Different kinds of virality
Every marketer has the dream of making their content go viral. But too often this is couched in a naive understanding of virality. Lets make our app viral!, like it was something you could just wish for.
Sometimes it feels like people believe virality is just magic pixie dust that can be sprinkled on anything. Fortunately, its much more concrete than that. But to understand how virality works, you first have to know that not all virality is the same. Many successful companies have done distinct things to help make their products go viral, all in completely different ways.
The most basic element common to all these different types of virality is inception. The goal of all viral efforts is to insert (or incept) an idea of what a content is into someone elses head, and to get them so excited about it that they would want to share it and use it. Thats the most important component of any type of virality. What is that little sentence, that little hook, that little reason why somebody actually wants to share your content?
These are some of the ways a content can reach virality in my experience:
Word-of-mouth virality
This one is straightforward: Its simply a content being so good that people cant help telling their friends about it.
Incentivized word-of-mouth virality
This is similar to word-of-mouth, but with a little added incentive for people to share the content with their friends. For instance, 15 years ago, Paypal would give you $10 if you referred a friend and they created an account.
It helps when the incentive works both ways, as a coupon for the new users as well as an reward for the referring user when the recipient creates a new account. Because you are paying for it and discounting your service, its not quite as clean or pure as word-of-mouth, but it can be very effective.
Demonstration virality
Demonstration virality is when the nature of a content is such that, simply by using it, people are showing it.
A good example is Pinterest. If I create a pinboard of fun GIFs or wedding ideas or recipes, and I share it, the act of sharing is a built-in advertisement for Pinterests awesomeness.
Infectious virality
Infectious virality is when a content is designed in a way that people will work to get other people using it because it will make it better for both of them. Its when one user is "infecting" another with the virus, I mean the product so that they are both hooked. For example, Snapchat users have a big incentive to encourage their friends to download Snapchat so they can send photos back and forth in a more authentic and safe way.
Invitations are the key to spreading infectious virality.
This is what most people think of as classic virality, because its how weve seen social networks and communication networks spread.
Outbreak virality
Finally, some things just spread because theyre fun to share, or because theyve got a lot of popular momentum and people want to look cool by sharing them. YouTube videos blow up because theyre funny, or addictive, and its just fun to share them with your friends.
In a similar way, Pokémon Go took off this summer in part because everyone was doing it, and it was just fun to tell your friends about it and to participate yourself. Of course, there are other aspects to this games success, such as the fact that it was leveraging a very established, beloved brand, but it also benefited from this virtuous circle of fun, popularity, and sharing.
When you understand the different tools and that they all work differently, you can design or build virality into your product in a way thats very natural.
When you successfully create that moment of inception, and get the idea of your product into someones mind, you do need to follow that up with a smooth new-user flow.
What other ways of achieving virality do you know?
Have you had some success cases with virality content in your projects our accounts?
Sometimes it feels like people believe virality is just magic pixie dust that can be sprinkled on anything. Fortunately, its much more concrete than that. But to understand how virality works, you first have to know that not all virality is the same. Many successful companies have done distinct things to help make their products go viral, all in completely different ways.
The most basic element common to all these different types of virality is inception. The goal of all viral efforts is to insert (or incept) an idea of what a content is into someone elses head, and to get them so excited about it that they would want to share it and use it. Thats the most important component of any type of virality. What is that little sentence, that little hook, that little reason why somebody actually wants to share your content?
These are some of the ways a content can reach virality in my experience:
Word-of-mouth virality
This one is straightforward: Its simply a content being so good that people cant help telling their friends about it.
Incentivized word-of-mouth virality
This is similar to word-of-mouth, but with a little added incentive for people to share the content with their friends. For instance, 15 years ago, Paypal would give you $10 if you referred a friend and they created an account.
It helps when the incentive works both ways, as a coupon for the new users as well as an reward for the referring user when the recipient creates a new account. Because you are paying for it and discounting your service, its not quite as clean or pure as word-of-mouth, but it can be very effective.
Demonstration virality
Demonstration virality is when the nature of a content is such that, simply by using it, people are showing it.
A good example is Pinterest. If I create a pinboard of fun GIFs or wedding ideas or recipes, and I share it, the act of sharing is a built-in advertisement for Pinterests awesomeness.
Infectious virality
Infectious virality is when a content is designed in a way that people will work to get other people using it because it will make it better for both of them. Its when one user is "infecting" another with the virus, I mean the product so that they are both hooked. For example, Snapchat users have a big incentive to encourage their friends to download Snapchat so they can send photos back and forth in a more authentic and safe way.
Invitations are the key to spreading infectious virality.
This is what most people think of as classic virality, because its how weve seen social networks and communication networks spread.
Outbreak virality
Finally, some things just spread because theyre fun to share, or because theyve got a lot of popular momentum and people want to look cool by sharing them. YouTube videos blow up because theyre funny, or addictive, and its just fun to share them with your friends.
In a similar way, Pokémon Go took off this summer in part because everyone was doing it, and it was just fun to tell your friends about it and to participate yourself. Of course, there are other aspects to this games success, such as the fact that it was leveraging a very established, beloved brand, but it also benefited from this virtuous circle of fun, popularity, and sharing.
When you understand the different tools and that they all work differently, you can design or build virality into your product in a way thats very natural.
When you successfully create that moment of inception, and get the idea of your product into someones mind, you do need to follow that up with a smooth new-user flow.
What other ways of achieving virality do you know?
Have you had some success cases with virality content in your projects our accounts?