A Lesson In Online Marketing Virally

For many people, creating an image or video that becomes an instant viral success is child’s play – these sorts of online marketing techniques come naturally to them and often happen by accident. So, how can you create something that goes viral and makes your brand, product or services instantly recognizable?

The first piece of advice that you should take into account is to ensure that any images or videos that you create and leak out into the World Wide Web contain a link, watermark or tag – otherwise, the fans of your viral online marketing campaign will have no idea who to thank for the amazing or amusing thing that brightened up their day. This also offers you free online marketing, as fans will share the image or video around for you, allowing you to sit back and watch the number of hits your campaign receives rising. A link, watermark or tag will also prevent other people from trying to claim your image or video as their own.

But how do you leak an image or video that you have your fingers crossed will go viral to the masses? Easy – through another popular avenue of online marketing known as social networking. These days, a business should at least have a Twitter account, a Facebook profile and a Google+ account – but don’t just stop there! Sign up to DIGG or StumbleUpon or start a blog to further increase the visibility of your brand. Post the image or video to all of these profiles; you could even stagger the dates that you release it on each site to ensure that the campaign remains visible.

It is, however, important to be careful when trying to create a piece to use as a part of a viral online marketing campaign. When you tell clients, friends or even potential clients that your company is the masterminds behind the image or video, you want them to react by saying “you did that?” with pleasant surprise or even awe – not to say the same thing with a look of utter disgust on their faces. When creating a viral online marketing image or video, look at it and ask yourself whether you would be happy to put your name to it (without fearing negative repercussions). If the answer is no, don’t put your company’s name to it either.

There are plenty of viral online marketing campaigns out there – you may not even know that they have been created to promote a brand or product until you look closely. Take, for example, “911 Guy” or the police officer spraying mace during the Occupy Wall Street protest who have been used to make political statements, or the art school that based their images on drug campaigns to make a humorous comment on people’s art addictions.