Viral Marketing in Social Media

VIRAL MARKETING IN SOCIAL MEDIA FINAL				conversations and offer a quality level of service.
It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million listeners.				- Being authentic, transparent, and honest. The
Pre-Cable TV took 13 years to reach 50 million				end goal is to develop ongoing trust and loyalty.
users..				- Make your touch points intuitive, easy access,
The internet took four years to reach 50 million				and minimal restrictions.
people...				Building your social media viral marketing campaign
In less than nine months Facebook added 100				requires four major segments.
million users.				1. Start with the proper planning, messaging,
For less than a $1,000 you can launch a viral				target, audience, and budgets.
marketing campaign with the potential to reach				2. Build a story with wings to fly.
thousands of people, if not millions quickly and				3. Select the media channels to disseminate your
almost effortlessly.				story.
Take for example the Blendtec Company, a				4. Measure and manage user attention and
maker of food processors and blenders, who				participation.
placed a series of YouTube videos called "Will It				STEP 1 - PLANNING, GOALS, TARGET
Blend?" Arising our curiosity and sense of dark				AUDIENCE
humor Blendtec blended golf balls, an iPhone, and				- Identify and understand the needs and wants of
even a bag of marbles. It was fascinating to				your target audience - put each individual into
watch a glowing iPhone being reduced to black				segments based on actual behavior across the
powder and shredded plastic. In a short matter of				web.
time Blendtec logged 8 million visitors while sales				- If your product requires consideration to
increased over 800%. Don't we just enjoy				purchase, then determine the level of research
watching things being destroyed?				your prospects are doing today on the internet.
Burger King launched an interactive video on their				- Identify your competition. Determine what
micro website with a man dressed as a chicken.				websites your target audience has been visiting
In the message bar you can insert a command				recently and what draws their interest.
and the chicken-man would jump, run, dance, and				- If you're going to advertise on other websites,
play dead. You get the picture. People loved the				then determine which of those sites are already
creativity, fun, and sense of control. Within 24				converting ads into leads in your category.
hours the site received 1 million hits and by the				- Determine which social media sites are attracting
end of the week eight million. Not bad for a				your best prospects and understand their
chicken man.				behavior.
Down in Orlando Florida, Universal Studios launched				- Determine the health and reputation of your
a new attraction based on the Harry Potter				brand by tuning into relevant blogs, microblogs,
series. Instead of deploying expensive advertising				and forums.
through mass media, Universal teamed up with				- On your website run A/B tests to measure
the author J.K. Rowling, to give a special webinar				messaging and conversion ratio.
to the top seven Harry Potter maven fans.				- Monitor and measure the prospect's
Afterwards, the seven maven fans shared their				conversation along the entire communications
news on blogs and forums with great energy and				chain; from emails, live chats, recommendations,
enthusiasm. The media picked it up and ran with				and call center. You'll need strong interactive
the story. Meanwhile, Universal setup a micro site				marketing software tools such as Aprimo, Eloqua,
for bloggers and the media to ascertain more				HubSpot, and Omniture.
information on the park's new attraction. In just a				- Close the conversation loop with your visitors
few weeks this viral marketing tactic spread the				by encouraging them to complete a comments or
news from seven people to over 300 Million. Of				product recommendation.
course, it helps when you have an established				- What are your goals?
base of loyal Harry Potter fans.				- Sell something
TRUST: Content Democratization: We are				- Build awareness
migrating from push advertising to pull; allowing				- Capture their attention
users greater access, participation, and control				- Engage them in a conversion
based on trust.				- Call to action
In the last ten years both the media and				- Retain customers
information technology industries have been				STEP 2- BUILD A STORY WITH WINGS
migrating from a traditional push advertising				Every good viral marketing campaign requires an
environment (TV & newspaper ads) to				emotional story that is original or sticky. Video by
interactive (pull) advertising using interactive				far is the fastest and easiest tool to spread a
content. The days of advertiser content				story that sticks. In addition, a sustainable
dominance is being transformed into a				campaign will need layers of various components
democratization process whereby quality content				to keep the momentum going. Using the billboard
is interacted, shared, and rated. The				affect, users will give you three to five seconds
democratization process allows the consumer				to receive your message to take action. All the
greater control and influence to recommend				elements of your viral campaign should have
products and services to their peers. In the end,				these attributes.
