If
you haven’t noticed, social networks are the way news is spread. From protests
in Egypt and breaking news of chemical warfare in Syria to videos that make us
laugh so hard we have to share, online communities are the way messages pass
most quickly to a global audience. Never before has it been so easy to find out
what’s happening across the world; it just takes a few clicks.
It’s
easy to see why. In a recent Social Media Today study it was revealed that
social networking has overtaken porn as the number one activity on the web. In fact, Pew
Research Center’s most recent published social media study claims that over 72
percent of online adults regularly use at least one social network.
If
there’s something that could spread your brand’s message quickly, it’s through
your social network community, or the one you should start creating now. Viral
marketing is defined as “a method of product promotion that relies on getting
customers to market an idea, product or service on their own by telling their
connections about it.” This can happen through e-mail, through posts, through
Tweets or even through texted communications.
If
your brand has information to share and you’re hoping to reach the largest
possible audience, the key is to have a viral marketing strategy that is
targeted and specific. In some cases a little luck is required as well. When
thinking through your strategy, keep the following tactics in mind.
Know Your Market
If
you don’t know your market and what’s important to them, your plan will fail
before it can even be implemented. For instance, if you want to reach out to York web design companies but your marketing
strategy would be found more appropriate for teenage girls between the ages of
14 and 16, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Any
successful marketing strategy – especially those designed for the Internet –
depend upon knowing your target demographic inside and out. Understand what
activities that they take interest in. Know how they’re likely to access your
information or to even hear about your company in the first place. Look into
what networks they’re logging into; if you’re targeting professionals looking
for networking opportunities, LinkedIn is probably the most appropriate network
to get started with. If you’re looking to spread news about current events and
happenings, Twitter’s a great avenue. If you have a photo you’re hoping to take
viral – that links back to your company site or sales page – Pinterest or
Facebook will serve your needs.
Make Sure Your
Information Works
By
understanding your market, you’ll be able to create posts that are likely to be
shared…to make an impact. In order for a post to go viral, it must consist of
the following:
·
It must be unique. If it’s been shared
already, it won’t help you.
·
It must cause
thought.
If a user has to think about what you’ve posted, he or she is more likely to
retain the information for sharing, even if that share is
not immediate.
·
It must be relevant
to the masses.
If you’re targeting a small niche, virility could be next to impossible.
·
It must have a
message.
Your information must carry a message that matters to your brand and that you
promote regularly. If not, there’s no way to link it back to your company –
which should be your intent.
Additionally,
your message must be properly formatted. If it’s a photo in a flash format,
viewers could encounter issues on smart phones and other devices. If it’s a
Tweet over 100-120 characters, your link could be cut off during the Retweeting
process. Your intended viral marketing piece of material should not create any
roadblocks.
Try, Try, then Try
Again
Remember,
even if your strategy covers all the bases, a truly viral piece of marketing
can be difficult to come by. In fact, to many companies, that viral tweet that
got them started – turning them into a multi-million dollar corporation – was a
one-time thing. But, that’s all that it took, making it well worth the effort.
It
may not happen on your first try. It may not happen on your hundredth try.
However, if you keep at it, your brand could create a viral post that puts you
on the map.
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