Redefining Viral Marketing

By Brian Solis, blogger at BrianSolis.com and principal of FutureWorks, Author of the new book
Engage!, Co-Author, Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and Now Is Gone

In September 2008 at Web 2.0 Expo in New York, I shared something that many,
to this day, believe to the contrary, "There is no such thing as viral marketing."

The declaration was empathetic in its direction to those marketers who have been
on the receiving end of directives instructing them to create and unleash viral

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content. In parallel, the statement was aimed at those decision makers who
assign such projects.

Content, no matter how brilliant, creative, abstract, or controversial, is not

inherently viral. Yet, we're asked repeatedly to create viral videos, posts, and
other social objects that will trigger an endless array of retweets, pages and
profiles that immediately attract fans and followers accompanied by a deafening
wall of sound propelled by word of mouth.

Content doesn't make something viral; people are the primary source of powering
social objects across the attention nodes that connect the human network.

Despite what appears commonsensical, we're surprised when our brainchild

doesn't attract the views, attention, and circulation we believe it deserves.

The reality of social media is this, in the attention economy, information isn't
randomly discovered and broadly disseminated. It is strategically positioned to
either appear when someone searches for a related keyword or it's presented to
someone manually and deliberately.

As individuals, we no longer find information, it finds us.

The same is true about social objects. We must create packaged content with
social hooks that comprise the story we wish to tell and the action we hope to
spark - whether it's through video, text, images, badges, widgets, or apps. While
there is no such thing as viral marketing in and of itself, marketing inspired to
catalyze word of mouth (WOMM) is a bit more thoughtful and calculated in its
approach and it usually seeks options in and around Social Media.

Good Ideas are Worth Sharing

Ideas represent change whose time has come...

At the heart of any campaign is an idea. And even though good ideas are worth
sharing, in order to have any hope of going "viral," social objects require
sustenance and herding. Essentially, our job is to not only create the content, but

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also connect the dots for those individuals who can help us spread our story
across first degree relationships defining social graphs (friends) and second-
degree graphs linked by friends of friends and so on.

Social scientist Dan Zarrella has analyzed over the years, why ideas spread. In his
research, he discovered common characteristics of contagious content, those
elements prevalent in many popular memes, whether organic or proactively
marketed.

Seeds

The first group of individuals who are exposed to the idea/social object determine
the extent and reach of the meme. These "seeds" are often mistaken for built-in
audiences, for example, Twitter followers, Facebook Fans, blog subscribers, email
lists, etc. The true opportunity for extending the lifespan and audiences for ideas
is to carefully pick influential individuals who can spark activity and response.
Early involvement, prior to anything being released, is key as is the definition of
the role they will play in the roll out of the content.

Novelty

Distinctiveness is required for all transmittable ideas. Personal connections are

also paramount. The personal motivation for sharing content is driven by how
well something connects or resonates with the person exposed to it. Ideas
connect initially because they're relevant or personal. Other communicable
emotions that factor into the motivation for sharing in a one-to-one model
include:

1. Personal/Relevant/Timely

2. Humor

3. Utility

4. Relationship Building

5. Common Interests

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6. Missing out

7. Conversations

8. Reciprocity

Association and Correlation

As Zarrella observes, intuitiveness is a key attribute for determining the

likelihood for pass alongs. If someone can't understand an idea, they simply will
disregard it and move on. And in the era of the real-time Web, we move too
quickly to further analyze or interpret ideas. Its intention and purpose must be
clear from the onset. And to be quite honest, it's our job to create compelling
objects worthy of connection. Data shows that you have three-to-five seconds to
engage your viewer and in that time they've already decided to either continue
and possibly share the idea or simply abandon it.

Relevance

In the attention economy, our focus is concentrated on what flows through our
attention dashboards and we're distracted at will as relevant content appears. As
intelligent filtering tools are slowly emerging, human filtering still prevails.
Through selective attention, we each possess the ability to tune out the volume of
information that relentlessly attempts to lure our focus. Relevance is key to
encouraging someone to take the time to purposely share content with those they
know.

It is the art and science of creating content that appeals to people individually
and also as groups of shared interests. This is why social media is social in the
first place.

People connect with individuals who share their passions, interests, and
ambitions. Designing social objects based on the psychographics rather than
demographics of those you wish to reach and inspire, proves critical in the
viability of engendering personal connections - connections worthy of sharing.

