Viral Marketing: Secrets and Examples of a Successful Advertising Epidemic

Among all the epidemics that mankind knows, perhaps there is one that can be beneficial. Viral marketing is a type of advertising, the essence of which is the dissemination of information by the hands of the users themselves. At the same time, the transmission speed of advertising is so high that it has been compared to a virus.

The term was first mentioned in an article for the Harvard Business School by Jeffrey Rayport in 1996; he is the author of this concept.

In this article, we will talk about the secrets of the impact of viral marketing on a person, share successful examples and give some practical advice on how to create such an advertisement yourself.

Why does viral marketing work?

The main goal of viral advertising is to hook on the emotions of the consumer, to evoke joy, pity, anger, in general, a strong emotion that will push to share information. This type of advertising is now more used on the Internet, because it is easier and faster to distribute it there: just make a repost or exchange a link in instant messengers.

Here are the 5 main factors that make an ad go viral:

1. Social significance. With the help of certain information, anyone can form in social networks exactly the image that he needs. For example, if you post quotes of great people on your page, everyone might think that the user is very well-read.
2. Crowd effect . It’s hard to resist posting information online when everyone you know has already done so and is actively discussing it.
3. Emotions. If a picture, video or news item evokes strong feelings, then this material will certainly want to be shared with others.
4. Benefits. If information is able to solve a person’s problem or relieve emotional pain, then it spreads very quickly.
5. Stories you want to continue. Anyone who has storytelling skills will easily intrigue any reader with his interesting text, especially if you lay it out in parts, creating intrigue.

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Initially, this type of marketing was designed for people who can be persuaded, but now everything is different. It is aimed at the target audience, which further distributes the information received with ease, and all because it is not perceived as advertising.

In order for information to find its target audience and become viral, it must perform the following functions:

1. Entertainment. If an advertisement made you laugh, then there will definitely be those who will talk about it on their page on a social network.
2. Reminder. An advertisement like a beacon makes you think about a product or service not only during the advertising campaign, but also after.
3. Information. Advertising acts as a guide to using the product.
4. Learning . New information will be especially useful if it is related to a product that the target audience is already using.
5. Sales . Viral marketing can greatly increase the demand for a product, even if sometimes the effect of such advertising takes longer than targeting.

Now let’s talk about what information transfer technologies are used in viral marketing.

Types of Viral Marketing

So, when the target audience is defined, you need to understand what method of advertising distribution will be effective. Depending on this, the following types of viral marketing are distinguished:

1. Word of mouth . In this case, information is transmitted through conversations between people. This is one of the fastest ways to distribute ads.
2. Rumors. Be careful with this type of marketing, because it is easy to start a rumor, but it is difficult to correct it later. But, nevertheless, it works well and attracts attention. Have you noticed how, before the release of a blockbuster, they begin to discuss interesting and unexpected facts from the life of actors?
3. Opinion monitoring. This type of marketing is used in blogs. The goal is to form a positive opinion about the product that will guide buyers.
4. Provocation . Loud headlines, scandalous news topics will always evoke emotions in the target audience, and this is the best method of influencing the subconscious: you want to talk about what touched.
5. Dissemination of information for money. The target audience is selected, which distributes the necessary information for a fee. For example, athletes share their opinions about super-comfortable sportswear.
6. Guerrilla marketing. This is one of the most cost-effective ways to draw attention to a product. The bottom line is that advertising is placed on related products. For example, a package of watercolors depicts an attractive sketchbook.

Of course, there are more types of viral marketing, but they all share a common goal – as many people as possible should learn about the product.

Why is it so popular now and what are its pros and cons, we will analyze in the next section.

