In a world whose marketing ecosystem is constantly changing, the need for you to go viral cannot be overemphasized.
Content is very important as far as marketing your products and services is concerned. But there are content that matter and that is viral content.
What is viral content?
Viral Content is the type of content that behaves like a virus, and because of this unique trait, it spreads from one person to another quickly forming a chain that continues to grow.
Some good examples of viral content you’re probably come across include…
Grumpy Cat Gangnam Style
Dollar Shave Club Ice Bucket Challenge
This examples introduces viral content in the form of an internet meme (Grumpy Cat), music (Psy’s Gangnam Style), a video advertisement for a product (Dollar Shave Club), and a charity drive (The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge).
Viral content can also be in form of a photo, a quote, a written article, an infographic, a concept, a person, a controversy, or just about anything that people easily identify with. This feeling of affinity makes people to share such content, and if a good number of people identify with the content, it will most certainly go viral.
The next question that should be coming to mind is...
With such a vast amount of content being shared every minute on Facebook, how can YOU stand out in the crowd and not only get noticed… but also greatly increase your odds of going viral?
Though there is no 💯 percent guaranteed way to make your content go viral, there are proven, yet simple steps you can follow to have an edge over the competition.
In this report, we’ll be covering strategies that fall under viral content types:
Types of Viral Content
All content is content. But all content are not equal. It has been proven repeatedly that content that gets shared more on social media networks are more equal than others.
1. Long Form Content
Majority of the content on the internet is short (from 1,000 to 2,000 words). But available data shows that long form content gets even more shares than short form.
If long form content gets shared more and the majority of content on the internet is short form, then this means you now have justifiable reason to focus on writing more of long form content than short form content.
2. Images
Images have always been the number one element that captures my attention in any type of content, only seconded by the headline. The reason is obvious: images demand attention, forceful attention.
In 2014, 75% of all content posted (and shared) on Facebook worldwide were made up of images. Talk of the influence of images!
In addition to this, articles with images in every 75-100 words get double the number of shares than articles with fewer number of images.
Because images naturally demand attention, it should…
✓ Arouse strong feelings and emotions.
✓ Complement the content.
✓ Add value to the content.
✓ Be unique and force attention.
✓ Be cropped or edited to fit the overall look of the website.
By following these guidelines, you’ll increase your content’s chances of being seen and shared.
3. Infographics
Infographics are images, but they’re a specific type of image and they are in hot demand. According to HubSpot, Infographics get liked and shared 3 times more than any other form of content and 40 times more likely to be shared than written content. With numbers like that, it’s something you should consider using.
So how do you get started making your own infographics - especially if you know nothing about graphic design?
There are tons of wonderful infographic ideas that will inspire you on Neomam Studios, and then get the tools you need to start learning infographic creation from this article.
4. List Posts
You may or may not have heard it before; but the truth remains that list posts get shared more than any other type of written content.
Though most people may see list posts as a lower form of content, the statistics prove otherwise. The internet world loves list posts - and also share the heck out of them. Shouldn't that get you thinking?
7 Ways To Date A Blonde or 10 Secrets of Internet Millionaires still rule the sharing landscape. Do you not wonder why ListVerse and this dear blog ListPaedia is all about lists?
5. Memes
What’s a meme?
It’s a cultural symbol or social idea that spreads like a virus. Majority of memes on the internet are online are visual in nature - like images and videos. Most of them are also amusing. They may evoke feelings of annoyance, but people connect emotionally with memes in a very strong way. For that reason, creating or piggybacking on an existing meme can help you go viral.
Examples of popular memes are…
LOLCats
Rickrolling
Psy - Gangnam Style
And the list goes on and on…
● The Photobombing Squirrel
● Pants on the Ground Guy from American Idol
● Star Wars Kid
● Sittin’ on the Toilet
● The Cinnamon Challenge
● The Ice Bucket Challenge
● Planking
● Charlie Sheen “Winning!”
● Will it Blend?
We could do this forever, and the fact that we literally could list hundreds of these illustrates how powerful and widespread memes really are.
Creating your own meme or piggybacking on an existing meme is a potent method of getting noticed and shared on Facebook.
6. Video
Visual content is dominating the online landscape, and video specifically is the hottest thing in internet marketing since… well… the internet.
The bottom line is, if you’re not using video marketing, you’re missing the boat.
If you think that’s an exaggeration, consider these statistics…
● YouTube has over a billion users — that’s almost one-third of all people on the Internet. (YouTube)
● 92% of mobile video viewers regularly share videos. (Invodo)
● Online video traffic will account for 55% of all consumer Internet traffic in 2016. (Cisco)
● 52% of consumers say that they’re more confident in making a purchase after watching a product video. (Invodo)
● 90% of all consumers regularly
watch videos (Invodo)
● Consumers who watch video are almost twice as likely to buy (Invodo)
7. Case Studies
A case study is actually a success story. It explains your product or service and illustrates how it helped somebody who used that product or service.
Case studies provide good information, act as a type of social proof, and are quite shareable. The value of case studies cannot be overestimated.
To write a good case study, follow these guidelines…
✓ Base your case study on somebody who aligns with your target audience.
✓ Explain the problems and barriers you and your client had to overcome.
✓ Use real data and statistics.
✓ Thoroughly explain the solution you provided on a step-by-step basis.
✓ Detail the results of the solution you provided.
✓ Make sure you end it with a strong call to action.
8. Current Events
Content created around timely current events can have more chances of being shared. Whether it’s politics, sports, entertainment, or any hot topic people are talking about, you can create content around it in a way that it relates to your services, products, and brand.
Many viral campaigns are also centered around events and holidays.
Christmas, the Super Bowl, the World Cup, independence day or Election Day are good picks.
How could you use news and events like these to promote your content and your brand?
If you sell products, digital goods or services, and you're looking for a proven way to sell more, sell smarter, faster and easier; then go watch this Webinar.