Utility

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Give someone a fish; you have fed them for today. Teach them how to fish; and
you have fed them for a lifetime...

While much of the content examples we hear and see so often are aimed at short
bursts of entertainment, creating and distributing helpful content is contagious in
its own right. Help me answer or ask a question. Help me find a reason to
participate. Give me a voice. Help me do something I couldn't do before I came
into contact with your social object.

The idea of integrating utility or resolution into social objects increases the
sharability of content while also increasing its lifespan. Continually introducing
useful content sets the foundation for invaluable relationships based on the
theory of social exchange - those connected will grow with one another based on
the ongoing exchange of ideas sparked by objects and conversations that flourish
over time.

Social Influence - A Cascading Effect

Tying back to the importance of initial and repeated seeding, peer-to-peer

influence sets the stage for perception, urgency, and also weaves the fabric that
wraps us with a sense of exclusivity and inclusion. By aligning with those
individuals who are recognized as leaders, trendsetters and authorities, an
ambiance is established that carries with it the lure for affinity, belonging, and
association, inviting individuals to "join the club" simply by viewing and sharing.

The reward for these influencers is that they're perceived to stay ahead of trends.
It's rare when you see someone of this stature join later in the game. They're
usually on the prowl for the next undiscovered object that when disseminated,
reinforces their reputation as an early adopter.

An element of wisdom of the crowds is also at play in the realm of social

influence. There is an allure, an unspoken emanation of prestige when a group of
people surround and react to content and objects. After all, if a person possesses
crowds of qualified followers, readers or if a particular bit of content earns
significant views, reactions, retweets, shares, and likes, then it has earned a state
of prominence that begets validation. Communities literally form around objects

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and in doing so, they influence the actions of participants and spectators, now
and over time.

Social objects should thus be supported before and during their release to garner
attention, support, followers, and influential activity.

Information Voids

In the absence of truth or information, speculation fuels hearsay, which in turn

sparks movement and ultimately gains momentum as new voices attempt to
answer questions through conjecture. I refer to the introduction of an event or
object as the information divide, the difference between the moment information
is introduced into the social web and the time it takes to verify its accuracy.
Therefore I ask, is content or context king in the real-time web? The same can be
said for word of mouth marketing.

When information is intentionally missing or it's positioned cleverly to incite

speculation, social objects can spread across incredibly vast networks at blinding
speeds. When BMW, for example, introduced its 1-Series, it did so through a
video documentary (mockumentary) entitled "The Ramp" or "Rampenfest,"
which chronicled a filmmaker's visit to a small village where the town rallied
around a record breaking attempt to launch a 1-Series BMW over the Atlantic. In
doing so, BMW intentionally steered viewers towards wonderment. Was it really
an attempt to cross the Atlantic? Was BMW behind this video? With every new
question, more viewers and shares ensued.

Today, visiting Rampenfest.com takes you directly to the BMW 1-Series home
page.

Experiences Cause Action

Social objects engender experiences. The difference between the failure and
success of a meme is directly rooted in the resulting activity that they're intended
to cause. Perhaps the most powerful characteristic of social objects is their ability
to masquerade as catalysts that carry cause and effect.

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Strategic marketers will calculate what happens after the initial view and
resulting share.

They'll define the complete series of meaningful steps and then reverse engineer
the process to design content that delivers a complete and directed experience.

Content can carry with it the ability to raise awareness and also incite change. It
is done by appealing to the very people who align around the subject and in order
to convince them, these social objects must carry personal and emotional
messages that connect with the hearts and minds of participants. Affinity is
driven by emotions, exacting the essence that inspires someone to support
something they believe in and fusing it with the passions of others who also share
in the mission. If the intention is supported through the content and as such,
designed to further action, meaningful connections are then forged and
replicated. We are after all, attempting to make human connections and they are,
to say the least, priceless.

This is social media and word of mouth marketing with a purpose. And, it's the
most powerful form of engagement I've practiced. When content connects with
someone at a truly personal level, and explicitly asks them to participate and
share, wonderful things come to life. I would say that the Pepsi Refresh Project is
among those campaigns that connect people, ideas, emotions all while furthering
the sentiment and support towards the Pepsi brand and the ideas and people
orbiting it.

Sharing the Spotlight

Among the most powerful forms of galvanization is that of recognition and

reciprocity.

