativity can go Viral.
If perhaps you create a negative campaign that in the long run goes very viral, it is going to have a severe negative effect on your business. You will as a result, loose the trust and acceptance you ought to have gained and as a matter of fact, a lot of people will tell a lot more other people about how bad your brand is. This is due to the image that the campaign has created for your brand.
Association with unknown groups.
Furthermore, its strength lies in its spread from person to person and from mouth to mouth. During this process, your campaign might get into the hands of people you would rather not be associated with.
An example of Viral Marketing
A viral marketing campaign should possess the ability of taping into the emotions of viewers especially the positive ones like joy, love and happiness.
An example of a marketing campaign that has gone viral is the ‘Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” Campaign’. This marketing was created to appeal to the female audience so as to pass subtle messages to their men to get their product.
Techniques of Viral Marketing
Target the appropriate audience and use the appropriate channels
Before you can decide to create a marketing campaign, you need to look out for the appropriate audience for your product as well as find out where they live online. This will enable you reach the right people as well as generate the right leads.
Create and Share Videos
You can also interact with your targeted audience by creating and sharing videos that appeal to the viewers emotions. With this, friends and other viewers can also share your videos, thereby engaging more people in your online activities.
Offer Valuable Products or Services for free
Who doesn’t love free stuff? Offering valuable products or services for free is a great way to get people to try out your products and services as well as see how good you are at what you do. This is also a great way to attract the attention of your targeted audience.
Tap into the emotions of your audience
Humans are emotional beings and they tend to give in to emotions a lot. In order to ensure a marketing campaign that will go viral, you need to appeal to the emotions of your audience especially the positive emotions. Out of their emotions, they share and make your campaigns go viral.
Be unpredictable
Don’t do the norm. Do unpredictable things. Your campaigns should be well thought of and must also be creative.
Conclusion
Viral Marketing has gone far beyond traditional campaigns through word of mouth marketing. Ensure to use the internet well to your advantage. Also, while sharing your campaigns online, ensure to allow sharing and downloading. This will enable a lot of people to have easy access to your campaigns as well as share it across to other people.
