Are you looking to launch a new marketing campaign? Are you wondering how you can make it go viral? Are you unsure if you are doing it right?
Experts suggest spending around 5% of your revenue on marketing. But if you are aiming to launch a viral campaign, there are other aspects you need to consider. There are other factors you need to cover.
What are the secrets to launching a successful marketing campaign? What are the keys to making it viral?
Continue reading below to find the answers.
Understanding the Benefits of a Viral Campaign
Marketing is going through a continuous evolutionary phase. As traditional versus digital marketing continue to battle for dominance, businesses keep on searching for ways to make their marketing efforts more effective.
There is no doubt technology is on the side of digital marketing. Thus, you need to harness the potentials of social media. You need to align your strategies with various online tools to reach your goals faster.
But first, let us look into the key benefits you will enjoy once your campaign goes viral.
1. Brand Building
A viral campaign can instantly put you in the consciousness of everyone, especially your target market. If you are a start-up, the audience will know the name of your company. They will have an idea of your products or services.
As more people become aware of who you are, you can start building momentum. You can use this momentum for the next product you are planning to launch. From there, things will start to snowball.
2. Puts You in Front
Concerning brand building, a viral campaign can help put your brand in front. And not simply in front of any audience; you can expect to see your company face new and bigger audiences.
For a campaign to reach “viral” status, it means achieving a larger audience reach. This usually equates to more sales.
Furthermore, a viral campaign can generate more social media engagements. It can also translate into more talks and discussions concerning your products or services.
3. Minimal Budget
As we said earlier, you don’t need an enormous budget to make your marketing campaign go viral. A high-quality video or a top-notch camera phone is the tool that you need, more or less.
You don’t need to hire a celebrity to make noise online. What you need is informative and relatable content that easily catches the audience’s attention.
The Key Ingredients
Now that you know some of the main benefits of a viral campaign, let’s discuss its key ingredients. It all starts by identifying your niche.
1. Know Thy Audience
First, you need to identify your target audience. Sure, you want everybody to know about your brand. But at the same time, you need to zoom in on your specific target market.
Knowing your audience is crucial if you wish to create an emotional connection. Conduct research on your target market. Find out what attracts them.
When creating content, align it with what they need. Find out what their desires and interests are.
Ask yourself “what do they want from you?” “Do they watch videos for entertainment?” “Do they want to come out wiser after watching your videos?”
Your goal is to make your content speak to them on a personal level.
2. Identify Your Objectives
You also need to identify your objectives specifically. Come up with a solid battle plan that is clear and concise. As a starting point, ask yourself what you wish to achieve by launching a viral campaign.
Do you want to use the campaign to launch a new product? Or perhaps you want to create a video to increase brand awareness in general?
You also need to plan your message. Be careful when writing your script. If you are going to present data and numbers, make sure people can easily understand them.
A good way is using infographics with clear images and details.
3. The Right Headline
For content to capture people’s attention, it should carry a killer headline. This is crucial especially when it comes to social media users. When people browse through their Facebook feed, the first thing that they check is the headline.
If they don’t find it catchy or interesting, they will likely continue scrolling down. There are five types of effective headlines to consider for social media campaigns.
First, there is the “how-to” headline. This type of headline aims to solve an audience’s problem. These are the headlines that begin with “How to.”
For example, if your product is all about vehicle maintenance, you can come up a headline like “How to Keep Your Car Shiny.”
The second is the listicle post. This type of headline presents information in the form of a list. If you are catering to audiophiles, you can come up with a list of “The 10 Best-Sounding Speakers.”
Next is the emotional headline. This pertains to a headline that comes with an emotional approach. You want to evoke an emotion in the minds of your audience.
It can be an emotion relating to their basic, psychological, or self-fulfillment needs. Once you draw that emotion, the audience will likely share your post.
Next is the question headline. This involves asking a question to your audience.
Last but not least is the resource headline. This headline aims to give valuable information to your target market. With this approach, you can present data or conduct interviews with resource persons.
4. That Engaging Image
Using an engaging image is paramount in a viral campaign. The main image that you use will complement the strong headline.
When it comes to the number of images, don’t limit yourself to one. Moreover, use pictures that you feel are interesting in the eyes of your target audience. Also, don’t settle for stock images.
Go for real images and pictures featuring real people. Additionally, you don’t need to hire a professional photographer. A good camera phone will do the trick.
The goal is to make your campaign visually appealing. Avoid images that may potentially compromise your brand.
Stick to visuals that evoke humor. Go for images that will surprise the audience. This will prompt them to hit the share button in an instant.
5. Valuable Content
When it comes to the main content, you need to ensure that you are presenting something valuable. Studies show content marketing influences over 80% of consumers who purchase products.
A striking headline and an appealing infographic will likely earn views. But the question is, are they enough for people to share your material? If your content is valuable, your audience will likely share it with others.
One good tip is to focus on your content’s readability. Keep your campaign simple and concise. If you are looking to deliver multiple messages, stick to two or three main messages at most.
There are a few ways of delivering your message. If your brand is the light and jolly type, you can inject some comedy in your content. Whichever tone of delivery you use, make sure it aligns with what your brand is all about.
Avoid squeezing too much information. This will only complicate the flow of your content. It will also confuse your readers and viewers and potentially drive them away.
Remember that you are looking to win the attention of your target market. Your goal is to make a strong impression using the shortest amount of time.
6. Proper Promotion
Last but not least, you need to promote your campaign in the right way. The level of promotion depends on the size of your current audience.
If you are a relatively new business, you may want to connect with social media influencers. You can also co-create content with them. You can also tag some of your loyal followers in your posts.
On the flip side, if you already maintain a large audience, you want to create more engagements with them. Do your best to respond to their comments. Answer all of their inquiries as quickly as possible.
Whenever they share your content, make sure to like it.
You also need to understand the dynamics of different social media platforms. Find out the type of content users prefer for each particular platform.
Additionally, promote your campaign but do not force it. This means launching your campaign at a strategic time. If the campaign is not generating much traction, you can repost it again.
But don’t do it too often. If the content doesn’t go viral on your first try, revisit your strategies. Identify the areas where you can improve on.
Continue Learning New Strategies
A viral campaign is one of the fastest ways of taking a brand to the next level. Sometimes, a campaign goes viral in a matter of minutes. But if they don’t, other marketing strategies may work better for you.
We encourage you to check our other articles and blog posts. We discuss various marketing topics that aim to help businesses grow and increase their bottom line.