Rassak’s (almost) 10 Rules of Viral Engagement

“Viral” or “Social Media” marketing can be a really smart part of a company’s marketing mix — a meaningful way to get people talking about your business and sharing your ideas and messages for you. And that’s very good…  especially when it’s harder and harder to reach customers at all.

Viral marketing might be a (relatively) new buzz world… but it’s an ancient concept. Before the printing press, mass distribution systems and mass media were invented… if an idea or concept wasn’t viral it didn’t exist.

Which leads into rule #1 of Rassak’s (almost) 10 Rules of Engagement.

#1 Start with a good idea! An idea that people will actually think about, sit with, talk about and share. This is the hardest part of all… and the most rewarding. Spend time on this.

#2 Make sure the idea connects a core differentiated aspect of your business with a need and desire of your customer. In traditional advertising this connection is usually more overt than in viral advertising — but great viral advertising ideas don’t lose this connection. It’s more subtle in viral advertising.

#3 Make sure you like the people doing viral marketing for you. And make sure they like you. If you truly click the odds of the marketing clicking with your customer base is higher.

#4 Involve the people doing your viral marketing in your business. Let some “out-there”, non-linear creative/strategy people ask you questions, play with your products, talk to your customers and get a real sense of your personality. Don’t rush this step.

#5 Let ‘em go off and come up with loads of ideas. Some will be crap. Some will be brilliant. Be open. Don’t rush this process either.

#6 Think a bit like a venture capitalist thinks. Invest in the process and the idea generation. Don’t go insane with incredibly expensive production on any one idea — because there is some luck with viral marketing. Don’t put all your eggs in producing just one idea. Save your eggs to try again.

#7 Support your viral marketing with smart paid media. Viral marketing is about percentages. It’s up to your creative and strategy firm to  create marketing that a a high percentage of people who know about it will share… and paid media (done right*) ensures that more people know about it. That means more sharing.

#8 So-called “super-connectors” are only a part of a viral campaign. It’s certainly nice when a very popular blogger like Ze Frank makes you his top link (as he did with a recent campaign we did) because a super-connector like Ze brings a lot of traffic. But the reality is that most people who come in contact with your campaign are simply super-individuals, regular people who aren’t famous but who will share your campaign with one or two of their friends or colleagues…and that’s actually the secret. It’s the silent majority that matters just as much as the Ze’s.

#9 Patience is a virtue. Viral campaigns take time to seed. Sit tight… and watch the analytics software.

#10 That’s it. I said almost 10.

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