it's creating trust between the buyer and the				- GOOD STORY - You're a story teller. Stories
seller. Trust builds loyalty and repeat business.				paint pictures and evoke emotions. Good stories
Trust is the glue that will cement the relationship				are remembered, original, and begged to be
and it's done by allowing an interactive participation				shared.
in the communication and collaboration process.				- When the story catches on be prepared for
There's nothing more powerful and trustworthy				sequel stories, bloopers, and behind the scene
than when a good friend makes a				blog. Keep putting the logs on the fire.
recommendation.				- Be sure to have a comments section. Observe
Using a combination of our imagination and				it closely. Sharing emotions is acceptable but edit
creativity one can use viral marketing tactics				offensive language and insults.
within social media channels to capture the				- Your goal is to engage in conversations and
attention of millions. Of course, getting their				eventually a call to action leading to the fulfillment
attention is only half the battle. The other half is				of your goals.
harder. The real challenge is converting their				- Keep the conversation personal, for example
attention into sales or a call-to-action, and to				don't place barriers between your stars and
sustain that effort over a period of time. This is				audience. People want to connect directly to the
what separates the amateurs from the				artist or rock musician.
professionals. As my mom use to say to me,				- EMOTIONAL - It must offer an emotional
"You get what you pay for."				appeal. The more polarizing the emotion then the
SOCIAL MEDIA ECOSYSTEM				greater chance of becoming viral.
Social Media on Web 2.0 is simply the ability to				- ORIGINAL-Do not be predictable. Be original and
have conversations with people through a variety				creative. Fascinate them. Make them laugh. Make
of communication tools and communities. By				them cry. Can you make them say - wow?
nature people are tribal and we seek to converse				- RELEVANT-The story must be relevant to your
and share with other like minded people.				target audience. Soccer fans are fascinated with
According to the 2009 Cone Consumer New				advertisement demonstrating a trickster pro
Media Study, 62% of users polled believe they				team.
can influence business decisions by voicing opinions				- WINGS-give it the wings to fly whereby the
via new media channels. About a quarter have				message is designed to be portable, scalable, and
contributed their point-of-view on an issue (24%)				shareable.
or contacted a company directly (23%). 74%				- DYNAMIC-You need to develop momentum and
expect companies to join conversations about				sustainability. This requires multiple entry points to
their corporate responsibility practices happening				experience your message such as (video, blogs,
on new media. MediaPost January 22, 2010				TV, print, quality content, and tie-ins). A well done
Social media platforms can leverage the collective				story will demand a sequel, behind the scenes
wisdom of the community to collaborate on a				production, bloopers, and interviews.
given objective, such as; to increase sales, create				- CATCHY-You must have a catch to it that
content, engage customer feedback, nurture a				hooks people in and there will be reward in the
community, amplify your marketing message, and				end. Ask yourself, what's in it for me? Does it
to develop peer relationships between				entertain? Does it provide great information?
manufacturer-distributor-retailer-partner-customer.				And two don'ts
Typically, the social media conversation is				- Please don't compel people to forward their
uncontrolled, unorganized, nor always on target				emails for viral marketing
with the message. Web 2.0 has become a				- Please don't use obvious commercials unless
democracy of information usage with a bit of				they are especially clever, entertaining, or funny.
anarchy thrown in.				STEP 3 - DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
The power of Web 2.0 allows the individual to				A successful viral campaign will have multiple steps
spread their conversations or word-of-mouth in				and components. In 2006-7 Microsoft launched a
multiple formats; image, video, text, and audio.				ten month five-step marketing campaign for Halo
Individuals can leverage their social media				3 for the purpose of gaining new gamers and
communities, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter,				building brand awareness. Step One was an
YouTube, Flickr, MetaCafe, SocialText and a host				advertisement played on a Monday night football
of others platforms. The most popular social				game using an attention getting reenactment of
media network activities ranged from posting				the Halo game. The ad reached 8 million
messages, downloading and uploading music,				households and another 3.7 million viewers when
videos and images. These communities and tools				placed on YouTube. The advertisement triggered
allow photo sharing, videos, communities, blogs,				Step Two inviting gamers to be beta testers;
forums, articles, news, entertainment, news, and				they acquired 850,000 users. Step Three was a
tutorials. They also allow individuals to use their				scavenger hunt using a combination of online
collective intelligence to collaborate on online				websites and traditional media channels. Step Four
projects. The power of these tools is the ability				was co-sponsorships with major fast food and
share, create, and product from one-to-many				beverage companies. Finally, Step Five was an
quickly, effortlessly, and seamlessly. Good news				impressive back story reenactment of combat
can travel fast but with even greater trepidation;				action scenes. Altogether the campaign sold 3
bad news can travel at light speed.				million copies in the first week.