Movements can and should feature the very voices of those who can power the
spreading of ideas. Providing them with a platform where they can voice their
thoughts and views among vested audiences who can celebrate contribution is
empowering and rewarding to brands and equally to participants. Social Media is
powered by people and its future is dependent on how we not only consume
content, but also invest in its significance and relevance.

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In Nokia's recent experiment in the UK, the company erected the world's biggest
signpost to visually demonstrate and promote GPS functionality. The sign
featured the locations of those individuals who sent information directly to the
sign, and in turn, the information was shared via the sign's Twitter account. It's
personal and gratifying as Nokia places you and me at the center of the
experience.

Sharing isn't Caring, It's Furthering an Idea

Ideas are worthy of sharing, when there is incentive to do so. The incentive isn't
always rooted in rewards however, motivation can simply stem from a reaction -
a smile, an email, an emoticon, credit, etc. This sharing transpires in the social
communities where relationships are entwined and as such, social objects are
most effective when they integrate sharing mechanisms designed to simplify the
process of dissemination. AddtoAny recently studied the networks where sharing
ideas and content and corresponding dialogue tended to concentrate.

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At 400 million strong, Facebook is by far the most active of all social networks,
eclipsing email by more than 2x. And, even though email is second to Facebook at
the moment, Twitter is in a draft position.

The point is that without the inclusion of one-click sharing capabilities, combined
with planned syndication strategies, the reach of our content is restricted even
before it's introduced.

To that end, Zarrella also studied the effect of the word "video" on sharing within
Facebook and Twitter. His observations were interesting indeed and actually
make the case to consider focusing efforts on Facebook.

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Stories that contained videos were shared more on Facebook than that of the
average story. On Twitter, Tweets that included the word video were shared less
than the average story. Zarrella believed that the Facebook platform is conducive
for sharing as it enables the embedding of multimedia content where as Twitter
requires an outbound link.

The Epitome

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In a recent post in SearchEngineLand, Jordan Kasteler shared the seven types of
sharing motives:

1. Self Expression

2. Affinity

3. Validation

4. Prurience

5. Status Achievement

6. Altruism

7. Self-serving interests

While there are many published formulas designed to help you make your social
objects "go viral," nothing is more important than...

1. Creating content that's relevant

2. Identifying the tastemakers and influencers who will help us reach the right
audiences

3. Involving them in the process before the campaign is officially introduced -

seeding

4. Striking a chord with the person they're trying to compel - making an

emotional connection

5. Encouraging them to share it with their contacts

6. Rewarding them for doing so

7. Defining the action we wish viewers to take after the engagement

8. Providing them with a forum for self-expression

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9. Recognizing all of those who helped us

10. Connecting everyone together for future engagement

The strategies, examples and supporting data are only minimized when we view
them as ingredients to a recipe of viral marketing. Doing so underestimates the
value of the roles people play in the spreading of ideas and practically
dehumanizes overall experiences.

When we introduce social objects, our ability to create, connect, and define
experiences around these information and idea catalysts defines whether we earn
the attention we feel we deserve or we savor the collaboration we engendered
through design.

Reflecting on the words of good friend Hugh MacLeod, the three keys to social
media marketing, or marketing in general, are as simple as they are profound...

1. Figure out what your gift is, and give it to them on a regular basis.

2. Make sure it’s received as a real gift, not as an advertising message

3. Then figure out exactly what it is that your trail of breadcrumbs leads back to.

I don't believe in viral marketing, but I do believe in the socialization of relevant

ideas and information when connected to the right people, in the right places,
with genuine and pre-defined intent.

Connect with Brian Solis on Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google Buzz, Facebook
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Please consider reading my brand new book, Engage!

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Brian Solis is globally recognized as one of most prominent thought leaders and
published authors in new media. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, Solis has
influenced the effects of emerging media on the convergence of marketing,
communications, and publishing. He is principal of FutureWorks, an award-winning New
Media agency in Silicon Valley, and has led interactive and social programs for Fortune
500 companies, notable celebrities, and Web 2.0 startups. BrianSolis.com is ranked
among the top of world's leading business and marketing online resources.

Solis is the author of Engage! The complete guide for businesses to build, cultivate and
measure success in the new Web.

In 2009, Brian Solis, along with Deirdre Breakenridge, released, Putting the Public back
in Public Relations.

Connect with Brian Solis on Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google Buzz, Facebook
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