Viral Marketing Tips and Our Favorite Viral Videos

Here are our top 5 viral videos, and some tips to help you avoid viral marketing blunders.

8) Not share-worthy. First and foremost, a viral campaign must be entertaining –or interesting at the very least. A concept that is just brand-centric will not pass the viral test, so create a campaign that is lighthearted that only hints at a marketing agenda. (Example—Will it blend video series).

7) No hook. If a viral effort does not have a hook or unique angle, the likelihood of users responding to it is slim. It is important for marketers to remember that what is funny inside a conference room, may fall flat with consumers. Think about users’ perceptions of your brand, and consider running tests to find the best concept.

6) No value. Even if it’s just plain funny, viral campaigns need to give consumers a reason to pass it along to their networks. As a marketer—with brand standards and discerning stakeholders—this can be difficult to achieve without sacrificing your brand. Find aspects of your brand personality that can be extrapolated to a viral effort.

5) No tracking. Have a plan in place to gauge the success of a viral effort. Even if it doesn’t reach Ad Age’s top ten videos for the week, it is still possible for marketers to realize positive brand interactions. Make sure all landing pages and social promos are tagged properly and buzz monitoring is implemented, so you can campaigns throughout their entire lifecycle.

4) No distribution plan. Create a distribution plan for your viral marketing efforts. Make sure your content is available at all channels like YouTube, Facebook and your blog. You cannot assume that marketers will hunt down your content at multiple spots.

3) No share buttons. Including share buttons on any viral promotion is critical for encouraging users to share your content. Make it as easy as possible for them to increase the reach of your promotion.

2) No target audience. Few viral campaigns will reach the mainstream, but if they take off within your target audience, that should be a good start. Tailor your viral campaign to appeal to your audience segments and create content that resonates with them.

1) Not personalized. Most of the successful viral marketing campaigns have an element of personalization that allow users to add their own flair. A recent example of this is the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign “I like it on…” where Facebook users filled in the blank of where they keep their purse. The suggestive messaging was attention-grabbing and was extremely successful at building awareness.

Our Top 5 Videos…