“Going viral isn’t random, magic, or luck. It’s a science.”
Jonah Berger
Viral
What does “going viral” mean? Going viral is an image, video, or link that spreads rapidly through a population by being frequently shared with a number of individuals.
Introduction:
For decades, the advertising industry was based on an asymmetrical communication model, where marketers would engage audiences via paid media channels. The advent of social media platforms completely transformed the general media landscape, along with the advertising model, as audiences shifted from the role of content receivers to content creators, distributors, and commentators.
Three Key Things That Can Make You Go Viral:
- Tease makers
- Communties participation
- Unexpectedness
Viral Advertising
There are several key differences between viral and traditional advertising.
First, viral advertising earns audience eyeballs, as opposed to paying for them. This is a major departure from the traditional advertising exchange, where brands purchase media space and interrupt an audience’s media consumption with advertisements.
Second, viral advertisements provide such increased value to audiences that they transform audiences from passive content receivers to active social distributors who play a key role in advertisement distribution.
Third, although there are limited studies speaking to this point, it is worth noting that information sharing has been shown to increase a user’s followers on Twitter, which is a long-term benefit for marketers.
The Social Networks Approach
The social networks conceptual framework shifts the focus from individual traits to patterns of social relationships (Wasserman & Faust, 1994). Applying a social networks approach to social media activity allows researchers to capture content virality and identify key social media influencers that affect the conversation about a brand and reach key groups of consumers.
A social network is formed when connections (“links”) are created among social actors (“nodes”), such as individuals and organizations. The collections of these connections aggregate into emergent patterns or network structures. On Twitter, social networks are composed of users and the connections they form with other users when they retweet, mention, and reply.
Always remember that anyone could be famous at any minute.
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