What is Viral Marketing? Is It a Viable Tactic…or a Trap?
May 26, 2021
Viral marketing is something of an enigma. We’ve all seen examples of
it: Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” campaign, the “Squatty Potty”
unicorn ad, or heck, even the “Selfies on iPhone X” video.
We can all see the results of viral marketing: millions of views,
countless likes and shares, media buzz and, most importantly, lots of
additional sales.
But what is viral marketing? Is it actually a viable marketing strategy?
Or, as my friend Daniel Harmon (one of the creators of the “Squatty
Potty” ad) likes to put it, is virality like “catching lightning in a bottle”?
Let’s take a look.
Welcome message from author
So, what is viral marketing? In a nutshell, it’s the internet version of word-of mouth marketing. You create something valuable and exciting and then hope that people will share the word about your business for you. It’s a sound, time honored marketing tactic—with a digital twist. Where people get confused, however, is when they confuse “viral marketing” with “going viral”. While the latter is certainly great when it happens, it’s a random event—not something you should plan your marketing strategy around.
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