Okay so you want your content to go viral. You and everybody else. You have your blog, your RSS signups, you’re tweeting, posting and doing everything under the sun to create great content and pump it out to social networks. What’s missing you ask?
Rob Ciampa of Pixability has the answer. People like content that is easy to share. How often does a friend send you a link of something they’ve enjoyed or found value in? More often than not, that content happens to be videos- which is a booming trend.Youtube has provided a global medium for everyone from teenagers to grandparents to upload whatever content they choose. For companies, this is a huge opportunity. Just watch Mattress Dominoes World Record Attempt – HD, to see what creativity can do for a relatively unknown warehouse company called Bensons For Beds.That video was shared over 1,000,000 times and had a much further reach than any advertising campaign at such a low cost.You have to start your campaign with a marketing and sales strategy. Hoping for something to just “go viral” is ineffective, so have a strategy in mind that will resonate the value you are offering to the world. Develop a creative story around that value and combine it with efforts to have consistent content online. Before you know it, your small business could end up being the next Bensons For Beds. Once you have people’s attention, it’s up to you to keep it focused on your company to reap the benefits.
Laurel Ackerman of Zeo has been developing cost-effective ways to engage with her brand’s audience. She found that advertising through Facebook and Google didn’t have the Return on Investment that she was looking for. Instead, she focused on the silver lining of engaging the customers she already had. She started partnering with similar businesses for sweepstakes that built synergy between the brands. She also creatively came up with mommy bloggers to get her target customers actively promoting the brand. Your company has something to share with the world and your customers share a passion about your industry. Encourage your online pages and websites to become breeding grounds for discussions and content. Don’t just add “likes” and “followers” for the numbers, but really engage the viewers to talk about your company and the industry. Find out what they like and don’t like. Utilize their input and creativity and you just may find new ideas that can take your company in a whole new direction.
You will find that if you utilize all of the proven strategies in this two part series, that you will be on your way to success because of a customer focus that is easily amplified.