Have you ever been scrolling through Instagram and come across a really funny video that’s gotten millions of views, likes, and thousands of comments? Most likely, you’ve stopped to watch and had a laugh yourself, then read the comments for even more laughs from witty responses. What makes these videos so popular? Whether intentional or not, these videos became viral and spread like wildfire throughout all of social media. Many companies realize these videos are extremely popular for brand recognition and have figured out a way to generate content that goes viral. This is the concept behind viral marketing!
Viral marketing initiatives are strategies companies want to use to create content that eventually goes viral. Today, I want to share my take on what makes a campaign go viral and highlight the top 5 characteristics I believe are essential when creating any viral marketing campaign, and support these ideas with examples and insights into digital tools like share buttons, widgets, and plug-ins that help drive engagement.
Understanding Viral Marketing Initiatives
Marketing that goes viral often looks effortless, but it usually relies on a mix of creativity and smart strategy. In viral marketing, a brand message is shared widely by users, not because the company pushes it hard, but because people find it worthy of sharing. This form of marketing builds excitement quickly around products, services, or even simple ideas. When done right, viral campaigns can boost brand recognition and drive significant traffic at a low cost.
The advent of social media and digital technology allow campaigns to reach vast audiences faster than ever before. Beyond just a catchy slogan or funny video, there are specific elements that encourage people to share content organically. In the sections below, I’ll go over the key 5 factors that can increase a campaign’s virality, illustrate them with examples, and detail the widgets or plug-ins used by companies to foster even broader sharing.
Key Characteristics of Viral Marketing Campaigns
In my opinion, there are five standout features that help a campaign go viral. These characteristics aren’t mutually exclusive. They often work together to create a memorable campaign.
- Interactivity and Engagement: Campaigns that invite participation, such as interactive videos or online challenges, tend to receive more involvement. Widgets like social share buttons or interactive polls allow users to directly influence and participate in the campaign. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a great example of this. Here is a video Bill Gates posted of himself after being called out by Mark Zuckerberg. As you can see, his YouTube page has the share function and social sharing widgets that help with the spread of the message. This video alone has 38M views!
- Emotional Connection: People share content that makes them feel strong emotions. Whether it’s joy, surprise, or even a bit of controversy, content that stirs feelings invites conversation. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement was a good example of this.
- Simplicity and Clarity: Brief messages and easy-to-understand calls-to-action help audiences grasp the point quickly and share it without needing lengthy explanations. Shorter videos or reels that are 30 seconds to 1-2 minutes are ideal. Campaigns that use clear and engaging visuals, like Old Spice’s off-the-top commercials with Terry Crews can have major success.
- Timely and Relevant Content: When a campaign connects to current events or trending topics, it resonates better with audiences. Campaigns that cleverly tie in pop culture or trending news usually experience boosted sharing through news outlets and various social platforms. Some examples of this are political posts regarding Donald Trump, and Elon Musk. Many outlets are sharing this type of content to get quick views and reactions. The image below shows Jason Stone’s Instagram account of him posting a trending topic about Donald Trump that garnered over 8,000 likes in 1 day.
- Creativity: If there’s something in common about content that goes viral, is that it is creative and original. Most or all content that first goes viral is something that people have usually not seen before,. Once it becomes viral, people tend to copy the trend to build their own virality until eventually it fades or dies out.
Taken together, these five characteristics form a recipe that can propel an idea to viral status. Not every campaign meets all these criteria, but the more natural elements a campaign incorporates, the higher its chance of capturing widespread attention.
Widgets and Plug-Ins for Viral Marketing Initiatives
Widgets and Plug-Ins can be a great tool for social sharing when looking to spread viral content. HubSpot does a great job outlining the top 14 widgets you can use for WordPress to share your content to your social media channels. My website uses Super Socializer and it does a fantastic job. Which one is your favorite and why? Leave a comment below to let me know your thoughts.
One company that does a great job at using plug-ins and widgets is Dollar Shave Club. If you check out their website, you can see that there are widgets/plugins used to create popups for emails, chat features, customer reviews, and even features to purchase items straight off one of their blog posts! They have funny blogs and articles that you can read and share with your social media accounts.
Viral Marketing Initiatives In A Nutshell
Viral marketing initiatives are an exciting way for brands to step up their reach. By focusing on emotional connections, simplicity, clarity, engagement, timeliness, and creativity, companies can create a strong foundation for a campaign that truly resonates online. On top of that, adding widgets and plug-ins can help spread your message even further.
While creating viral content is never guaranteed, incorporating these 5 key characteristics will surely help you put your campaigns in the driver’s seat! What do you think? Are there other characteristics that you think are more important to drive virality? Share your thoughts in the comments!