SCALING UP VIRAL MARKETING				For a viral campaign to be sustainable it will require
Scaling up your viral marketing campaign requires				multiple steps, components and channels to build
an environment of easy access and collaboration.				awareness, capture, engage, and convert your
Ross Mayfield, founder of Socialtext, coined the				target audience. Naturally, your channels of
concept of the, "Power Law of Participation." In it,				distribution will be determined by where your
he describes that social media portals should make				target audience shops, researches, and socializes.
it easy to access, to read, and to share content.				You can begin to research your target audience
The intent is to accelerate productivity and				at Digital Scientists or Audience Science.
creativity by engaging participants to use their				USING Facebook
collective wisdom in sharing their knowledge and				Today, Facebook is the fastest growing social
intelligence. It's a well known fact that the wisdom				media platform and a great starting point to
of the tribe will exceed the wisdom of the				launch a viral marketing campaign. In 2010, Pepsi
individual.				announced they will not advertise in the Super
In James Surowiecki's book, The Wisdom of				Bowl. Rather, they will invest their advertising
Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the				using Social Media platforms. Unlike the one-way
Few, the author explained that the collective				push of TV advertising communications, Facebook
decisions of the group far exceeds the individual				and other forms of social media allows you to
and the added dimension of social internet sites				capture your audience, engage them in a
offers a diversity of ideas. It can easily be said				conversation, nurture the relationship, convert
the world is our village. We see this today on				them into sales, retain their loyalty, monitor and
Wikipedia where a community of people				shepherd their word-of-mouth recommendations,
collaborates to create and share its knowledge				and scale peer approval ratings without restraint.
base.				Facebook Statistics for early 2010
The new paradigm of Social Media marketing is to				- There are now 350+ Million users
embrace the democracy of knowledge, respect				- 50% perform daily updates
the intelligence of your audience, and allow them				- Less than 1/3 are college students
the ability to participate and ideas going viral and				- 30% of users are just in the U.S.A.
establishing a collective intelligence to enrich				- The fasting growing segment is greater than 35
creativity and productivity. Here are several				years old
suggestions to grease the skids for your viral				VIRAL MARKETING IN Facebook
campaign to generate a higher participation rate.				The first place to start on Facebook is to build
Make your content access free and easy to				your own profile and company Facebook page.
share				Naturally, you want to cross link all of your portals
- Create multiple touch points for others to reach				to one another; website, LinkedIn, Facebook, and
you: website, blog, Microsites, Twitter, Facebook,				Twitter. Facebook has excellent tools to identify
LinkedIn, SharePoint, SocialText, and mobile				and target you audience down to the granular and
applications.				local level. Use it. Similar to tribes, Facebook users
- Engage and maintain the consumer's				with like minded interests will gravitate to stories
conversations with the goal of closing the loop				and events. Always make your content with good
from the behavior to consider a purchase, to				quality. You want to be authentic and interactive.
purchase, and finally, to encourage them to make				Facebook requires dedication, creativity, and
recommendations.				interactivity. To compete for attention you must
- People want to be understood and recognize.				constantly provide a steady stream of content,
Promote and encourage comments section and				promotions, events, and communications.
recommendations.				As a company you'll have to define who you are
- Emotions move us to action. Make it personal.				to the market. What's your brand and
Stories paint pictures and have high retention and				personality? Your purpose is not to sell but to
share rates.				inform and share knowledge. Through tacit
- Building a community of like minded people can				approval Facebook users will accept you and be
empower greater influence to change events				your fan.
politically, economically, or socially. For example,				Engaging Facebook users requires a two way
the Presidential election in 2008 was a milestone in				conversation or being interactive. Feed them a
using viral marketing in social media.				good story or video to determine if they will click
VIRAL MARKETING				the "LIKE" button. Encourage them to comment.
