Viral campaigns became the next big thing recently, and for good reason. The companies that stumbled into viral campaigns early on experienced huge outcomes for relatively little effort. The companies that later designed viral campaigns had to expend a little more effort, but the potential outcome of a successful viral campaign has kept this form of marketing humming.

The term ‘viral campaign’ really is a misnomer. No campaign can be guaranteed to go viral. The nature of virals means that the outcome of the project depends on the whims of the masses. Ultimately, success is hard to predict. A viral campaign, however, makes use of the strategies that successful virals in the past have used, in the hope that the right circumstances will happen once more.

There are basic elements to a viral campaign and things that will help it to succeed. A good campaign will make use of an existing network. This can start with a business’ own contact list, although a broader list is desirable. Humourous virals have a greater chance of success, as do virals that appeal to a common motivating factor, such as making money. The final aspect that will increase a viral’s chance of success is something that is harder to control. It must be unique.

It’s hard to get creativity on tap, and this is why some viral campaigns can become expensive. However, if you start out with well-defined goals, you can achieve a viral well within budget. Your viral campaign can achieve great things for your SEO as well. Talk to us at SEO Consult for ways to implement your SEO through virals.

The internet is teeming with so many social networks that it is an outright shame not to make use of them. After you’ve created your viral, post it. Not all social media networks will be appropriate for your business and different ones will be good for different campaigns. Talk to your SEO consultant about which networks will work best for you.

Although you will have spent money and time on creating your viral, it is essential that it is free to use. Making it easy to share is likewise essential, and it can be worth including a ’share this’ function to encourage viewers to pass the message on. The average net user is getting more discerning about providing their email details in exchange for idle entertainment, so consider carefully before requiring email addresses. It can be worth sacrificing the opportunity for market research in order to spread your viral further.

So, to refine, when planning a viral campaign:
1. Define your goals, networks to use and target audience
2. Amass your resources, such as contact lists
3. Create unique and interesting content
4. Distribute your viral using the networks of others

While your viral must have creative, interesting and natural content, don’t forget to include your search engine optimisation as well. If the viral is a video or other media file, make sure to include your keywords in its file name. These small touches won’t generally be noticed by viewers but will go a long way in drawing search engine attention to your campaign.

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