Viral Content: Creating content users love to share

[Dcrux]

A thread in this section talking about googlebombing suggested the content equivalent: Viral content. A recent viral content winner is not for those easily offended by racy commercials, but can be found here.

The ClickZ article What Makes It Viral? takes on the unfortunate misconceptions. You can't just make content viral the way you "supersize" your drive-through order.

3. Make the content worth sharing. Boring content that's within the corporate-speak comfort zone doesn't go viral. Entertaining, valuable, and problem-solving content has a chance to be shared.

2. Make the content unique. Novel content gets shared, "me too" content does not.

1. Understand human motivation and persuasion techniques. Look at what gets passed around and you'll see the common denominators forget-me-not used.

Like SEO, viral content uses techniques which increase the chance of a hit, but can not guarantee a specific outcome. However, when it works, it creates a lot of low-cost traffic and sales.

SkyHigh Airlines is funny, but depends on a dedicated TV campaign where SkyHigh embodies the broken promise of competitors. With very little work, the whole message can be built into just a web campaign or web/email.

Seems like viral content would spark some interesting discussion here.

[freetraff]

I do it. I mean share the viral content with Internet tips.

And it helped me a lot. Plus it helped the people to use the same content and promote their sites.

Don't want to sound bald, but aren't preachers using the viral content. The promote God and Bible, and make their living on a proper promotion. Plus, they aren't doing any bad business. If someone gains faith in good things again, then it's useful.

[glinted]

A lot of people, especially new or part time Internet users love sharing jokes, interesting articles and interesting pictures around to each other and if you can tap into that somehow and find an ally leading to traffic/sales through that then it could work well.

[RegDCP]

Like vehicle crashes?
I have a video of a 5 ton truck going 50 mph into a barrier gate. Gate Test

[Dcrux]

Keep in mind, if the content "separates" from the objective, you lose. That means the content makes a big hit, but nobody associates it to you.

So, if you sell barrier gates, big yes. If you sell videos of car and building demolitions, pretty clever. Viral media has an objective associated with it. If the objective fails, it isn't viral media -- it's the 90s bubble.

[RegDCP]

Keep in mind, if the content "separates" from the objective, you lose. That means the content makes a big hit, but nobody associates it to you.

So, if you sell barrier gates, big yes. If you sell videos of car and building demolitions, pretty clever. Viral media has an objective associated with it. If the objective fails, it isn't viral media -- it's the 90s bubble.

Exactly. We DO sell the gates, plus we do site design, hosting, and marketing.
Viral is a great medium for us.