How to Make an Ad Go Viral
What is a viral advertisement? Viral advertisements are the type of ads that get passed from person to person through social media, word-of-mouth or other forms of internet distribution. Jonathan Osler has released an article about the steps to achieve virality. He says that it is important to have a message that resonates with the target audience, and then consumers will share it based on their emotions. He provides a list of eleven steps for creating a successful viral ad. If anyone wants to create an ad that will go viral, follow these 11 steps:
1) Use humor in the content: Humor is an excellent tool for engaging viewers, so use it wisely in the content.
2) Use stories and images with emotions: The heart of a story evokes emotion. Use stories and images to make the audience feel something, whether it’s happiness or nostalgia.
3) Create something awesome people can share: An ad that goes viral is one that people want to share. If the advertisement inspires those who see it to take action, then one is on the right track!
4) Make it shareable on various networks: Make the advertisement accessible on all social media platforms because different users prefer different sites.
5) Include the email address, so they know who to contact if they have questions about the product/service being advertised: If a consumer has questions about the product or service, they should be able to find out how to contact the business.
6) Give them something free before asking them for anything: This will make them more likely to give back their email address or other contact information.
7) Be careful and selective about what one asks for: Don’t overwhelm the audience with too many things to do, or they will not follow through on anything.
8) Include a call to action: Tell the audience what to do, and be clear about it. It’s not as easy as it sounds. If its not done strategically, the call to action can drive people away from the website.
9) Test and optimize: To ensure each stage of the process has been executed properly, test everything before going live with it. Once launched, continue testing until achieving maximum engagement levels across all channels. Learn from data gathered during these tests so that future versions are more successful than their predecessors.
10) Don’t forget the analytics. Take at least one point in time where to track how many people see or engage with the ad and what they do when they see it. Analytics will help determine whether or not the advertisement worked, which is valuable information for future campaigns.
11) Use the right hashtags: Hashtags are keywords that categorize content on social media sites. For example, Twitter users use #canneslions and other similar hashtags when discussing entries in the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity because they know others will be using those same terms. Put some thought into which hashtags to choose so the advertisement can reach as many people as possible.
Conclusion:
These are Jonathan Osler’s eleven steps to creating a successful viral advertisement. For any ad to go viral, follow these steps carefully and use his advice when developing the content.