Viral Marketing: Is It a Viable Marketing Strategy for Your Business?

Have you been trying to understand what viral marketing is and how to apply it to your business?

Many brands want to get their information and content in front of a larger audience with viral marketing. Most marketing teams wish to apply viral marketing strategies to all their social media platforms. Creating more brand awareness with viral marketing is often a top goal for businesses. They look to this strategy to launch themselves into social media stardom, gaining a large following and engaged audience quickly.

What is Viral Marketing?

Viral marketing is a promotional strategy that focuses on creating a message that spreads rapidly through audience engagement. Marketing obtains the “viral” status when it is getting shared by a large public group rather than its smaller, more engaged audience. When it happens, it gets in front of a broad audience because it gets bumped to the top of everyone’s social media feed.

How does it work? You can see it in action through meme popularity. The viral spread of a meme illustrates how an idea or message can go viral. Think about pop culture phenomena like the popularity of Baby Yoda or even the saying “OK boomer.” These are all examples of memes that have gone viral. They often take over a social media platform for weeks at a time. The audience resonates with the meme so much that they will offer a ton of validation.

It is the same for viral marketing strategies. This attaches a brand or product to a meme or content. Followers and customers are eager to share the content because it is so relevant and resonant with the current moment.

How Do You Create a Viral Marketing Campaign?

Most viral campaigns are organic, meaning a brand or platform can’t force them. Marketers need to keep this in mind when trying to create memes for their brand. Viral marketing works by spreading content naturally, and it requires a lot of luck to accomplish. Often it is merely a case of being in the right moment at the right time.

However, you can still create a viral marketing strategy by ensuring the marketing campaign is timely. All the viral trends are thoughts of the moment. They don’t stay for long, but they can capture a lot of attention in a short realty amount of time. Viral marketing strategies should get focused on being bold. It requires an attention-grabbing message that can sometimes get brands into trouble.

It is essential to be edgy without trying too hard. Your material doesn’t need to be controversial to be successful, but it does need to get attention for the right reasons.

Where to Start

Going after viral moments should not be your top marketing strategy. However, if you are determined to use it, make sure you are reflecting on why you want to go viral. Are you looking to gain more customers or create more brand awareness?