Every online marketer or wannabe marketer wants to know the secret to getting an idea to go viral. Most online personalities that preach under the banner of Marketing Guru try to sell people on the notion that there are complex and intricate ways of embedding certain qualities into a campaign that will cause something to spread like wildfire. Usually, this secret comes with a price tag.
Not to say that none of these books or courses have merit, many of them do. But to understand the essence of why idea's spread online (or anywhere) we only need to go back to high school.
High school is a breeding ground for virality. It's a bunch of hormone-heavy teens moving in close proximity for 8+ hours a day. This is the equivalent to an open wound. Without anything better to pass the time, high schoolers will turn anything into gossip.
Jack kissed Jill and the whole school knows by 2nd period.
But what is the real reason that a person would spread this message to a friend? Sure, it's some juicy gossip, especially since Jill has a boyfriend, but what is it at its core? The answer is that Person A tells Person B because it makes them look cool. By sharing information of value, Person A increases their social capital and gives themselves the illusion of cool, the holy grail of any high-schooler.
This is the same when it comes to sharing things online. Nobody wants to share something that is going to make them look weird or stupid, or worst of all, boring, thereby decreasing their social capital and making them leery to share something again. Why would I tell my friends about the crowdfunding campaign that has only raised 2% of their funding goal? Or the mediocre YouTube video? Or the article that doesn't really challenge anything?
Most people have an innate sense of what is an appropriate amount of content to share with their peers on social media. Very few people (although we all know some of them) post 20 links a day. The majority of people have a subconscious limit on how much they'll share online in a given week. Therefore, each post has a certain amount of social value attached to it. Traditional marketers act like social media is a godsend because it costs nothing for someone to share a link online, but this is a completely wrong conclusion. Every time someone shares something online, they are placing a wager that it'll make them look cool to their peers. Some people will play it safe, posting only what they know is trending, while others will place it all on red and share a link that hasn't hit the mainstream yet. But, in either case, the person is making a bet that people are going to enjoy the content and by extension validate the sharer. Don't make the mistake of thinking that a Facebook 'like' or a tweet is free, because each has a very real price attached.
People are only going to share what will make them look cool. Not only that but they are LOOKING for things to make them look cool and help grow their social capital. If you design your offering right, you won't have to work to get people to spread your message, they'll WANT to spread your message. On the other hand, if your message is boring or uncool then it will never spread, no matter how big the marketing budget behind it is.
You need to give people something that will make them look cool for knowing about. The hardest part of any campaign is getting those early adopters onboard. Nobody wants to be the first one at the party. But if you make the party look so kick-ass from the sidewalk then people are going to come regardless of who else is inside. And once a few people in a social network start talking about how awesome your party is, you'll be able to set-up a velvet rope and charge people to join. This is the result you'll get when you give people a way to increase their social capital.
So whenever you are about to launch, whether it's a new product, marketing initiative, article, crowdfunding campaign, or video, ask yourself, "Is this cool?" "Will my friends share this?" or better yet, "Would I share this with my own friends?" Your answers should give you a clear idea of whether or not your message will spread.
Not to say that none of these books or courses have merit, many of them do. But to understand the essence of why idea's spread online (or anywhere) we only need to go back to high school.
High school is a breeding ground for virality. It's a bunch of hormone-heavy teens moving in close proximity for 8+ hours a day. This is the equivalent to an open wound. Without anything better to pass the time, high schoolers will turn anything into gossip.
Jack kissed Jill and the whole school knows by 2nd period.
But what is the real reason that a person would spread this message to a friend? Sure, it's some juicy gossip, especially since Jill has a boyfriend, but what is it at its core? The answer is that Person A tells Person B because it makes them look cool. By sharing information of value, Person A increases their social capital and gives themselves the illusion of cool, the holy grail of any high-schooler.
This is the same when it comes to sharing things online. Nobody wants to share something that is going to make them look weird or stupid, or worst of all, boring, thereby decreasing their social capital and making them leery to share something again. Why would I tell my friends about the crowdfunding campaign that has only raised 2% of their funding goal? Or the mediocre YouTube video? Or the article that doesn't really challenge anything?
Most people have an innate sense of what is an appropriate amount of content to share with their peers on social media. Very few people (although we all know some of them) post 20 links a day. The majority of people have a subconscious limit on how much they'll share online in a given week. Therefore, each post has a certain amount of social value attached to it. Traditional marketers act like social media is a godsend because it costs nothing for someone to share a link online, but this is a completely wrong conclusion. Every time someone shares something online, they are placing a wager that it'll make them look cool to their peers. Some people will play it safe, posting only what they know is trending, while others will place it all on red and share a link that hasn't hit the mainstream yet. But, in either case, the person is making a bet that people are going to enjoy the content and by extension validate the sharer. Don't make the mistake of thinking that a Facebook 'like' or a tweet is free, because each has a very real price attached.
People are only going to share what will make them look cool. Not only that but they are LOOKING for things to make them look cool and help grow their social capital. If you design your offering right, you won't have to work to get people to spread your message, they'll WANT to spread your message. On the other hand, if your message is boring or uncool then it will never spread, no matter how big the marketing budget behind it is.
You need to give people something that will make them look cool for knowing about. The hardest part of any campaign is getting those early adopters onboard. Nobody wants to be the first one at the party. But if you make the party look so kick-ass from the sidewalk then people are going to come regardless of who else is inside. And once a few people in a social network start talking about how awesome your party is, you'll be able to set-up a velvet rope and charge people to join. This is the result you'll get when you give people a way to increase their social capital.
So whenever you are about to launch, whether it's a new product, marketing initiative, article, crowdfunding campaign, or video, ask yourself, "Is this cool?" "Will my friends share this?" or better yet, "Would I share this with my own friends?" Your answers should give you a clear idea of whether or not your message will spread.