Going Viral with your Content

Posted by on Jul 25, 2012 in Digital Trends | 143 comments

November 16, 2011. An officially released Tanglish song instantly becomes viral on social networking sites and emerges as the most searched YouTube video in India. No points for guessing the song. Why this Kolaveri di (got you humming already?) became an Internet phenomenon taking the country by storm.

I have often wondered what does it take to achieve something of that magnitude in the Internet space. I adore fantastic fantastic virals and off late I have been seeing (and studying) a lot of viral content. I notice the best ones have one thing in common – instant appeal. If you are looking at going viral, then apart from what I just stated, there are a few other things too that you can do.

Here goes my list:

1. Create relevant and awe inspiring content

Have stuff that interests people. For example it is good to know what people like and are already talking about. Make your content niche, interesting, funny and definitely something that triggers an emotional response. You can check this link out for some really cool viral campaigns.

2. Make your content easily shareable

If you come across something that catches your eye, then wouldn’t you like to share it? After all, it hardly makes sense to lock your content, not allowing people to download and use it. So, make Facebook and Twitter buttons available. Your audience is socializing there, big time, and you know that.

3. Make your content easy to find

Okay, you have some fantastic stuff out there. But it is hidden! What’s the point then? Do simple things like starting with domain names that is easy-to-remember or host content on sites with good following like Flickr, YouTube or Facebook, to make your content visible. If your content has things people would be looking for, like specific keywords or questions for example, then it becomes an easy find.

4. Use appealing Infographics

Visually appealing Infographics are among some of the most frequently shared online content. Simply because it is more easier to absorb content that is visually rich than reading long paragraphs and huge chunks of boring text. So the key is to make the content visually rich. For example, Jordan Koene, Global Content Head of eBay.com had created an infographic displaying Star Wars sales data on eBay.com was a hit. The reasons were simple. First, no one had compiled this information so far, and second, this information was never displayed in such a visually engaging manner before. You may refer to this link here.

5. Be original and unique

How about having a mascot that is truly yours? Or perhaps creating an interesting character that can be an instant hit with your audience? Well, I am not telling you to get over ambitious. What I am saying is there are enough clones around, you need not be one.

Go viral! Even if they call it 15 minutes of fame, never mind, it is still worth claiming.

Till we meet again, this is Ibea signing off, and will be back with something more.