Advantages and disadvantages of viral marketing

Today, many people are ditching the usual radio or TV ads in favor of viral ads. This is due to its advantages:

1. Saves money. The distribution of information is based on the interest of the users themselves, and its launch costs a penny compared to advertising on television, where most of the budget is spent on its distribution.
2. Does not cause negative emotions. Few people like it when something is imposed. This is the feeling that traditional advertising evokes. And in the case of viral marketing, the distribution of advertising occurs on the voluntary desire of the target audience itself, without any prior persuasion. It is especially captivating that information comes to buyers through acquaintances, friends, relatives, which inspires confidence even more.
3. Virtually defies advertising law and censorship regulations. Here, rather, the reverse side works: the content will become even more popular if it contains any prohibitive information. For example, advertising of tobacco and alcohol products is prohibited, but this forbidden topic can be played on the Internet.
4. Time-limited and long-term. Such advertising works without interruption and lives as long as it arouses interest among the target audience. On average, the life of viral information is 2-3 years. For comparison, the lifetime of advertising on television or radio is determined by the customer himself, and it is not always possible to guess exactly what period of its use will give the desired result.
5. Spreads fast. You need to follow customer requests to understand exactly how to hook them, consumers will do the rest for you.

Thanks to these advantages, this type of advertising is becoming more and more popular. But, despite the advantages of viral marketing, this system has its drawbacks:

1. No control . Do not forget that any virus spreads at a high speed and it is very difficult to manage it. In this case, it is difficult to predict people’s reaction to advertising, just as it is difficult to change the course of events if something suddenly goes wrong.
2. Behind the plot of the advertisement, the product itself is lost. It happens that a marketer is so carried away by the “picture” that he forgets about the product, and at the same time, buyers begin to lose sight of it and, accordingly, lose interest in it .
3. Requires constant warming up of the audience. It is necessary to increase the effect on the user and update information.
4. You need to use other advertising promotion channels. This is important to do in the first three days of launch. If the content has not attracted the attention it needs, then it is necessary to reconsider the approach to promoting the product.
5. Possible “broken phone” effect. Viral material may change beyond recognition as it spreads.

No matter how many advantages and disadvantages viral marketing has, it is worth understanding an important thing: no information promotion tool will work if the product and service are initially of poor quality or have an unreasonably high cost.

Next, let’s find out in what format the adware is distributed.

Viral marketing examples

You actually see viral ads more often than you think. It has entered our lives so tightly that it is no longer perceived as advertising in the usual sense for us. Now you will see for yourself when you get acquainted with the most popular examples.

Viral video

Do you know how many new videos are being uploaded to YouTube? Every minute this site receives 300 minutes of new material. And if you count all the videos in the aggregate that get on the Internet? We think the figure will be prohibitive.

High competition and the pursuit of the number of views do their job. For example, Van Damme’s famous twine, which he demonstrated by standing between two trucks, boosted Volvo’s sales by $170 million. Moreover, this trick has become a popular meme and has received many parodies, which, by the way, is also a viral marketing format. The video can be viewed here.

And here’s an example where the product user himself participated in the creation and distribution of viral advertising: the GoPro camera of fireman Cory Kalanick, which was mounted on a helmet, captured the moment of rescue of a kitten. The video has gained more than 40 million views of users, which is not surprising: the plot touches to the core. You can watch the video here.

Viral advertising of Old Spice deodorant, perhaps, at least once caught the eye of everyone. The creators make videos in a humorous style and use an interesting trick: in most cases, advertising for this product is a response to user comments. An example of an advertisement can be viewed here.

Viral Pictures

Here we are talking not only about images that flash on social networks, but also about outdoor advertising. Especially often this marketing technique is used by KFC and McDonald’s. They use bold slogans in their signs, which cannot be ignored:

A typical example of viral advertising is memes and demotivators. The popular “Waiting” or memes featuring celebrities, children or animals will always attract attention.

Viral text

Non-standard email newsletter, interesting text for posts, unusual product description – this is what you want to talk about and what you want to share.

Provocative headlines are especially catchy, which beckon to learn the details and read the attached text in full. This example is most often used by bloggers and journalists.

Look at the unusual format for sending letters to its customers by Mosigra. They moved away from the usual patterns and used the most effective storytelling techniques to attract attention, and they succeeded:

Another example of catchy text from Delivery Club. The advertisers wanted to call for respect for their employees, expressing this in a short story about a courier. Opinions about this approach differed, the message of the authors was not understood by everyone, but the main goal of advertising was achieved – it is being discussed:

Virus applications

All social networks are viral applications. An example of a modern “virus” is Instagram, as well as programs that allow you to put any mask on your face, find out with the help of a photo what the user will be like in old age, etc.

