What Is Viral Marketing?

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What Is Viral Marketing?

Let me tell you directly: the goal of viral marketing is to get people to share your marketing message with their friends, family, and others, creating exponential growth in who receives it. You see, it spreads information about a product or service from person to person, either through word of mouth or online.

Key Takeaways

Viral marketing is a sales technique that relies on organic or word-of-mouth info about a product or service spreading at an increasing rate. With the internet and social media, you've got more viral messages like memes, shares, likes, and forwards than ever before. Some campaigns aim to trigger virality, but what actually goes viral can be a mystery. Once it happens, it's a powerful way for a message to gain popularity. Ultimately, it boosts a company's reach and customer base.

Understanding Viral Marketing

When I talk about 'viral' in marketing, I mean something that spreads quickly and widely to its audience. It's a deliberate strategy, but the sharing happens organically. Social media is the ideal setup for this, though it started with traditional word-of-mouth. Back in the early to mid-2000s, it was more common, and it's still used by internet-based B2C companies today. Platforms like YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook have made these efforts more effective.

Examples of Viral Marketing

A classic example is Hotmail, the free email service from 1996 that added an ad and signup link to every outgoing message, leading to rapid growth. Another one shows the variety: the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which the ALS Association used to raise awareness and donations. It spread massively on social media, creating a global sensation and boosting ALS visibility. They raised $220 million from it.

What Are the Characteristics of Viral Marketing?

Every viral marketing example, whether planned or accidental, shares three elements: the message, the messenger, and the environment. You need to leverage all three for success. These campaigns work for any business size and can stand alone or fit into bigger strategies. They use tools like videos, games, images, emails, texts, or free products to appeal to emotions, raise awareness for causes, and make sharing easy. Influencers with big followings often help. Social networks act as a force multiplier, making it quicker and cheaper than traditional campaigns. But it can backfire if messages get altered, seen as spam, or miss the mark. Measuring success is tough too.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Viral Marketing

On the advantages side, viral marketing lets companies reach consumers they wouldn't normally target, opening new markets and growing the customer base. Creative efforts can trigger big responses, like Burger King's moldy Whopper post highlighting fresh ingredients versus competitors. Costs are usually much lower than traditional ads, essentially free when people share positive experiences. The internet enables fast, exponential growth, but you need the right sharing tools. For disadvantages, sometimes it sparks the wrong response, and negative news spreads faster with stronger emotions, hurting the business. It's hard to measure if leads or sales come from it, with no standard way to track success. If people think it invades privacy, they won't share, failing the campaign and possibly damaging reputation for future tries.

Pros and Cons

Pros: Wider reach, Faster and exponential growth, Lower costs
Cons: Negative word-of-mouth, Hard to measure, Low virality

How Do You Make Money If Your Video Goes Viral?

To monetize a viral video, you typically require subscribers to pay or let companies advertise to your audience for a fee. They might pay you to mention products or run ads before, during, or after videos. Other options include licensing your video for third parties to use.

Why Is Transparency So Important in Viral Marketing?

Transparency means being honest about operations and motives. It's crucial because consumers are more critical of marketing now and hold companies accountable. About 94% of consumers stay loyal to transparent brands.

What Does 'Seeding' Mean in Relation to a Viral Marketing Campaign?

Seeding is when companies distribute viral content to select users, like influencers, who they believe will share it effectively and provide feedback.

What Are the Steps to Start a Viral Marketing Campaign?

First, define your purpose—maybe improve brand image or awareness. Then, learn about your audience using social media reports. Make sure your content is easy to share, or it won't take off. Keep it organic and relatable. Use trends and hashtags to grab attention.

What Are Good Tools for Viral Marketing Campaigns?

You can create sponsored communities to promote products. Run sweepstakes, contests, and rewards for buzz. Other tools include sponsored messages and chat blasts.

The Bottom Line

Viral marketing is a cheap, effective way to boost awareness and promote brands or products. It relies on your audience sharing campaigns and positive experiences. Done right, it helps growth, new markets, and revenue. Choose the right platforms and make content shareable. If done poorly, it can harm earnings and reputation.

What Is Viral Marketing?

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