Jan 11
4
The new “holy grail” of marketing is the concept of “viral” marketing. An idea, or product gets reposted across social networks and becomes a phenomenon in pop culture. To me, the term “viral” is almost synonomous with “buzz”. How do I get people to talk about my business? Not sure what I’m referring to? Well, check out the Old Spice Guy:
Old Spice ran that commercial on Super Bowl Sunday, and it instantly went viral. The video was posted across the internet, talked about on network news broadcasts and next to water coolers for months. The commercial has spawned an entire campaign for the company…each video consisting of the same quick, random, dry humor. So, as a small business, how can you capitalize on the success of a viral marketing campaign?
1. “Viral” is not about being funny.
Sure the Old Spice guy is funny, but being “funny” is extremely difficult to do, and causes many companies to lose focus on the message that they want communicated. How many times have you watched a commercial, laughed at it, and had no idea what the commercial was for? How many times have you watched a commercial that wasn’t funny at all, and lost a little respect for the brand that sponsored the ad? Sure, funny stuff gets forwarded along the internet all the time, but a better strategy is to be helpful with your “viral” campaign.
Create videos, blog posts, photos and information that is useful to your core audience. Companies are better off producing consistent, relevant content for their target audience, rather than swinging for the fences with a risky “viral” ad. Useful content gets pushed along on the internet just as often as “funny”. Plus, it’ll be easier for you to stay on point with your message.
2. Be memorable, but stay relevant.
One of the best viral campaigns that I’ve seen was done by clothing retailer Marc Ecko. (His marketing genius deserves a whole post by itself. I’ll get to it.) He bought a 747, painted it like Air Force 1, and then tagged it with graffiti. Watch the video:
The video became instantly memorable because of the shock value in someone tagging a national icon. Media picked the story up, and it was shared across the net. However, the beauty of the video is actually in who it speaks to. Ecko’s core audience is 13-30, a group that looks to “break free” from the status quo. The video was an extension of his brand’s message.
Contrast that with the “spongmonkey” campaign that Quizno’s ran. Quizno’s tried to be a little funny, and used characters that were memorable. But, the characters don’t fit with their brand message. (Quiznos is more expensive than Subway, but says they are unique because of their ingredients and toasting). Why use inferior characters that have strange attributes when you are trying to sell a product that is supposed to be superior to competitors?
3. Make your content easy to share.
A buzzworthy viral campaign should be uber-easy for your core audience to share. Once again, traditional marketing concepts still apply. Go where your audience is. If your core audience is active on Facebook, create a Facebook fan page specifically for the campaign. If your audience is all about email, then reach them with email. Your probably don’t have money to purchase a 747, or a Super Bowl ad, but there are small steps you can take to ensure that your content is accessible. For example, if might be necessary to set up a separate domain name to handle the traffic for your buzz campaign.
Ecko purchased and set up www.StillFree.com, entirely separate from his regular website, with more information about the campaign, the making of the campaign, and of course a call to action to purchase his products. If you’re looking to get your message into mass media, purchase a few domains that are easy to remember, and talk about.
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