What is viral content? It’s content that is passed around until it’s capturing through your niche similar to an out-of-control prairie fire on a windy day. And since your marketing message is an integral part of that content, you obtain quick, massive exposure when you create and launch such a content.
Almost all internet marketers aspire to create an ebook, video, tool, software or even an article that gets such a exposure. It’s not hard to fantasize about making a video or ebook that overnight turns into “the next big thing” that everyone’s speaking about. And we all feel like it could happen, because the social media sites (like YouTube and Facebook) causes it to be so effortless for anyone to produce and distribute content.
But handful of marketers actually achieve this. And even much less understand how to create content that’s “buzz worthy” and probably be shared. Here’s what you need to know prior to you launch and going viral:
* Generate Edgy Content
If your 85-year old grandma spots your content and approves, it’s most likely not going to sweep the Internet like you expect. But if her jaw falls and she’s shocked and genuinely offended, then you might be on the right track.
Quite simply, bland “newspaper style” articles, videos or other content will not likely make the rounds on the web. It has to push the envelope, be interesting, maybe debatable and a bit offensive, and/or highly helpful.
Just think about the last article, ebook or video you shared with a friend. I bet it wasn’t the sort of content you could see in a 1000 other places, was it? It caught your attention because it was various. And similarly, you can capture your market’s interest by delivering something distinct than they are used to seeing.
* Persuade Folks to Share It
You can’t generate content and then merely cross your fingers and hope someone shares it. Instead, you need to encourage sharing it. Which means that you tell people, especially, to pass it along to their buddies. It’s also possible to use a “tell a friend” form. And of course, you should make it easy for folks to share it on social bookmarking sites (like Digg.com and StumbleUpon.com) by adding those badges and widgets to your site.
* Get Your Content before People
Lastly, you should get your content in front of as many people as possible. Without a doubt, pretend it’s a paid product and “launch it” with a marketing campaign. Use Digg, Facebook, Squidoo, YouTube, article directories, blogging and each other software and site at your disposal to tell others. The more people who at first see it, the much better possibility it has of going viral, quick.
