The Fundamentals of Using Social Media & Word of Mouth to Create Brand Buzz

Here’s how the conversation usually starts:Viral? That’s good. A lot of people could potentially see it.

No, that’s bad.It’s impossible to control.

But if it’s done right, it can be unbelievably valuable.And if we screw it up, it will bite us in the a**.

Then let’s do it right. Ok, you go first. I’ll watch.

Fine, start by following me on Twitter.Twitter? What’s that?

Why bother with this ‘viral’ stuff?Because media has changed.

YOU

And because the Conversation has evolved

So, what exactly is viral marketing?Any communication that is spread socially.

• Word of Mouth (WOM)• Chatter/buzz• Street/guerilla/intercept (Mall promotions, etc.)• Referrals/pass-along (Sharing, Tell-a-Friend)• Influencer marketing (key bloggers, authors, etc.)• Social community activity (Facebook, Meetup, LinkedIn, etc.)• Incentivized sweeps/contests/promotions• Group action (Groupon, LivingSocial, etc.)• Product seeding • Flashmob, ambush or interrupt marketing (“spontaneous” break dance at Apple store)

Viral means interconnectedEverything connects to everything now, making

cross-pollination nearly instantaneous.

YOU

Social media has become 4D, intersecting online and offline

4D is Community, Interest, Time and Location – your social graph is mobile and moves with you

Effect of ‘FourSquarification’ – individuals & groups self-identifying through common interests and geo-location instantly

Cross-over between web & mobile – no longer just WAP or text/SMS

Google Earth integration Augmented reality Interactive outdoor media becoming more

prevalent

What makes a campaign go viral? Hitting the right MOTIVATION.

Encourages social interaction – sharing an experience within a defined community

Offers rewards or incentives - getting something for performing an action

Improves social status – people love to be recognized, be the first to know, be hip and cool

Leverages brand loyalty – people want to share thus validating their personal preferences

Provides a creative and personal experience

Some examples

Some examples

Some examples

http://mashable.com/2010/07/21/coke-happiness-machine/

Coke Machine Happiness: 1 million views in one week!

Some examples

The Old Spice Man Twitter campaign pushed over 100 million

views on YouTubeIn 30 days!

http://mashable.com/2010/07/15/old-spice-stats/

Some examples

Bill Gerth – @ ComcastCares customer service rep with 45,000 followers – generating a potential 90,000,000

impressions for every message he sends!

That kind of exposure in paid media would be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars!

What are the most effective viral drivers?

Social timeliness – what’s Lilo done today? Humor - the fat Star Wars kid Rewards or incentives Praise & Recognition Surprise/outrage - burned a Quran today? Professional motivation Philanthropic - desire to do good Fear - H1N1 virus, global warming An effective call to action

More examples

The original Numa Numa guy drove over 10,000,000 views on YouTube…

But some brilliant mindat an agency insertedthe Geico lizard doinga dance behind him and did it all over again…

More examples

http://www.adverblog.com/archives/003367.htm

More examples

What are the most effective viral tools?

1. Email2. Blogs3. Instant messaging4. Social communities (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc.)

5. Book-marking sites (Digg, Delicious, Yelp, etc.)

6. Sharing Tools ( SocialTwist’s Tell-a-Friend)

7. Video sites (YouTube, Flickr, Revver, etc.)

8. Bulletin boards9. Mouths

What clicks in viral campaigns?

1. Humor or cute factor (babies, kittens, bloopers, etc.)

2. Relevance to the user

3. Engagement (interactivity, ease of use, sharing)

4. Personalization (name, location, content)

5. Remix/mashup configurability

6. WOW factor (trick shots, extreme danger or skill, etc.)

7. Emotional appeal – sad, joyous, outrage, shock

8. David vs. Goliath syndrome – victory of the little guy

Extenders & Enhancers for viral campaigns

Make it a series (BMW, Old Spice) Make it a challenge Turn it into a game Add ratings and/or comments – keep the

conversation going! Add non-profit engagement Add political engagement – Obama is a great

example Allow consumer customization Provide value-adds for participation

(music downloads, free video, unique content, etc.)

Tweet about it regularly

Extenders, enhancers, cont.

Create desktop widgets (Staples, Southwest, etc.)

Develop mobile applications Real world events tied to online promotions Throw in something FREE… doesn’t matter

what, so long as it’s free!

10 critical steps to a successful viral marketing action plan

1. BUILD YOUR USER BASE FIRST!! It’s hard to go viral with twelve users

2. Define your overall objectives - quantitative & qualitative 3. Set benchmarks, metrics and goals4. Define your digital identity and brand positioning5. Develop specific strategies for each channel – remember,

one size does not fit all!6. Choose best of breed tool sets7. Develop multiple sets of creative with variations of each8. Evangelize your team, partners and brand ambassadors9. Test & monitor results10. Adjust your strategy to focus on most promising channels,

and keep testing, testing, testing

Presented by Michael Crosson

Publisher, www.SocialMediopolis.com

Founder and Moderator, Social Media Marketing,with over 95,000 members on LinkedInhttp://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=66325

Vice-President of Sales, www.SocialTwist.com

Email: mcrosson@changetheworld.comPh. 415.299.0637