Want to get noticed? Go viral

Posted on 10th Apr 2012 by Katy Cowan in Tips and Tricks

When it comes to getting noticed these days, the art of persuasion or shouting out your brand messages simply won’t cut it anymore. Today – thanks to the Internet and its impact on our daily lives, if you want to grab attention, you have to let other people do it for you.

Viral marketing is one way to get your brand name out there. By approaching influential people on social media or creating something that people will naturally want to share, you can spark a movement and get the kind of advertising that money can’t buy. Want to create a buzz around your own business? Here are some top tips to help you with your own viral marketing campaigns…

Give something away

Everyone loves free things, so consider a competition giveaway to your followers on Twitter or fans on Facebook. Remember, the bigger the prize, the bigger the response - a £50 shopping voucher won’t get any response but a full-blown, all-expenses paid trip to the Caribbean will. Create a competition that people will want to naturally share with their friends. Consider what will make people tweet ‘Hey buddy! Have you seen this amazing competition?’ and the rest will fall into place. If you can’t afford to giveaway a Caribbean holiday, offer something of value like an internship or some free training, products or services.

Get controversial

When updating your company blog, make some of your posts something people will really talk about. Don’t go overboard and risk ruining your reputation. Just don’t be afraid to have an opinion and shout about it. For example, I wrote a blog post on my own company’s website the other week, announcing that Traditional PR & Marketing is Dead. The article got thousands of hits and people shared it via Twitter and Facebook – it was something many people didn’t agree with but it worked! I got people’s attention and so can you.

Be passionate about something

Nothing gets people interested in your brand more than when you’re passionate about something. My own e-zine Creative Boom is passionate about supporting the creative industries over here in the UK. It’s been running for nearly three years and we have nearly 30,000 followers on Twitter plus 60,000 unique visitors each month. People call it ‘The Boom’ and I get so many nice emails, thanking me for my support. Do something you believe in and people will love you for it. Just look at Steve Jobs and Apple.

Create a video

Video content is fast becoming the most important content on the web. Tap into our insatiable appetite for video by creating a funny, emotional or memorable video that will get people spreading your brand like a virus on YouTube. Recent great examples include the dog Fiona and Hope for Paws and Sh*t Girls Say, a funny video showcasing what girls apparently say.

And those are just some top tips to get you started. If you’ve got anything you’d like to add, please comment below.