To understand the concept of virality, we must understand the very origin of the conscious action of people by sharing an ideological code. Some authors defend that the term was coined in 1994 when Douglas Rushkoff publishes the book “Media Virus”, in which he develops the concept of “mediatic virus”. He referred to it as the content or information that is expanded through networks “infecting” them with a code disguised as entertainment or information. From a business point of view, brands generate messages that are consumed by people in order not to be perceived as advertising.

Thus, virality has to do with a desire to share the things that they like, move, dislike or simply that are important for the person who performs the action. Virality is directly linked to word of mouth communication.

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The beginnings of viral marketing

In marketing, the virus spreads if the cultural element of the message matches the cultural construction of that audience that is expected to share the message. The term viral marketing is attributed to Timothy C. Draper and Steve Jurvetson, both managers of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, who used the term to explain the success of Hotmail and its expansive messages on the Internet.

Elements of viral marketing

• The message: What do we want to transmit? It is the main element of any strategy and must be clear and concise. It can be constructed as a catchy and easy-to-remember claim by people.

• The viral element: We refer to the element that allows the message to spread. They can be incentives, prizes, campaigns with influencers or the message itself.

• Means of propagation: It is the communication channel used to spread the message. You can choose to use a single channel or several, choose one as primary and other complementary. For example, Twitter is one of the channels where the virality of a message with its trend lists is most evident.

• The “sneezer”: is the heart of the virus, are those that spread the infection of the message. It is in many cases profiles of influencers that make it reach large audiences. We recommend that you use tools or platforms that allow you to find influencers that drive your message.

The top influencers are those who give an initial impulse to the message, but the micro influencers will be the ones that get a campaign viral.

Viral marketing strategies and examples

Below we list 5 strategies to viralise your campaigns and spread your message. The goal is to infect your potential customers and that these almost without realising, become infected by your brand. We know, all this reminds you of Walking Dead.

Mysterious messages

One of the keys to promoting a product launch or new functionality is to increase uncertainty and feed the expectation of people. It is a strategy that must be carefully considered so as not to create false expectations. You can use influencers that produce specific content to show at the right time.

The entertainment companies control this strategy very well. Through the use of teasers and specific campaigns, the Netflix creative team was able to keep the audience months before talking about the launch of the second season of Stranger Things.

Gifts and incentives

One of the most used strategies by the sector and very simple to implement. It is about giving away a product in exchange for social interactions. You can raise it in social networks or web. It is important to use a specific hashtag in order to correctly monitor the activity and the propagation of the message.

For example, the South African retailer Urban Hilton Weiner, created a campaign on Twitter offering discount coupons if people published a selfie trying on brand clothing with a specific hashtag.

Maximise recommendations

They are actions that seek to facilitate social interaction in social networks. There are different formulas but the important thing is that it is a simple action to perform. For example, Instagram Stories, Twitter and Facebook have surveys in which you can test the public’s acceptance of a product.

Another example is the campaign to raise funds for children with terminal illnesses that Disney made with the Make a Wish Foundation. With the hashtag #ShareYourEars, the brand encouraged people to share images with the classic Mickey Mouse ears. They created a specific portal where you could see all the participants.

Gamification

The games catch the audience and are the perfect excuse to procrastinate your responsibilities. The gamification of your brand in a campaign will take the message to an interactive virality.

So did the company Tipp-ex when he used YouTube as a viral platform. The idea was to create an interactive story in which people had the power to modify the story. This campaign is one of the first to create interactive videos with high viral content.

Micro-Videos

The new means of communication perfectly understand the transmedia language of contemporary generations. One-minute micro-videos have the greatest success. In addition, these are created to be viewed without the need for sound, understanding the consumption of content from the mobile.

PlayGround understood this language and created one minute videos explaining a topic. They use images of their own social networks, what the content is in conjunction with their environment.

Viral marketing strategies must first of all be creative and differentiating to attract your followers. It is also important that you raise the correct propagation actions with the use of influencers or micro influencers. You can use magic words in your messages as “Free” that will always attract the masses but do not abuse it. Focus on the creative message, the forms of interaction and the construction of the image of your campaign.

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