Scroll through your twitter feed or Instagram story and you will be bound to come across a picture with the comment, “#ad.” The famous occasional post from Kim Kardashian is seen constantly promoting brands such as SugarBear Hair Vitamins, Flat Tummy Co., Fit Tea, and PreMadonna Waist Trainers. All of this is just a form of viral marketing and over the years this has boomed, making over millions and promoting many companies for their products. I never realized the power of social media and if you think about it this type of marketing is seen everywhere. From videos, to images, to ebooks, information and ideas can now spread like wildfire. Although I knew that there was a technique behind viral marketing, it surprised me to read the different factors that social influencers and advertisers have to think of in order to gain attention to their social audiences and increase their consumption of their product. According to the source, the key factors that make something viral is social currency, triggers, emotion, public, practical value, and stories. The messenger is an important part of the start of the chain of stories surfacing the media, the right messenger posting the right message in the right environment will catch the audience’s attention, bringing it up for conversation and bringing familiarity to the name.
As seen all over the media, influencers are a huge part of the web now a days. Many have made this their career as they continue to promote products and get paid for their posts as they use their platform to spread viral messages. Next time you see an ad post, take a closer look at those likes and recognize the amount of recognition this company and influencer is gaining from promoting these products. As little and simple as it seems, viral marketing is a real business tool that will guarantee real progress and consumption.