YMS17: The Formula Behind Viral Marketing

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THE FORMULA BEHIND VIRAL MARKETINGSEARCH LABORATORY

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL © SEARCH LABORATORY LTD

AGENDAAbout Search LaboratoryWhat is viral?Why go viral?The mathematics of viralThree content typesProcess and toolsCase studiesLinkLab data studyWhat goes wrong?Other tips and tricksQuestions?


ABOUT SEARCH LABORATORY

Founded in 2005

150 specialists based across Leeds and New York

Specialise in SEO, PPC, Social & Display

Dedicated, multi award-winning content team

In-house multilingual team


CLIENTS

WHAT IS VIRAL?


WHY GO VIRAL?


WHY GO VIRAL Massive reach

Low cost

Reach = BrandingLinks



Detail


Coverage


COVERAGE

600 Quality backlinks


VISITORS

Initially, site had negligible trafficFrom all sources


TRAFFIC BREAKDOWN

Big spike was referral traffic


TRAFFIC BREAKDOWNSearch?


VISIBILITY


WHY?

Inbound links


VALUE TO THE BUSINESS

X


GET DOMAIN AUTHORITY, THEN USE IT

MATHEMATICS OF VIRAL


STOCHASTIC GENERAL EPIDEMIC MODELProbability of epidemic depends on:

Initial number infectedLikelihood of cross infectionRecovery rateSize of populationNumber of susceptibles


CONTENT GOING VIRAL

Number of catalyst sites and their reachLikelihood of one person sharing itHow long it will stay in their feed/consciousnessSize of populationWhat proportion of the population this relates to

Initial number infectedLikelihood of cross infectionRecovery rateSize of populationNumber of susceptibles

Quality of the content


LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE MATHS

Quality/sharability is important

Consider the susceptibles (target population)

Number of seed sites is critical

THREE CONTENT TYPES


AIMS OF CONTENT

Entertain Inspire

Educate Convince

Awareness

Rational

Emotional

VIRALS

QUIZZES GAMES

COMPETITIONS

BRANDEDVIDEOS

WIDGETSCELEBENDORSE-MENTS

REVIEWS COMMUNITY

FORUMS

ARTICLES EBOOKS ENEWS

INFO-GRAPHICS PRESSRELEASES

GUIDES

TRENDREPORTS

REPORTS/

WHITEPAPERS

EVENTS RATINGS

PRODUCTFEATURES

CASESTUDIES

DEMOS

WEBINARSCALCULATORS

Purchase



TYPES OF CONTENT

https://www.searchlaboratory.com/what-type-of-content-to-use/

Ranking Content

Viral Content

Customer Engagement

Content

https://www.searchlaboratory.com/what-type-of-content-to-use/


RANKING CONTENT What is it?

Aims to rank high in search engine results for ‘buying terms’ (e.g. ‘evening dresses’, ‘buy laptops online’)

AimsHigh rankingsHigh traffic (from search engines)Generate sales and enquiries

Measurement RankingsTrafficConversions


RANKING CONTENT


CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT CONTENT What is it?

Content that aims to engage with potential customers at various stages of buying

AimsRelevant trafficSign ups (email, social)Brand recallCollect cookie – remarketing

MeasurementTrafficSocial sharesSign ups (Email, Social follows)Conversions


CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT CONTENT


CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT CONTENT


VIRAL CONTENT What is it?

Content that aims to engage with a large audience, gets shared and builds backlinks

AimsGain large follower numbersReach as many people as possibleIncrease online visibility

MeasurementLinksSocial shares


CREATIVE CONTENT


CREATIVE CONTENT


CREATIVE CONTENT: STAR WARSRide search trend - Star Wars: The Force AwakensEasily sharable contentSupported by video, blog post & social updates Seeded on Reddit and outreached the following weekTarget: marketing, design and technology publications


CREATIVE CONTENT: STAR WARSRolled out in UK, IE, DE, NL & FR235 total coverage212 live linksAverage DA 42.5Shared via social over 75,000 times50,829 YouTube views


CREATIVE CONTENT: STAR WARSThe campaign has reached over 100 million web usersCoverage beyond: Hong Kong, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, etc.One of the top 10 most socially shared articles on the web – SocialBro


CREATIVE CONTENT: STAR WARSDue to the large number of links and articles referencing “post it notes”:

We saw ranking uplift onto page 1 across multiple country siteWithout any on-site optimisation to the product category pages

Google UK – Viking UK Rank

Google NL – Viking NL Rank


CREATIVE CONTENT: STAR WARS

Post it notes

PROCESS AND TOOLS


Aims Ideation Identify niches

Gauge interest

Source contacts

Create content

Promote content

Report on results

CREATIVE CONTENT CAMPAIGN PROCESS

Build and maintain

relationships


AIMSIncrease rankings for key terms by:

Driving authority (links) to siteDiversifying backlink profile


IDEATIONResearch industry trendsAssess previous campaigns


IDEATIONBrainstorm as whole campaign team


IDEATION

https://www.searchlaboratory.com/2014/07/contagious-content-stepps-and-the-science-of-shareability/