It's passion that motivates people to share				As your level of trust increases with the users,
something new. Think of your passions in politics,				seek to convert their actions using promotions
sports, religion, cooking, or movie stars. When				and discounts into joining a website or making a
something stirs your emotions you want to share				purchase.
it immediately.				Get your Facebook fans involved in contests and
Viral marketing offers a rapid and almost				promotions. Make them do things to share
effortlessly dissemination of an idea				photographs or videos. Let them all share in the
(word-of-mouth) from one-to-many by leveraging				fun and discovery.
both internet and communication tools from one				STEP 4 - MANAGE AND MEASURE USER
person to millions. Think of tribal communication				ATTENTION
behavior, think of gossip, think of how people				There's a scarce commodity called the
when empowered with special news want to				consumer's attention. Some call it the "Attention
share it with their friends and circles of influence.				Economy," whereby a marketplace has developed
A viral message will spread rapidly when the idea				such that consumers agree to receive services in
is quickly understood and the person feels				exchange for their attention. If you want the
empowered to send it to other people. The best				attention of a consumer, just think of "what's in it
viral messages are emotionally charged stimulating				for me?" News feeds are a primary example
the person's desire of happiness, greed, anger,				where they provide a steady stream of current
hatred, and other passionate emotions. Emotionally				news in exchange that you look at their
polarized messages moved quickly. Neutral				advertisements. The end game is to prompt a
emotions go nowhere.				"call-to-action" from the consumer. Since you can
To make viral marketing work you need the tools				never ask directly for a sale, you must provide a
to spread it and the audience to receive it. As				steady stream of relevant news, entertainment,
was previously mentioned the evolution of Web				knowledge, or tools. By using behavioral targeting
2.0 offers great power, intelligence, services,				tools you'll be able to steer quality prospects to a
word-of-mouth recommendations, and the				call-to-action.
delivery of relevant information in real time.				Gaining the attention of the consumer requires
Today, Web 2.0 can deliver multiple formats of				three important attributes:
content quickly, seamlessly, and effortlessly, which				- RELEVANCY - Your information is relevant to
is; email, video, photographs, audio, and text				your target audience
messages.				- CHANNEL DISTRIBUTION - Channel the
EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL DRIVERS				information through the appropriate social media
Excellent viral marketing will seek common				channels where your target audience is available
emotional trigger points to motivate a person into				- ENDORSEMENTS - Engage your consumers to
action. People like the sense of exclusivity and the				be your trusted references through sneak
power to invite their friends into the club. It				preview webinars, product reviews,
makes them feel cool as you were one of the				endorsements, and recommendations.
inside people. Other common emotional trigger				Once you gained the attention you need to
points can be happiness, humor, anger, envy,				manage, measure, and respond. Today there are
pride, or greed.				many solutions to manage and measure your
For example, when EA Games launched their next				interactive marketing. These solutions will manage
generation soccer game called FIFA Soccer in				the entire life cycle of a customer engagement to
2006, they used tricksters from Toronto's				determine both your campaign's Return of
Ryouko mixed martial arts team to create an				Investment, and the life time value of your
amazing video display of stunts and acrobatic				customer. You're also looking to manage the
feats. Using a combination of traditional and viral				Consideration Factor. Before a consumer makes a
marketing, EA leaked the video to selected fans				purchase they'll seek peer reviews and product
in Europe reaching a peak hit rate of 1.5 million				recommendations. After the consumer makes a
fans.				purchase they will experience the product and
Social activity and the underlying emotions that				form their own opinions upon which they will cycle
drive it are a means to an end, the tools that				back comments for new consumers to review.
execute the logic of survival. Status, leadership,				Some of these companies include Aprimo, Eloqua,
power, affiliation, reciprocal altruism, cooperation,				HubSpot, Omniture, Based on the 80-20 rule your
sharing of knowledge, trading of goods,				goal is to seek your most profitable customers
pair-bonding, and even aggression are all part of				and understand the process to achieve these
the social environment that help a group work				results.
