Go Viral! Build Hype For Your Products Online
In this day and age, it’s not enough to have a great product to make it in the business. You also have to go viral.
Everything and everyone is on the internet these days. That’s what makes online platforms such good places for business. If you want to be seen, to make sales, and to grow as an entrepreneur, as a brand, or even as a personality, you have to make waves online. You need to employ effective digital marketing strategies.
But while making social media accounts, building a website, joining online marketplaces, and using SEO will get you on your feet, what will truly get your digital marketing campaigns up and running is viral content.
What is viral marketing and content?
Viral marketing refers to the creation of viral content that endorses a product, brand, or personality. Viral content, meanwhile, refers to content (i.e., image, video, music, article, etc.) that is shared online quickly and on a massive scale. This is achieved mostly through links, shared content, reactions, and reviews shared by users and viewers through social media, email, forums, and online messaging platforms.
Viral content is willingly shared by internet users. And that doesn’t happen by being ordinary. It is extremely entertaining, shocking, touching, informative, or interesting.
Social media and viral marketing go hand-in-hand given how the former is the most likely suspect for a piece of content becoming viral, mainly because of its wide reach and popularity with internet users. Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and even Twitter each pull millions (some billions) of active users monthly. Their handy ‘share’ options also make it easy for users to spread content among their networks or followers.
74% percent of consumers rely on social networks to guide their purchasing decisions (ODM Group) as well. That’s nearly three-quarters of buyers or the majority of your potential customers.
And with viral marketing, you can influence each and every one of them, including that last 24% percent.
It’s so effective, in fact, that many businesses try their hardest to incorporate viral content into their marketing strategies to build hype around their products. Even record labels are now asking their artists to go on social media platforms and make viral content as part of their contracts.
As a business existing in the internet age, viral marketing campaigns can be very influential to success. And here’s how you do them.
How to go viral? Let’s get to it!
1. Know your audience and your context
As in every marketing strategy, viral marketing begins with knowing your audience and context. This means knowing your target audience’s demographic, what they’re into, and the events that have been, are currently, and will be affecting their lives and their purchasing decisions and sharing inclinations.
If you know what they want to achieve or avoid, you can easily present your product as the ideal solution.
It also plays a role in developing an effective social media strategy. Doing your research lets you know the types of content your ideal audience would be most receptive to, the best posting schedule to get the most interactions, and the type of marketing nuances that yield the best results.
2. Include a hook in your title and description
Your title and description are some of the first things a viewer will notice. As such, it should instantly hook them and rouse a desire to continue reading or viewing your content.
Use words and phrases that (1) pique interest, (2) shock, or (3) cause an emotional reaction. Have you seen titles and descriptions using these statements?
- This _____will blow your mind!
- You’ll never believe how this…
- _____ you need to try!
- No one believed _____ until _____!
- Watch me _____!
These are just some examples of hooks that have people curious and/or exhibiting emotional responses.
Titles and descriptions like these increase chances of going viral simply by how they increase the click rate. They don’t give everything away but instead include details that let the readers have a good idea about the subject, why it’s relevant to them, and why they should click or consume the piece of content. They tease, create suspense, and tickle the imagination.
To up the game, many also use superlative descriptions and all caps. Doing so helps generate excitement.
Just look at how @mikaylanogueira from TikTok got the Charlotte Tilburry Beautiful Skin Foundation to go viral with the description, “WATCH ME USE THIS AT MY WEDDING 😭”. As of writing, it has 3.2 million views, 454.3k likes, 4002 comments, and 9408 shares.
3. Create content that just NEEDS to be shared
For any type of marketing, content is king. And for a viral campaign, quality content means two things:
First, your content should be something worth sharing. It should present your product in the best ways possible and share why it is relevant in an incredibly entertaining or informational manner.
Remember that viral product video from @mikaylanogueira? From the description alone, she stated where the product can be used. If you watched the video, you’ll see her using the foundation with amazing results! And given the content creator’s extremely bubbly personality, superlative-filled descriptions, and amazing makeup skills, the video is incredibly entertaining.
