You will often hear from your clients that they want you to make their online marketing campaigns viral. As online marketers, this should be one of your goals in order to achieve your client’s end goal. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen, and the truth is it can be challenging. I want to walk you through some of the reasons your campaigns may not be going viral, and go over what you should do about it.
Mistake #1: Blatant Marketing
Does your content scream “Buy From Us!” all the time? One of the most common mistakes you can make when trying to make a campaign go viral is to release content that is purely blatant marketing.
Why it’s a mistake: Your clients’ target audience isn’t always looking to buy. More often than not, they’re looking for more information to help them decide the true value of the products / services you promote.
What to do instead: Offer free and relevant information. It could be in the form of a blog, downloadable research materials, videos, podcasts – use as many content types as you can. If you’re doing a guest blog, think about how your content contributes to your host blog or website, because chances are they won’t approve your guest post if your content is purely marketing.
Mistake #2: Not Using Integrated Marketing
I’ve written about this many times previously: integrated marketing is the future of online marketing. Yet some of your clients may still refuse to have online presence in the newer platforms for various reasons.
Why it’s a mistake: We’re living in a multi-screen, multi-platform world, which means the only way to reach your audience effectively is to market to them consistently in all the different platforms they use. Another problem is that you may be marketing inconsistently across different.
What to do instead: Integrate and use all platforms your target audience for a specific campaign uses. Expect to use many of these – according to a recently released study by email marketing company AWeber, businesses are planning to increase their use of multiple platforms for marketing this year. See the graph below for more information:
Mistake #3: Not Enough Influencers
Word of mouth still takes the crown – you need to get influencers to talk about your clients’ brands. Unfortunately, if all you’re looking at is a website’s PR or easy linking opportunities, you may not be reaching the relevant influencers you want to reach.
Why it’s a mistake: Despite the advancements in marketing that we have today, the traditional thinking still applies – people trust businesses that their acquaintances personally recommend. They also trust the recommendations of established specialists in the industry you are promoting.
What to do instead: Expand your personal and professional network. Maintain communications with the influencers – help them answer a question they may have, talk about your clients’ industry, and join in conversations that enrich the mind of your readers. You can meet and connect with these influencers in webinars, free seminars and activities outside of the online world, and by talking to them through their social media platforms. When you’ve established a personal connection with these influencers, it will be easier to ask them to share your content or promote your brand.
These are only some of the mistakes you may be making in your viral marketing campaign. These are easily corrected, but you have to remember that achieving and maintaining viral status requires more work. Talk to your account manager today to discuss your strategy and to find out how we address these mistakes.
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