Did you notice that once something big happens in the world, your Facebook and Instagram feed becomes over-populated with numerous posts connected to the topic-of-the-moment?
When the finale of Game of Thrones aired, most pages, both business and personal, posted something about it – a funny comment, a meme, a serious discussion poll, or just a simple mention to connect with it.
Or when Pokemon GO was all the rage – numerous pages appeared on social media providing tips and tricks, opinions, how-to guides and random trivia associated with the game.
Or when everyone was dancing to, or making fun of with their own variation, to the ‘top hit’ of the 2010s, Psy’s Gangnam Style. (Although many don’t even understand the lyrics.)
Sometimes, it seems plainly boring to see everyone sharing the same article, especially when you have zero investment in the topic.
But then, it’s been proven, that in the world of social media, viral topics and viral content will rise (and fall) every now and then, forcing us to take notice, and somehow for that period of time, buy into it. Everybody wants to be ‘in’, ‘fashionable’ and ‘trendy’, and viral trends feed well into that FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) feels.
What is viral marketing?
A viral marketing campaign is one that gets so popular among the audience that it is shared across various platforms, and by a good chance, imitated or discussed amongst the masses. As mentioned above, it may also be riding on already popular trends, providing fresh (or refreshed) takes on the talk of the town. All these can be done intentionally, although ‘going viral’ is usually by accident.
Before the digital era, the “virality” of a campaign used to happen through word-of-mouth. The rise of social media, tied with the consumption habits of later generations like the Millennials and Gen Zs, made it easier to spread to a broader audience via the world wide web.
When you achieve a viral campaign, or hitch on one, it’s the users who are doing most of the work for you, spreading your brand’s message to a vast audience, being a strategy that is cost-effective, and a great way to generate brand awareness.
However, there are two sides of a coin to this. If you do it right and it spreads and goes viral for the right reasons, you’ll get popular with less effort. But, what happens when your work hits a nail and a post (or the whole campaign) gets viral for the wrong reasons?
We at I Concept Singapore have seen the ups and downs, as a leading creative agency that specialises in social media marketing and management. We break down the pros and cons of viral trends in social media, and guide you through digital marketing success.
The advantages of using viral trends for social media marketing promotion
- Your brand’s message can get in front of more eyes
Being able to pass the message of your product and your brand by using viral trends is the ultimate form and it really takes a lot of creativity to come up with an original and appropriate context that will accompany the content. (Yes, it still has to fit your branding and style.)
For example, if you are trying to promote your restaurant, you can use Pokemon GO and come up with initiatives like luring Pokemon to your venue then encouraging people to “dine at our restaurant to be able to catch more Pokemons.”
- It is (almost) free
Adapting and creating relevant content, with suitable digital copywriting that hooks, all connected with a viral trend is pretty low-cost. If done right, it should reach your desired audience organically without the need for paid advertising. And the most important thing is to have your content shareable, so your fans and friends of the brand will share the post and get even more people to see it.
It will take some time to come up with original material that has a personalised point of view on the shared trend. However, do note that if you plan a whole digital marketing strategy based solely on piggybacking on other viral trends, you would still require a small budget to make it work effectively.
- It is fun for your customers
The golden rule of sharing stuff on social media is that it should be 70% interesting and fun content that may be interesting to your followers, and just 30% be self-promotion. There are many ways of promoting and selling, so make it exciting. This way, you will not bore your followers with offers and products, but will keep them entertained instead.
Viral trends can be a perfect combination of the two, keeping things interesting and help gain new followers for the business, but you can also tie in something that you are already offering.
Disadvantages and mistakes with using viral trends in digital marketing
- The “Still Viral” Illusion
Remember how Gangnam Style was a cool, spectacular phenomenon, but when it dried and staled out, no one actually mentioned it?
But then, there are still businesses who will continue to exploit it with the notion that it is still “the thing” everyone is talking about, when it had already become a “was”.
“In” things will fizzle out some day, some time. If you use out-dated trends, there’s a huge possibility that your digital marketing campaign will end up failing. That’s the hard truth about social media marketing, sadly. If you need to ask your team if something is “still viral”, then it probably isn’t anymore, so avoid it at all cost.
- The wrong choice for piggybacking
There are marketing campaigns and viral trends that become popular on the Internet and stay there for a (long) while. However, it turns out that some do not really work and cannot reach the majority of every audience.
If you are planning on piggybacking, do extensive research on the campaign’s potential to fall and fail on the wrong audience. There are things that work for the Americans, but miss the Asians. And some jokes may be hilarious in China, but won’t tickle the Chinese in Southeast Asia. That’s the hard truth.
- It is not unique if everyone is using it
Some things are exploited (or even overly exploited) but can still garner some giggles and interest. And then there are some…
In marketing, uniqueness is key. Viral trends and topics may be fun, but if there is no originality in the recreation, people will simply be turned off when they see or read the same things over and over again. Just like how the same piece of news becomes stale when it’s copied and published by 10 different media outlets without any new angles. And then there are some people who are simply not invested in certain trends.
The key point is to always think about the people who do not know or are simply not interested in that viral trend. And also to always think about your target audience. If your audience does not align with the trending topic, it may be better than you keep away from the content.
- Know a thing or two before you start
Yes, when riding on viral trends, time is of the essence. However, a rookie mistake committed is to hurry up and share whatever you can about a trend, without any prior knowledge of it.
In order to get noticed, it is vital to know a lot about a topic and be able to provide valuable information that will extend general knowledge.
If you just repeat what has been repeated a thousand times, you are not going to stand out among the noise.
Getting social media marketing done right
So, in order to make the most of viral trends, you should take into account a few important things, starting with not overusing it in order to keep your audience entertained. Furthermore, you should be in-the-know on the latest trends and always try to provide something new, useful or funny about that trend that will benefit your audience.
With enough creativity and effort, you can successfully use viral trends to gain more followers and ultimately better promote your business or products.
If you still aren’t sure how your brand should be taking on social media (and if you should tap on viral trends), I Concept Singapore may be able to help!
As a top creative agency Singapore, we have years of experience in social media management and digital marketing, working with many of your familiar brands to help with their social media strategies.
With an understanding of your preferences and your business needs, our team of experienced strategists and designers will guide you to creating quality posts content and draw up effective campaigns, helping you reach your target audience. Get in touch with us today!
