The rise of social media also coincided with the rise of “viral marketing campaigns.” Viral marketing campaigns have been a buzzword in marketing ever since but today’s viral marketing does cannot be flash mobs or ice bucket challenges, it has to stay modern and engage with customers in a new and creative ways. Here is what to look for in the next generation of viral marketing.

Genuine
Today’s consumers are savvier than ever before and can easily spot disguise campaigns. Pepsi’s and Kylie Jenner’s recent attempt at social commentary made this abundantly clear. Combine savvy consumers with rampant social media criticism and having disingenuine marketing can easily backfire. So the key to the next generation of viral marketing is to support campaigns that relate to your brand and campaign. Reach customers through interests that are relevant to what you are selling or at least where a connection can be drawn. If you choose to engage on Twitter and Facebook, post and repost messages that stay on topic and keep consistent with your brand message. We are not saying you can’t break new ground but strive for genuine connections and interests, don’t expect digital consumers to be easily fooled.

Music
Music is at the heart of many viral marketing campaigns. Working with musical artists and creating catchy earbug songs can be an excellent way to get your message out there and shared amongst social media platforms. So consider making music a part of your next viral marketing campaign.

Consumer Input
An important part of a viral marketing campaign is two-way interaction. Allowing consumers to authentically communicate with your brand is an excellent way to create a viral marking campaign. One way companies have been successful with this is by creating products based on consumer input. Recently Starbucks had one of the largest viral marketing successes in recent memory thought the Unicorn Frappucino, this technicolor drink was created in response to social media requests and has since taken the internet by storm with millions of online shares and articles written about the beverage. Similar success has been had with Lay’s create a flavor contest which allowed users to submit ideas and vote on flavors and the company would, in turn, create the winning product. These type of campaigns give customers a sense of ownership in the brand and create genuine interactions and social media shares.

Charitable
Company’s like Amazon and Chipotle have found success in creating genuine charitable campaigns. Customers like to support causes through the spending and it creates positive associations with your brand. In an era of social media, goodwill can quickly multiple as happy customers share their positive experiences. Companies can go further than just charitable campaigns and create positive change as part of their mission statement, it is possible to stay profitable and create positive change in the world and many companies are getting free viral marketing by doing so!

Viral marketing campaigns can be hard to pull off but once mastered they are a huge boost in your market share. So try our techniques for the next generation of viral marketing.