Updated: Apr 4
Viral content refers to any piece of online media, such as a video, image or article, that becomes popular and widely shared through social media platforms, email or other digital platforms through word-of-mouth marketing.
In terms of general marketing strategies, viral content is crucial because it can reach massive audiences and generate significant engagement with a brand or product. With the rise of social media creating viral content has become a key part of any successful social media marketing campaign.
The concept of viral content has been around for decades, but it's taken on new significance in the age of social media. The first viral marketing campaign is often credited to the creators of the Blair Witch Project, who used online forums to generate buzz around their low-budget horror movie in 1999. Since then, viral content has become a ubiquitous part of online culture, with brands and individuals alike striving to create content that will capture the attention of millions.
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For content to be considered viral it must include the following:
Viral content often evokes strong emotions such as happiness, humor, surprise or even anger.
Content that's easy to share across social media platforms is more likely to go viral. This is why images and videos are often dominant when it comes to viral content.
Viral content often taps into current events or popular culture and trending events.
Unique and creative content can stand out from the crowd and attract more attention.
If you can get content to go viral, you can quickly and effectively tap into the following benefits:
Increased reach: Viral content can reach millions of people in a short amount of time, making it an effective way to boost brand awareness and visibility.
Cost-effective: Creating viral content is often more cost-effective than traditional advertising methods, as it relies on organic sharing and eliminates the cost of paid advertising.
Increased engagement: Viral content can generate significant engagement with a brand or product, leading to increased sales and customer loyalty.
There are countless examples of viral content, from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to the "Damn, Daniel" meme. Another particularly successful viral marketing campaign was Old Spice's "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" ad, which generated over 50 million views on YouTube and helped double the brand's sales in just a month.
Getting content to go viral is definitely not easy but to ensure your content has the best chance of being shared consider the following:
01. Know and understand your audience: This is crucial for creating content that will resonate with your audience and encourage them to share it.
02. Be timely and act fast: Tapping into current events or popular culture can make your content more relevant and increase its share ability.
03. Use humor: Humorous content is often more likely to be shared than serious or dry content. Just make sure to be sensitive to cultural, racial and gender sensitivities with the humor.
04. Optimize for social media: Make sure your content is optimized for sharing on social media platforms by including share buttons and using appropriate hashtags. This can also include considering the type of content you create - an image or video is more likely to be shared, for example.
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While viral content can be incredibly effective, it can also be difficult to achieve. Some common and well-known challenges include:
here is no guaranteed formula for creating viral content, which can make it a risky investment.
With so much content being produced and shared every day, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd.
Viral content often has a short lifespan, so it's important to have a strategy for what to do after the initial buzz dies down.