Second, it should create a sense of urgency, excitement, or FOMO. For this you can: (1) partner with an influencer, (2) share how popular your product already is, or (3) share how users can be better off than others by using your product. Tackle a problem that people desperately want to be answered, touch on a relevant issue, or work with a popular trend.
People are naturally social creatures and are often easily swayed to join the bandwagon.
Influencers, specifically, are great for viral campaigns since they already have a large following ready to consume and share their content. In fact, in 2021, the global influencer marketing value reached around 13.8 billion U.S. dollars (Statista, 2022).
Check out viral marketing in tandem with influencer marketing in this viral product video from NikkieTutorials on Youtube. Here, she talks about Juvia’s Place foundations and concealer, earning 6.8 million views, 253k thumbs-up, and 10,960 comments as of writing.
4. Use short-form content
Since we’re talking about going viral, we’re talking about social media. And the generations that use them the most are Millenials and Gen Z. These 2 generations have the lowest attention span compared to previous generations and are more inclined to click share on memes and short videos instead of long-form content, hence the popularity enjoyed now by TikTok and Instagram Reels.
Don’t get us wrong, long-form content like articles and blogs are still some of the best marketing tools, especially for building credibility, improving SEO, and providing relevant information to customers doing product research (aka customers with the intent to buy).
However, viral marketing relies more on content that’s easily consumed and shared online, usually through social media posts. Just look at how Lipton Tea found itself at the center of attention when a screencap from one of its ads featuring the muppets led to a viral meme being born, namely the Kermit the Frog drinking Lipton tea meme. Its virality brought the brand much visibility with it still being used as an example of a highly successful product meme today.
5. Create a product that’s as good as you promised (…and more)
For a product to truly go viral in a good way, it should make people happy enough with its actual features, performance, and results to vouch for it and share content about it online. Make sure it’s practical and answers an actual need or demand.
Even if you find an influencer willing to advertise a bad product online, the influenced consumers will soon try it and may make their own noise by providing you bad reviews. That will make your product go viral, but in a way that is bad and endangers your entire brand.
Moreover, make sure to provide customer service that will have people talking to thank you and your staff publicly. Consider it part of the product experience.
So really, the number 1 secret is simply to have a great product and service.
6. Use UGC to generate more UGC on social media
Viral marketing relies mostly on user-generated content circulating on social platforms on a massive scale. So speed up the UGC machinery by sharing UGC on your own social media channels. Many of the best viral marketing examples are found on social media.
Drive even more traffic and interest by providing incentives for UGCs and product referrals. Make your social media marketing strategy collaborative. Encourage viewers to share content.
Many of the advantages of viral marketing, including wide reach and fast transmission, can only be truly unlocked through social media. This is why social media marketing is important in executing viral marketing.
At the heart of a viral product is a unique idea
There are many techniques you can employ to try and get your product to go viral and get positive publicity. But these are all anchored on one thing: a unique idea.
If you’re selling a product that everyone already is selling in the same contexts in which they have already been used, then why would people be interested? Why would they make a video about it or click that coveted share button?
A unique idea upgrades your product’s charm from mere practicality or preference to wonder and enjoyment. A unique idea makes a good product phenomenal, elevating customer satisfaction levels to new heights.
That unique idea can be anything from an aesthetic packaging to a lasting formulation, a never-been-seen feature, or a new way of using a known product.
There is no limit to imagination!
Channel the power of viral marketing for your online business
Viral marketing is the ace of digital marketing. It is also the best partner for social media campaigns and strategies. But more than that, it’s the power behind best-selling products on your online store.
Channel the power of viral marketing with Cafe24. With our online business solutions and ecommerce innovations, it’ll be so easy to manage your online store that you’ll have all the time in the world to make viral content that will create hype for your products online.
Not only that but by syncing your social media channels with your Cafe24 store website, you’ll be able to track your viral marketing campaigns in the website dashboard. Get immediate results and insights for better strategy and performance!
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