Things That Make You Go Viral

You may have been living under a rock if you have not seen an  ALS ice bucket challenge on social media lately.

It is just the perfect example of how a simple idea or initiative can be turned into a sensational viral campaign.

So far, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised over $100 million for Lou Gehrig’s disease. Not bad for an idea that involves people dumping ice water over their heads.

The Ice Bucket Challenge flawlessly demonstrates how it is done for a forward thinking idea to go viral.

Viral marketing can generate a huge amount of buzz and help your idea or brand get noticed on a large scale. It is not enough having a great idea; it is about making this great idea known. That is where viral marketing comes in. It is designed to form strong emotional connections with people: a connection so strong that people cannot resist but share the idea with other people.

Old Spice campaigns featuring former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa are true testaments to the power of viral campaigns. The light and snappy nature of these campaigns captured the attention of the public. As of today, Old Spice YouTube channel has generated incredible 243 million views for its 256 videos.

Evian's "Baby & Me" campaign in April 2013 successfully awakened everyone's inner child by featuring dancing babies with uncanny resemblance to adult actors. The campaign perfectly embodied the brand's message of "Live Young". Its humorous and fun aspect triggered positive emotions in millions of people that drove them to share and helped make the campaign go viral. Currently, Evian's "Baby & Me" YouTube video has over 95 million views and counting.

Here are a few tips for you to start off a viral campaign the right way:

1. Develop emotional connections: Keep your content fun, easy, and lighthearted so that people can connect positively to your brand on a more personal level. It should contain triggers that compel people to share it with their friends and families.
2. Add an element of surprise: Come up with an original idea for your viral campaign. Your content should be something totally unexpected that surprises your target audience and demands their attention.
3. Be subtle with advertisement: Many people tend to switch off or shy away from obvious advertisements, so make your idea or topic the focal point of your campaign and keep the advertisement in the subtle background.
4. Allow unrestricted access: Make your campaign accessible and share-able on multiple social media platforms. Your campaign should be easily searchable on the Internet so that people can find it, have a positive emotional response to it, and share it with other people.
5. Give them more: Be sure to follow up your viral campaign with updates and sequels. Keep the momentum going with follow-ups to stay fresh in people's minds.

If you are using social media for your viral campaign, make sure you know the best time to post your content to drive the most traffic. See below to find out when to post your content on different social media platforms to increase your chance of going viral. 

                      

             

May Mandy Han