No not the one you get after a couple of cocktails! I’m talking about
a viral buzz.

I’m not sure if you have noticed or not but viral marketing has
matured quite a bit over the past few years. There seems to have
been a shift to the web not just being seen by agencies and
brands as another tick box for any ad campaign, which is
significant enough, but now being the medium where a campaign
is launched to create a buzz before a new product even hits the
market.

Have you ever noticed that before a movie is released you will see
clips and trailers which are used to generate excitement and
activity before the movie hits the theaters? That’s buzz.

Plain and simple buzz works! Just like it works for movies and big
businesses, it can work for small and start-up businesses, as well.
The planning stage of a viral campaign will set out objectives and
develop the viral theme for a buzz. There are three core
components to any viral campaign and businesses of any size can
use them.

They are:

1. The creative material: the viral agent that embodies the
message you want to spread in a digital format (image, video,
text, etc). The trick is to put together material that people will be
eager to share with their family and friends. Keep in mind when
you are creating your content that people are much more eager to
share something that is either fun, entertaining or informative
rather
than an advertisement.

2. Seeding: distributing and placing the agent online in places
that provide the greatest potential spread. Direct viral material
downloads or links on specialist viral third-party web sites in order
to create awareness and spread before users get to the
campaign destination site.

3. Tracking: Measuring the spread of the campaign to provide
accountability and prove success. It is absolutely vital that you
know what is or is not working. The only way to get that information
is to track the results of your seeding.

Lessons have been learned, trends have been developed and
there is definitely some science involved in creating a buzz
successfully. The buzz technique is here to stay and, if used
strategically, it can make a difference to the success of your
business.

Just take some time and create a solid viral marketing plan using
the steps above and it won’t be long before you get your buzz on!

Look for another lesson soon! We will be talking about using
ebooks to really go viral.