toward that same survival end game.				MEASURING CUSTOMER LIFE CYCLE
At the base of this is a powerful drive to connect				According to the 2009 Cone Consumer New
what is felt. Humans feel a strong need to				Media Study, consumers are most interested in
connect with others to make sense of their				information that will inform their purchasing
world, to not feel lost in a sea of infinite				decisions. Respondents said they want companies
possibilities and to share in mutual benefit. Though				to tell them what is in products and how they are
the subconscious motivation is survival, the				made (85%) and provide additional details about
conscious emotions are social.				information, labels and claims shared offline (e.g., in
In trying to take the guess work of anticipating				the store, on the package, in an advertisement)
people's emotion, today we can use behavioral				(83%). MediaPost January 22, 2010
targeting to understand and predict user behavior				The life cycle of acquiring and retaining customer
and purchasing patterns. One way is using				has a predictable flow. Phase 1 starts with
Internet software cookies which are placed on				generating Awareness of the product/service
the user's computer to track their behavior on				through the use of various marketing channels
websites to identify their unique tastes and				and campaigns. Phase-2 is consideration of the
interests. Cookie placement is like giving someone				product based on peer evaluations,
a unique cell phone number. You can analyze				recommendations, and other social media tools.
where and to whom. You can track when an				After the purchase of the product the real heavy
online advertisement is served, and improve it				lifting begins to ensure the customer's
based on the feedback and relationship you				expectations are met and they have a
already have. The gathered information is then				satisfactory experience. Phase-3 is the formation
used to create audience segments, which enable				and sharing the consumer's experience with the
advertisers to make reasonable choices about				product. Typically there will be three types of
where to buy advertising space. For example,				customers. (1) Immensely satisfied and willing to
AOL Advertising offers behavioral targeting plus a				share their experience, (2) Satisfied and
host of services that can effectively target your				complacent customers with no passion to share,
audience with precision and the methodology				and (3) the Dissatisfied customer who will tell the
behind it. Another favorite is AudienceScience				world of their terrible experience as they seek to
which has methodically divided the global audience				restore their balance in life through retaliation.
into many types of segments.				As we can see from the illustration,
What doesn't work? Social media is similar to				word-of-mouth recommendations are cycled back
having coffee with a few of your friends in your				to the consideration phase for the next customer.
kitchen. When a man intrudes and announces his				It therefore becomes important to manage these
big sale at the furniture store its invasive and				word-of-mouth recommendations by ensuring a
annoying. No one likes it. Early in the history of				good experience, observing the results, and
Facebook this is what advertisers did, until they				responding immediately to damage control.
understood the nuances of their target audience.				If we can measure it, then we can manage it. As
Advertisers discovered that Facebook users				your campaign reaches your audience you're
rarely click through ads, but happily participated in				looking to measure some key variables to ensure
events, communities, and causes. Now it's easy to				your message is reaching the right target
become a fan of Coke or a gangster in Mafia				audience, you captured, their attention, engaged
Wars.				them in an interactive process for purchase
Unlike direct marketing where you can predict a				consideration, convert them into a sale, and finally
given response rate of 1-3%, viral marketing can				offer the experience to steer and share their
be hit or miss. On the positive side, a viral				positive opinion. As such you are looking to
marketing campaign can be done inexpensively.				measure variables such as; Traffic Visits, Click
On the negative side, you might have to deploy				through behavior patterns, Conversion rates, and
multiple types and levels in a campaign. You may				Source of visitors.
also have to engage traditional media to seed the				CONCLUSION
viral messages.				As a general rule, we are fearful of things we do
Common elements for making a viral marketing				not understand. As marketing and advertising
campaign to work are:				professionals, once we embrace the idea of
- Make the content seamless and easy to send or				democracy and participation in sharing content to
transfer				our target audience, we can enjoy the immense
- The content uses existing internet and				surge of collective wisdom and the loyalty of our
telecommunications infrastructure				fans. In building a business it's expensive to acquire
- Products or services are given away for free				new customers and pointless to have a hole in
- The content is emotionally charged: Polarized				your bucket when they constantly drain out.
messages will motivate action in people				Embracing the power of Web 2.0, deploying viral
- The content can easily scale from a few people				marketing, and using traditional media platforms
to millions				can give you a full complement of tools to reach
BUILDING YOUR VIRAL MARKETING				a vast audience who are most interested in
To be successful in social media and using viral				having a relationship with your organization. By
marketing tactics requires the same discipline as				increasing the ease of customer access and
any other marketing endeavor.				participation you'll be able to build a loyal fan base
- Good planning and goal setting				that can deliver a steady stream of profitable
- A commitment for the long run and the				revenue. As many business leaders have
patience for campaigns to gain traction				discovered, by taking care of your customers
- Ample dedicated resources to sustain				first, your profits can be realized.

Democracy

Viral Marketing in Social Media