10 Tips for Going Viral

10 Tips for Going Viral 

Viral marketing is like a "virus'' which is sent from sender to recipient and spreads like wildfire. If the message is interesting it moves very fast around the world and you can get attention from countless recipients. Viral marketing has proven to be one of the most interesting methods of promoting a company. With little effort or money, besides the cost of producing the film, animation, or drawing, you can get to a very wide range of people.


What exactly is "viral'' marketing.

A virus is an interesting video, animation, or drawing, that users enjoy to such an extent,that he/she will begin to distribute it to friends, or share with others on their social network. And so, an interesting video will be sent like "word of mouth" from one person to another. It can draw attention to a product/ service through its entertainment value.

We had a workshop here at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre about going viral last week, if you missed the workshop here's our top tips for going viral. 

1. Focus on Current Events and Trends - you have to keep your eye on what's happening in the world around you. Always check Google news and Google trends and share information on your social media.
   
2. Make a Video - it's become very easy to make video using phone and affordable camera technology. For example look at www.facebook.com/mr-cian-twomey, this guy started making parody videos using an alter ego based on his girlfriend, his videos have spread far and wide and he is now selling t-shirts on the back of it. All in a very short space of time.
   
3. Pay Attention to Keywords and Tags - this is very important to make your material findable in search engines
   
4. Get Noticed by Someone Big- Unfortunately, it is not easy to be noticed by someone famous but everything is possible, keep following the influencers and celebrities and maybe someday.... good luck:)
   
5. Start a Contest- remember a good contest is always popular and has great share value
   
6. Use Humour- everyone likes happy people, something funny will get you attention and sharing. Just be careful - humour is subjective
   
7. Be Shocking and Controversial- within reason!!! Look at the success of Paddy Power's campaigns - they push the envelop every time
   Check out some examples here Paddy Powers Top 10 Controversial Campaigns
   
8. Use Photos and Visual Content - make good, large and high quality photos & visuals to catch the attention of people who will share it.
   
9. Submit to Reddit- to get your material seen
   
10. Don't Be Boring - be smart and do something new, use your imagination, have a brainstorming session, a great idea doesn't care who it happens to! 

Something very Pinterest(ing) at Dungarvan Enterprise Centre

                              PINTEREST

Hello, my names Tayler Auckland. I am a Commerce international student in University College Dublin. I am participating in work placement in Dungarvan Enterprise Centre over the summer of 2015. I have only been here a few days but have learned various amounts of new information.

On the 3rd of June 2015 a Connect Online workshop regarding Pinterest was held in the Enterprise Centre. I was lucky enough to obtain a place in the interesting lesson. As a young student I am familiar with many platforms of social media, however Pinterest is one that I have never used. As many may not have known (like myself) Pinterest has an enormous following and fan-base like Twitter, Youtube and Facebook.

My first question in the workshop was,
"What is Pinterest ?"
Well.... Pinterest is a free online, image based form of social media. Users can upload,save and store content known as pins. Pinterest is used by many individuals and also businesses to advertise their products, boost sales and even communicate with customers. Today's Workshop held by Cian Murphy was very insightful and gave those of us from Dungarvan Enterprise Centre an up-to-date presentation and demonstration of Pinterest.

The presentation began with some very neat and informative slides explaining the basics of Pinterest and how people can benefit from using it. It then became even more engaging when Cian explained Pinterest for Business. A few facts and some number crunching...
25% of Fortune Global 100 companies are on Pinterest and one Pinterest image can generate over a thousand business webpage views ! So it can be very useful for small or big businesses to attract consumers and hopefully drive sales.

We were guided step by step on how to set up a personal and business Pinterest account. A well differentiated group attended the workshop, each person having different backgrounds and working in differed businesses. It was impressive to see how the different people went about setting up a Pinterest page for their businesses. After the account was set up we started "pinning". I will do my best to explain the basics of this platform without causing boredom or an information overload.

A single post made by someone is called a Pin. It can be a picture (of anything), blog, testimonial, infographic or Product. It can be business related or personal and it may or may not contain a description. Other Pinterest users(pinners) can like this picture, save it or share it(Repin). Many people form folders of similar pins called "Boards".This simply allows for a neater more organised interface and ease of access for users. As it is a form of social media you can message and follow( not literally follow but keep up to date with updates) your friends or interests.

Finally Pinterest Analytic's were mentioned. A built in feature of Pinterest allows businesses to see how many people visit their webpage, on what devices, at what time and many other precise information. This could prove as excellent Research and Development for a business.

The workshop in Dungarvan Enterprise Centre was certainly fascinating as it involved key information, participation and good communication.

There is truly a lot on Pinterest. Things for Sale,
 new products, messaging or even nice pictures.
Either way... To say the least it was Pinteresting.