How to go viral with your blog

There’s a reason why viral marketing has taken off on the net in that last few years and it’s because it’s never been so cheap to reach so many people. At its core viral marketing is all about letting other people spread the word about your site for you. But how does viral marketing work and where do you start?

It’s important to be different when hoping to go viral as the internet really has no time for ideas that have been done before. That doesn’t mean you have to complexly re-invent the wheel, some of the most successful viral campaigns have been a new slant on an old concept. Mostly you will have to experiment to until you find the right formula.

A mistake that people often make when they create some kind of viral content is “overselling it”. For example if you create a great info-graphic but your corporate branding is too prominent it’s going to put people off. We don’t mind being sold to but do it under the radar.

It’s important to get the ball rolling at the start of the campaign. Even if you have the most “sharable” content ever you really have to get someone prominent (i.e. a blogger) to get your campaign off the ground. It’s only after you hit a critical mass of people that your idea can start to snowball and this is when viral marketing becomes real value for money.

It amazes me how many people start a viral marketing campaign but have no real idea how well it worked by the end of it. You may be getting more sales/readers/visitors on your site but is this as a direct result of your marketing? It’s important to track what works and what doesn’t in order to improve in any kind of marketing environment.

Creating content that people simply have to share is definitely not easy. I suppose the toughest parts is coming up with a unique idea that hasn’t been done before and also not overselling the commercial aspect of what you’re doing. There are big rewards if you can crack the secret to web marketing though.

If you’re a new webmaster then check out my marketing site which has lots of advice for anyone starting a website. We have something for everyone.