Social Currency

Triggers

Emotion

Public

Practical Value

Stories

0

1

2

3

4




IDENTIFY NICHESMaximise opportunitiesMinimise risk


GAUGE INTERESTUtilise existing relationshipsCollaborate with:

Industry expertsInfluencers Thought leadersLeading journalists


SOURCE CONTACTSAssemble media listsCover all niches and various tiered publicationsSelect best reporter or editor


CREATE CONTENTSelect type(s) based on aims and niches

WrittenImage-basedVideoInfographicInteractiveData & statisticsInterviewsCompetition Product or service page

<html>Written copy Data Video Images Podcast Design Development


OUTREACH PROCESS Identify niche influencers and catalysts

Compile media lists

Tailor content to targets

Pitch to journalists / top tier

Send tailored press releases

Ring / email blogger targets

Tweet influencers

Chasing up social shares


PROMOTE CONTENTStart by pitching to catalyst sitesPotential to go viral

Catalyst Site Checklist: Stories get picked up elsewhere High readership and reach Thought leaders in market High social engagement


PROMOTE CONTENTTailor approach based on tier and contact preferencesAdapt approach based on responses

Tier OneCatalyst sites

Tier TwoNiche magazines

Tier ThreeBlogs

Exclusives, embargoes, phone

calls

Press releases, emails, phone calls

Emails


PROMOTE CONTENTFollow up with various nichesIdentify further opportunities to maximise exposure

Evergreen content


REPORT ON RESULTSWhat were we trying to achieve?

Results

Links

Reach

Organic traffic

Revenue

Conversions

Coverage

Rankings

Referral traffic


REPORT ON RESULTS


REPORT ON RESULTS842 backlinks352 referring domainsAward winning campaignMultiple KWs from page 10+ to pages 1-4

CASE STUDIES


THE COST OF POWERING THE DEATH STARAims

More diverse backlinksMore quality backlinks (DA 30+)


THE COST OF POWERING THE DEATH STAR





215 links DA 37


OFFENSIVE INTERVIEW QUESTIONSAims

Volume of linksBrand coverage in relevant publications


OFFENSIVE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

“What’s the most offensive thing an interviewer has ever asked you?”





106 links176 pieces of coverage


INTERNATIONAL OFFICE ETIQUETTEAims

Links from multiple international marketsCoverage in relevant publications: business


INTERNATIONAL OFFICE ETIQUETTEInsight from our very own international team


INTERNATIONAL OFFICE ETIQUETTE

182 links234 pieces of coverage

6 different international markets

EXERCISE

LINKLAB DATA STUDY


LINKLAB DATA STUDY4 years of data100,000+ sites200,000+ people contacted


USING CATALYST SITES

Average Using Business Insider

Using CNET

25%

120%

207%

Closing Rate


USING CATALYST SITESAverage campaign vs. Cost of Powering the Death Star campaignBiggest difference = natural links from CATALYST SITES

Coverage

Natural links

Acquired links

Contacted

54

198

17

171

Coverage

Natural links

Acquired links

Contacted

10

11

24

183


MOST EFFECTIVE NICHES7 biggest viral campaigns of the last year


MOST EFFECTIVE NICHESTheir catalyst sites by niche

Takeaway Tailor campaigns to these key markets’ major publications

News26%

Business / Finance

18%Tech16%

Design15%

Pop Culture11%

Fashion / Lifestyle

8%

Film5%


CONTENT TYPESTheir content types

Infographic Image-led Data and statistics

3 3

1

WHAT CAN GO WRONG?(DISCUSSION)


IMMUNOLOGY (REPEAT IDEAS)Repeat idea and exposure = audience immunologyNeed to constantly innovate

842 links 38 links


INTERNAL BARRIERSComplexity of internal structuresDifferent departmental aims

https://www.searchlaboratory.com/2015/10/integrating-seo-brands-existing-marketing-strategy/




INTERNAL ISSUESSell benefit of content marketingClarify aims

What a flop… we didn’t sell a single Zombie

Log Cabin!


NEWS LANDSCAPE

EXERCISE

OTHER TIPS AND TRICKS


INVOLVE INFLUENCERSEnhance quality of contentProvide extra targets for earning links


PITCH A CRAZY ONEPitch ideas at various levelsSliding scale of brand relevancyThe “Goldilocks Effect”


CONTENT IDEA TOOLSBuzzSumo Pro

Find best content by topic

AhrefsAnalyse top performing competitor content

Idea FlipBrainstorm ideas with team

Catalyst publicationsWhat’s trending?

AnswerThePublic.comRelated questions and topic areas

LinkdexFind authors that rank for particular topics

Social mediaFollow thought leaders and key influencers


TRAINING FOR INTERNAL TEAMSKey points to cover

Aims – what’s the purpose of the content?Return – what can you expect to achieve?Different types of content – what is it that you need to produce?Case studies – how are competitors benefitting?Internal conflicts – how on-brand does the content have to be to achieve its aim?Process – how do we go about this?

IdeationCreationPromotionReporting

QUESTIONS?

SEARCH LABORATORY LTD.GLOBAL DIGITAL MARKETING EXPERTS

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SEARCH LABORATORY LTD.GLOBAL DIGITAL MARKETING EXPERTS

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