While there's no guarantee that a piece of content will go
viral, there are a few elements that you can incorporate into your content to
significantly increase your chances. To demonstrate this, I'll break down a
viral content marketing campaign Fractl recently created called Perceptions of
Perfection.
The concept behind the campaign was simple. We sent 18
designers from around the world a picture of a woman and asked them to
Photoshop her to the point of "perfection." The resulting images
captured how each culture perceives the ideal body image differently, from thin
Italian women to curvier Colombian women.
During the first week of the campaign, it received more than
700,000 page views on our client's site, 850,000 social shares, and more than
500 featured stories by online publishers. Sofia Vergara even shared the study
with her 7.7 million Facebook fans.
Why did this campaign go viral? It wasn't mere luck. The
Internet couldn't stop talking about Perceptions of Perfection because it tied
together five proven characteristics of viral content.
Complex Emotions
Elicit Stronger Responses
An emotional hook is important for creating shareable
content; however, eliciting a complex emotional response is even better for
driving shares and engagement. Perceptions of Perfection touched on the
pressures of unrealistic body standards, which aroused a range of high arousal
emotions, such as anger and anxiety, in viewers. It didn't just evoke a single
emotion, but rather put the audience on an emotional roller coaster.
Add an Element of
Surprise to Drive Interest
Our research on viral emotions found a strong correlation
between an element of surprise and content sharing. Audiences were shocked when
they saw the 18 Photoshopped images. The drastic differences in beauty
standards added a surprise factor that piqued audience interest. Not only did
the element of surprise get people viewing the campaign, it drove them to share
it like crazy.
Create Content With
Broad Appeal
A big reason marketers struggle to make branded content go
viral is that it is too promotional and only of interest to the brand's core
demographic. In order to get the attention needed to go viral, your content
needs to appeal to a large swath of people. Striking a balance between
appealing to a wide audience as well as your target market is key. With
Perceptions of Perfection, we were able to attract the attention of a broad
audience while also tying the concept back to our client's target demographic,
women between ages 18 and 34.
Choose an Original or
Newsworthy Angle
As you start to ideate for your next viral hit, ask whether
the content is newsworthy. This is key for getting your content placed on major
publications, which is crucial for getting the high visibility needed for your
content to spread.
Our campaign was picked up by hundreds of publishers because
it featured an exclusive study presenting new information. In fact, 66% of
publishers told us they favor newsworthy or exclusive content above all other forms,
so if you don't have an element of "newness" to your idea, it will be
hard to generate much viral traction.
Play on Proven
Success
This wasn't the first campaign to discuss body image--Dove
has cornered this market for years. However, by adding a unique spin to an old
concept (in our case, cultural beauty), we were able to create something new
and shareable. As you start to brainstorm potential topics, it's okay to pull
from what's already been popular with online audiences.
If you can find a way to improve upon an idea that's already
been successful, then you're on your way to a viral hit. BuzzSumo is extremely
useful for researching which topics and content formats have performed well
with different audiences.
It's unlikely that every piece of content you create will be
destined for viral success, but by incorporating the elements above into your
production process, you can greatly increase viral potential.
Source: inc.com
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