PR 101

There are two kinds of viruses on the Internet. The evil kinds are those that attacked my blog two weeks ago. It denied my service for about a week until the experts solved the problems.

The second kind, the kind we marketers want, are those of our efforts that “go viral.” In other words, everyone and their brother is watching our YouTube videos, retweeting our thoughts and reading our blogs. That is the kind of virus that can take an obscure issue – such a broken guitar – and blow into a worldwide phenomenon.

Now, going viral is not an easy thing to do. I cannot guarantee the suggestions I am about to make will provide definitive answers on how to do it. It is hard to predict in what people will become interested. But, I have been able to drive traffic to client’s sites by using a combination of tools.

What does going viral mean? It means it is one so good that people pass it on and on and on. It means the person who created the campaign doesn’t have to do anything but sit back and watch.

According to Advertising Age, these the top viral campaigns in 2009:

What they all have in common is good production values, a compelling story, and a willingness not to talk down to the viewer.

Good production values are key. I always tell clients if they want to go viral, it pays have a professional make the video. Yes, I have watched many of the videos made by amateurs. There are compelling to watch. But they are not trying to sell anything. I firmly believe that anyone offering a product should do everything thing possible to make their product look good.

A compelling story is very important. You can have the greatest production values in the world, but if no wants to watch, what’s the point? I also like campaigns that do one of two things – make me think or make me laugh. Those are the ones that grab and hold my attention.

Not talking down to viewers is very important. I hate it when a campaign assumes I am not very bright. That’s why I immediately turn off any ad that makes the father look stupid. I like campaigns that treat me as an equal that knows what he wants. Granted I do this for a living, so I am probably more critical than the average person. But I have never like it when a campaign makes fun of someone.

As I said, I cannot guarantee those ideas will work for creating a campaign that will go viral. However, they cannot hurt.

I want to again apologize the erratic posting of late. I cannot stand it when a blogger doesn’t stick to a schedule. Unless I want to be a hypocrite, I have to hold myself to the same standard. I will be going back to a consistent schedule.

That being said, there will be no positing Monday, May 31^st, because it is a holiday in the United States. PR 101 will resume Wednesday, June 2. Thank you for your support and patience.