Orchestrating a Viral Explosion (PodCamp Ohio)

The second session I attended was on viral marketing, presented by Jennifer Laycock. This was one of my favorite sessions of the day, and overwhelmingly popular overall. We had to change rooms to accommodate the high demand!

Jennifer had a very in depth and informative presentation including a wonderful slide show. She touched on many key items vital to any viral campaign. While it is clear that viral campaigns can give a huge response given a relatively small investment, it is significantly less clear how to implement such a campaign. Brainstorming plays an integral part. She brought up the following questions to ask:

1. What sparks Passion?


2. What hasn't been done before?


3. Will they risk their reputation?

Any successful viral campaign must address those three points. Unless people feel strongly about what they see, they aren't likely to pass it on. If it has been done before, the result is the same. The last point is very important, as nobody wants to risk their own reputation by recommending something that is not up to certain standards.

Jennifer did a wonderful job in discussing the different types of campaigns, and the pros and cons of each. The campaign types were (with bullets for pros and cons respectively):

1. Humor
   
   
   • Broad Appeal, spreads quickly, positive association
   
   
   • Touch sell for b2b, can offend
   
   




2. Debate
   
   
   • Gain respect from supporters, gain links from intrigued
   
   
   • You have issued a challenge, facing the response
   
   




3. Attack
   
   
   • Those who agree will talk, those who disagree will talk
   
   
   • They may fight back, you might look like a jerk
   
   




4. Fear
   
   
   • People want to learn more, solve the problem and be a hero
   
   
   • Solve it or lose, negative emotions
   
   




5. Ego
   
   
   • Hits them hard, fuels passion
   
   
   • Can't go overboard, can lose credibility
   
   

Next the presentation shifted to pitching bloggers. This is a topic where I can say first hand that this is VERY important. High profile bloggers can do wonders for driving traffic. One extremely prominent blogger mentioned me on Twitter, and in a blog posting on her site. Traffic to my blog tripled almost instantly. Jennifer pointed out that one of the big things to be careful of is that you not waste the blogger's time with irrelevant topics and the like. Bloggers can be extremely positive for your cause, but could just as easily give you bad press. Don't annoy them!

The session ran a bit late, but when Jennifer offered to hurry through the rest of the presentation, the attendees were unanimous in urging her not to! This was a truly wonderful presentation. If anyone has the chance to see Jennifer speak I urge you to do whatever is necessary to do so!

Comments

[Jennifer Laycock]

Jeff,

Thanks for the great write up and review! I had a blast doing that presentation, one of the best crowds I've had the pleasure of speaking to in terms of vibe. Of course the booming clap of thunder from God at the end added to the atmosphere as well. ;)

-Jen