Insta-Tips: Secrets to Viral Marketing

Every now and then you'll come across a viral video featuring a brand or product that amasses millions of views within a short time span. So, how do they do it?

IVY LIU artwork

what is viral video marketing?

In recent years, videos have become a major platform for generating traffic and attracting new customers. Viral clips can generate millions of views in little time thanks to their entertaining and capturing nature - which makes them perfect as part of an advertising campaign. While there is no exact formula, not all videos go viral with only 1% of all uploaded content online goes viral, according to Standford University. But within current and previous viral content, the three key underlying components for viral videos are:

1. Humor - ability to make viewers watch

2. Topicality - ability to makes viewers interested

3. Provocation - ability to make viewers engage

Importantly when we talk about "viral" videos here, marketers need not worry about what type they are: whether it's digital or offline; if someone watches just one second then chances are high that person will keep watching since we're talking about something interesting enough (and long-enough) where most viewers wouldn't mind sticking around as the internet and social networks have changed the way users consume information in today's era of viral marketing.

TLDR - viral videos are incomparable in that they allow

your customers to do the advertising for you.

Viral marketing in Thailand

In Thailand, the majority of branded viral content online has been reposts of TV commercials and advertisements, which is separate from viral video marketing. It is the act of creating content that spurs organic sharing in your followers that spread to other communities. It captures the attention of endless potential customers with the one key component is that your video must rely on word-of-mouth marketing for promotion. This marketing technique is still a blue ocean strategy within Thailand's digital marketing landscape.

The basic Steps

According to the team at Meta and their partner businesses, the three basic steps to explore opportunities of viral video marketing for your brand or product would be:

1. DM everyone you know - friends, family, and community groups relevant to your business would be a great place to start

2. Send free products - the more scalable your business is, consider sending a variety of products to different groups

3. Get as much video content as possible - track and analyze the success of each video content to determine viewer response to each content creative posted!

So, what’s the secret sauce?

Is there a specific formula to make your video go viral or does it just happen on its own? Getting started on exploring the possibilities of viral video marketing can be hard without a dedicated marketing agency. When it comes to video content, the odds are that most of your videos won’t hit viral status if you don't have an experienced team on board planning out strategy and neoteric content creatives.