How to Make an Idea Go Viral

by Farrhad A on July 11, 2009

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Viral Marketing is one of the most effective marketing tactics in the world today. The idea is that you create an idea that spreads through your market like a virus, getting people interested and prepared for the launch of your actual product. However, making a concept viral, especially on the internet, can be a challenge.

The tips to making your marketing campaign go viral are not hard concepts to grasp, but they can be difficult to act on. Knowing how to communicate persuasively and effectively is one important aspect of viral marketing. As well, you should have an attention-grabbing landing page setup to receive visitors. All of the pieces must be in place so that you can grab and convert visitors quickly and efficiently. That being said, here are some tips for creating viral marketing campaigns:

Only Give Away the Essential Idea

Let’s say that you have a cure for baldness that you want to sell online. When preparing your website, don’t tell people the method to curing their baldness. Instead, let everyone know that you have a cure, and that you’re going to sell it. Tell them that it will completely change their lives. Let them know the price of this miraculous discovery. Give your customers everything they need to be excited, without revealing how the product works.

Social Media is a Must

When you want an idea to go viral, you have to get it out there to the people. Twitter about your miraculous solution, and link to your landing page. Create alluring headlines such as “do you want to grow full, luscious hair?” and “the cure to baldness – found!” and “how to grow hair again,” and give a shortened url to your landing page. These headlines will draw people in, and by using a shortener, you can more easily determine the success of your campaigns.

Video Makes Everything Better

People love demonstrations and videos. Creating an interesting video related to your product, such as an infographic or a short documentary or demonstration of your product, will have people begging to buy from you. When creating a video, remember to be impressive, secretive, and keep your major point until the end. As well, you should strive to create a high quality video, as nobody likes to watch a grainy screen.

Target Keyword Phrases

When it comes to making a campaign viral, aim to target SEO phrases such as “how to cure baldness” or “how do I grow hair back?” instead of the generic “baldness” keyword. You want people to find your site at the top of a page when looking for solutions to a specific problem. The more phrases you can rank for, the more your website will spread.

Give Away Free Samples

Nothing goes more viral than a giveaway, so why not give away discounts, samples, trials, etc. for your product? Having people spread the word about trying out your website and finding it helpful will draw even more people in for a taste. Just make sure that your sample is enough to keep them wanting even more!

Get Some Friends Together and Spread the Word

When a gang marks their territory, they don’t do it by sending out one guy with a spray can. They send out five guys, to every corner of their space, and they mark everything. You want your idea to be spread to the four corners of your market, from the smallest buyer to the billionaire. Getting a promotional team together to come up with a recognizable “tag” and then running it to every site you can will spread your idea like wildfire.

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What are your ideas for making a campaign go viral? Do you think its possible to influence the direction of viral marketing on the internet? Have any of your ideas ever been viral? Share your thoughts and ideas on viral marketing!

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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }

Wiil McCulloch July 11, 2009 at 1:36 pm

“What A 15 year old Marketing Guy” –

Farrhad, I’m impressed & have already learned a lot from your great site.
Thanks a lot from Hamburg !

Will
P.S. I’m new to blogging at http://whatawebsite.org/ … so your tips are very useful …
Wiil McCulloch´s last blog ..Branding Category My ComLuv Profile

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Farrhad A July 15, 2009 at 10:53 am

Glad you liked my blog, Will! :)

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Corey Freeman July 12, 2009 at 2:43 pm

Using your friends’ power to spread the message is a really great technique. If you have a ton of friends spread out over different groups then they can make your project a hit in no time. ;)
Corey Freeman´s last blog ..How to Recover from a Disaster My ComLuv Profile

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Farrhad A July 15, 2009 at 10:53 am

Yes, friends can really help you out :)
Thanks for commenting Corey.

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Charles - Big Idea Blogger July 13, 2009 at 1:09 pm

You are right about the concept of viral marketing as easy to grasp but difficult to execute. That’s because it’s up to the audience to spread the idea. However, we can influence and induce word-of-mouth by the tips you have given. Thanks Farrhad!
Charles – Big Idea Blogger´s last blog ..The Fastest Way to Achieve Results for Your Blog My ComLuv Profile

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Farrhad A July 15, 2009 at 10:52 am

Thanks for the comment Charles. Yes, it depends on the readers, but we can influence them :)

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Monik July 13, 2009 at 3:52 pm

Another Great Post Farrhad! Keep it up!
Monik´s last blog ..TwitARound : The augmented reality Twitter viewer and BTW are we near to the future? My ComLuv Profile

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Farrhad A July 15, 2009 at 10:49 am

Thanks for stopping by :)

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Rob July 13, 2009 at 4:11 pm

If done right, and complimented with the free samples it can go huge, especially if it is “really great”.
Rob´s last blog ..Lack of Business Plan Could Equal Doom for Twitter My ComLuv Profile

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Farrhad A July 15, 2009 at 10:49 am

Yes! Great stuff never goes unnoticed.

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Tech-Freak Stuff July 26, 2009 at 11:13 am

Very good tips! But I think that the most important thing for your idea to go Viral is that it should benefit the people using it! Unless you are helpful , there will always be a very few takers.
Tech-Freak Stuff´s last blog ..Is INTERNET Male or a Female? My ComLuv Profile

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Buy PSP Go August 11, 2009 at 10:37 am

You can always bank on lists + Digg = tons of traffic and possibility of going viral.
Buy PSP Go´s last blog ..Sony Considered Second Analog Stick for PSP Go My ComLuv Profile

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