Viral Marketing, Yay or Nay?
It’s always nice to see your digital marketing efforts get viral on social media and reach a wide audience in a very short period of time. However, chasing viral marketing may lead to your downfall in this digital age.
Virality is often dictated by the STEPPS factor – Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, and Stories. Due to the widespread content, the things that trend these days can range from heartfelt stories to a simple photo of an egg.
Yes, a stock image of an egg went viral on Instagram and beat Kylie Jenner’s record for the number of likes. If this piece of news does not dissuade you from pursuing virality mindlessly, here are 3 more reasons to do so:
Right Audience Over Wide Audience
It is pointless to reach a million users if they lack the ability or motivation to take action. Instead, brands should focus on targeting the right audience group.
For effective digital marketing, the right targeting strategy should be applied during the media buy stage, so that your campaigns can reach a wide group of audience. This means knowing your target audience’s demographics, interests etc.
If you are struggling in this area, feel free to approach a professional digital marketing agency to handle it for you.
High-Quality Interactions Over High Quantity Interactions
Getting viral is about aiming for high quantity of interactions with your marketing efforts. However, for brands that are starting out, you should aim for quality interactions instead.
Quality interactions create brand loyalty amongst your audiences, as you are able to cater to their needs properly and sincerely. With a huge volume of interactions, you would not be able to do so. As a result, this will lead to a decrease in brand loyalty amongst your consumers.
Brand loyalty is important in the era of social media, whereby communications and interactions are often transparent. Hence, ensure that you are able to respond to the volume of interactions, before aiming for a viral marketing campaign.
Branding Over Virality
It’s more important to accentuate and strengthen your brand than to get your name out there. With the things that are trending now, it’s not always a good idea to blindly follow the ongoing trends.
IKEA Singapore has done a fantastic job tapping on current trends yet linking it to their products, without being insensitive. It can be difficult to tread the lines sometimes when it comes to following the trends. Instead, find creative ways to promote your brand, i.e. visuals, out-of-house (OOH) marketing or creative copywriting.
Can’t seem to wreck your brains for a creative idea that will work? Let a 360° marketing agency get it done for you.
A Final Note
Viral marketing is highly sought after these days. However, it is important to note the significance and downfalls of virality for your respective brand.
If you are looking to reach out to your target audience with an effective marketing strategy, consult a branding agency that is able to craft a full-fledged marketing campaign for you.
