Ever wondered how an iPhone or Tesla gets such a good reputation? How did these products get to such a level of viral marketing or even viral popularity?
When a consumer’s interest in a company’s product or service is mirrored in their everyday conversations, this is referred to as word-of-mouth marketing (WOM marketing).
According to the chart above, I will explain with each letter the examples given with relatable scenarios.
Social Currency – How we care about how we look to others.
Basically, we all know how dependable an Apple iPhone is, and many celebrities possess one as well. In this way, it demonstrates that the individual is affluent, which is an evident impression that many would want to make, thereby demonstrating remarkability.
Triggers – Topics on the top of their heads
One key example is where the product or brand that easily triggered in a conversation or something that will connect the recipient to the story.
Take Kit Kat, for example, they have a catch-phrase “Have a break, have a Kit-Kat.” Minor words can have a huge impact on the audience, so do your research!
Emotion – Sharing is Caring
Anything that makes you angry, upset, or happy are emotions. Take Nike’s advertisement for example, “Believe In Something” campaign which shows that people care about the campaign and regardless of the stance you take, you are the talk of the nation and it helps people to decide with their emotions.
Public – More publicity means more people will follow
Availability and visibility of the content state that your content is of quality. One great example of a platform to share content would be YouTube.
As you know that many music artists or even content creator share their works on YouTube. Marketers who take advantage of such a platform can reach out to a wider range of audiences which will be beneficial in the long run.
Practical Value – If it make sense to people, people will get it.
Generally, the content has to be of practical-value content in any form that the viewer can immediately and simply execute without much effort.
Stories – What’s idea behind your work?
Lastly, Stories! This is one way to share the product or content of the brand of what it is all about. It adds a personal touch to your content that your audiences can relate to it.
With a better idea of Viral Marketing, let me know what you think below!
References
Armenti, S., 2022. [online] Skyword. Available at: <https://www.skyword.com/contentstandard/6-principles-for-creating-contagious-social-content/> [Accessed 27 February 2022].
Charlton-Dailey, R., 2022. Is your social media campaign accessible to everybody? – The Big Hack. [online] The Big Hack. Available at: <https://bighack.org/is-your-social-media-campaign-accessible-to-everybody/> [Accessed 27 February 2022].
Decker, A., 2022. The Ultimate Guide to Emotional Marketing. [online] Blog.hubspot.com. Available at: <https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/emotion-marketing> [Accessed 27 February 2022].
Graphics, R., 2022. [online] Reading Graphics. Available at: <https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-contagious-why-things-catch-on/> [Accessed 27 February 2022].
Hayes, A., 2022. What Is Word-of-Mouth Marketing?. [online] Investopedia. Available at: <https://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/word-of-mouth-marketing.asp> [Accessed 27 February 2022].
Heinze, A., 2022. Are viral marketing campaigns possible using the STEPPS model?. [online] JEMSS. Available at: <http://mastersindigitalmarketing.org/viral-marketing-content/> [Accessed 27 February 2022].
Ho, M., 2022. How to Easily Create Practical-Value Content to Add Value To Your Audience. [online] Content Marketing Consulting and Social Media Strategy. Available at: <https://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-case-studies/how-to-easily-create-practical-value-content-to-add-value-to-your-audience/#:~:text=Practical%2Dvalue%20content%20is%20any,without%20spending%20too%20much%20effort.> [Accessed 27 February 2022].
Matson, M., 2022. Make Them Cry (And Buy) With Inspiring Emotional Marketing. [online] Referralcandy.com. Available at: <https://www.referralcandy.com/blog/emotional-marketing-examples> [Accessed 27 February 2022].
Nixon, D., 2022. Creative Classic: Is ‘Have a break, have a Kit Kat’ the best strapline ever written?. [online] Creative Moment. Available at: <https://www.creativemoment.co/creative-classic-how-and-why-have-a-break-have-a-kit-kat-has-lasted-60-years> [Accessed 27 February 2022].
Daryl Goh LF03 
Hi Daryl, yet another well-written blog from you! The whole post was segmented into very digestible size content using various brands to elevate your points and I truly learned a lot!
One question I have in mind would be if it’s necessary for a viral marketing strategy to achieve all the 6 criteria of STEPPS to be considered a successful campaign. Using ALS Ice Bucket Challenge as an example, I believe it was a very successful campaign that went viral and satisfied its goal for fund-raising. I believe this campaign had succeeded in achieving Social Currency, Emotion, Public and Practical Value while lacking in some other factors. Therefore, would you consider the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge a successful campaign in your opinion?
LikeLike
Hello WenYi,
In all aspects, ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a successful campaign in terms of getting the message out to the public. There are some consumers of the content who actually donates to the ALS foundation to help.
However, there are some ways you can state that it is not successful. Like how some social media users that it would be fun to do it but without understanding the content of it.
Overall, it is successful in its own aspect.
LikeLike
Hello Daryl, thank you again for this insightful blog post, with all the segmented “categories” it is really easy for readers like me to read and to understand!
Well, how do you think Tesla has achieved such a good reputation? Did they too, make use of the creation of contagious contents with the 5 STEPPS? OR what did they made used of to achieve such a high popularity recently?
LikeLike
Hello JingWen,
Thanks for the comment. I think Tesla has really outdone itself and they sorta follow the concept closely. But in a way, it was actually due to an advocate or rather the owner of the company, Elon Musk, who has developed a reputation for his ingenuity and business magnate and is also known for co-founding Paypal. Thus with that reputation, he has allowed Tesla to meet all of the requirements and as well as working on some that needed some convincing such as the stories behind Tesla’s work. Here’s a fun fact for you, did you know Tesla’s speciality isn’t cars but batteries and data collection?
Hope this helps!
LikeLike