Creating content with the intention of it going viral can be a strike of luck. However, if you happen to notice a digital marketing trend then you could copy the video style and create just as much success. So, how do you go about noticing a trend before it becomes popular?
There are a number of tools you can use to help with keeping an eye on the popularity of content. Many of them require research, but you can get away with just checking a few of these recommendations:
Commonly referred to as the front page of the Internet, Reddit boasts threads of activity based on a genre. To find what is popular in real time look for the article or piece of content that has the most up votes from viewers. If you can think creatively, you could create a similar ad with just as much success.
YouTube Trending Page
Although these trends aren’t displayed in real time you can always spot a winner. Speed in copying the content that’s trending is vital here. In most cases you can get away with a simple setup to film the video you are intending to copy, but we recommend producing a higher quality video for better traction.
Google Daily Search Trends
Over 24 hours, you will have the ability to see exactly what people are searching for. Often the results reflect daily activity. So if you can create something that reflects the search results the following day then you should be onto a viral video.
Once you have researched and established what digital marketing trend you will recreate, all you need to do is create the content. To create your content speed of delivery is highly important. If you are late to the trend your video won’t gain traction.
To give you an idea of what digital marketing trends are out there, here are some recent examples.
Time Based Real Life Events
The brand Oreo is a perfect example of how to leverage a time based digital marketing trend. During the Super Bowl in America there was a black out for a majority of people watching. Oreo decided to have a team in place to leverage this, by creating an adthat referenced the black out event. Although this was a tweet, it quickly amassed media coverage thanks to the cleverly timed marketing.
Breakout Dance Videos
Over the years there have been many videos showcasing this digital marketing trend. Most of them started as a craze on YouTube, but the clever businesses have jumped on the trend to join in the craze.
A good example of a video that’s gone viral is from Greenville Dental. In the video the dentist known as ‘Dr. C” accepted the in my “filling” challenge. The result to date has been over 1 million organic shares and over 89 million views. It just goes to show, thinking outside the box can give your business excellent exposure. Since the video the team at Greenville Dental have gone on to perform other viral videos. Remember though, if you are looking at creating a video featuring dancing, embed your logo in the video so it doesn’t get cropped out when people re-share it to their own pages.
Challenges
Do you remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral a few years ago? This type of challenge can spread like wildfire, especially if well known celebrities jump on board. Being early is always going to give you the edge if you are participating and recreating a challenge video. You don’t want to leave it to the last minute to create a video that follows a trend. Jump in, be prepared and you will see success.
What will be the next viral video? Well the Internet can be a funny place. It’s hard to pick what is going to be popular, so we suggest you keep an eye out using the three common ways of tracking trends. Make sure your team or agency is on board to do something as soon as you see it and together you can create digital marketing viral success.
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