One of the most popular apps is Prisma, which turns your photo into a work of art inspired by famous paintings:

Is it possible to create viral content yourself? Certainly! We will reveal a few secrets of viral promotion further.

How to create a viral ad?

It is important to understand that there is no super-effective recipe for creating viral advertising that will give one hundred percent effect. You can think about an idea for months, but in the end, the one that was born in a minute will shoot. Don’t be upset if it doesn’t work the first time. The main thing is to try and not be afraid to make mistakes, and even better, read a few books about marketing beforehand.

There are several factors that will help your ad become popular online:

1. Involve influencers, experts, bloggers who can talk about your content. Yes, most likely it will not be free for you, but you will be able to reach a large audience.
2. Simplify the repost function. If a person likes the material, he will want to share it immediately. Tedious registrations or the condition to first follow the link in order to send the information discourage every desire to do something.
3. Post ads or any information during your target audience’s active hours. For example, if you need to reach the working population, you should consider that most often they scroll through social networks on their way to work, home from work, or during their lunch break.
4. Publicize your content across multiple sources. Don’t limit yourself to just one site or only. This will help you get more reach.
5. Keep within limits. It is clear that viral advertising is practically not subject to censorship laws, but we advise you not to go beyond what is permitted.

Now let’s take a look at how to create a viral material step by step.

5 steps to create viral content:

1. State the main goal of content creation.
2. Determine your target audience. Who should be interested in advertising?
3. Decide who will play the role of performer? You can do it on your own and trust professionals. If you do not have certain skills needed to create advertising, we recommend contacting contractors.
4. Calculate the budget . Your costs will depend on the purpose of creating the content. If you want to make a powerful advertising campaign, be prepared to invest.
5. Choose your ad format based on your target audience. If your information is aimed at young people, keep in mind that they like to watch pictures or short videos.
6. Write down the script, decide what approach you will use: humor, provocation, etc.
7. Place your ad on the Internet. Use a variety of resources, but keep in mind that a different format is effective for each. For example, a picture is better suited for Instagram or VKontakte. Send it to your friends, as well as send it to thematic chats and communities.
8. Summarize. Estimate the number of responses, reposts, likes and find out if the demand for your product has grown.

So, the general recommendations have been received, and now, to consolidate the effect, let’s look at some tips for creating a viral video.

Tips for making a viral video:

1. Change the angle or background every 10-15 seconds.
2. The video should be short enough to keep the viewer’s attention.
3. Start your video with intrigue, hook people’s emotions.
4. Follow sound, light and image. They must be of high quality. It is not necessary to have professional equipment for this, you can shoot a good video on your phone at home.
5. Don’t be afraid of additional effects. They can increase attention to your video.

At first glance, nothing complicated. But be prepared that it will take several takes and a lot of rehearsals, especially if you are doing this for the first time.

And if you are the main character of the video, we advise you to first look at our online program “Modern Rhetoric”, where you will master and learn how to apply modern rhetoric techniques for public speaking, presentations, stand-ups and video blogging. Agree, an interesting storyteller is already 50% of success in creating a viral video.

Summing up

Surely you thought that good advertising costs a lot, right?! The modern world of promotion dictates different rules to us, and often the one who made it at the amateur level wins, simply by correctly determining the direction and format.

Remember, viral marketing has 5 keys to success:

1. Advertising is distributed free of charge by users themselves.
2. The transfer of information should be easy and without unnecessary technical problems.
3. Advertising should touch the feelings of consumers and evoke their emotions.
4. The ad format must match the promotion channel.
5. Use as many resources as possible to spread the word.

We hope that the material in this article has helped you form a clear picture in your head about what kind of content you would like to create and how to make it popular.

And if in life you suddenly come across a virus, then let it be only an advertising one, and we want to get sick only with our work and nothing else.

Good luck!