Why won’t it go viral? Managing expectations of viral marketing attempts

With such a heavy emphasis on internet marketing over the last few years, we still have yet to find the magic formula everyone is looking for to create that eye-catching meme worthy campaign or video. Everyone hopes that every last piece of marketing they make, no matter the medium, becomes a wild social sensation putting their product on the map.

So how do you make something viral? Well - you don’t. The public makes it viral. You can only create something that is worthwhile to share. Obviously, yelling about your product and asking people to buy it won’t make them want to pass your viral ad around.

It’s important to remember that just because something doesn’t becoming an international phenomenon does not make it a flop. A campaign can become viral in a niche and that may just be exactly what you need. After all, if you’re doing online advertising for regional flower delivery, what would you do with orders coming in from Tanzania?

It’s important to keep your level of success with your campaigns in perspective. Is it important for the whole globe to like what you’ve created? Who are the people that it matters to? You can start small - always aim for your industry or those who are your target audience. This will help keep your level of success in scope and scale down drastically the disappointment you may feel if you thought that this was certainly the one. Always remember that going viral and being successful are apples and oranges.

Set yourself realistic and reachable goals to start, once you’ve found success with smaller ideas, spread out. Always taking note of what your businesses’ main consumers or fans respond to the best. This will also help keep expectations set if you are providing this campaign as a service for a person who may not understand that viral marketing is not a guarantee. You should use different forms of sales tools (such as Content Gateway Unlockr.com) and analytics platforms to properly review your numbers and monetize what you are doing.

The more numbers and patterns you have to track you can gauge your success on a much better level than by creating disappointment from unrealistic expectations. Keep in mind that while viral videos and widgets can be fun, will they provide return?