What goes viral?

In the world of social media, it may seem like an easy task to create a post that will get broad acceptance and go viral very quickly.  That’s just about everyone’s dream. Create some unique content that is so engaging, dramatic, life changing, insert other descriptors as necessary, and you will be discovered as the next divine content provider on the net.  So what’s up?  What’s the big secret?  What’s the topic that will light up the ether and send your message to millions?   Heck I don’t know.  I just want to keep my followers and subscribers around and hopefully attract a few more every so often.   I do know however that it isn’t all about the content.  Well of course it is you say.  You’re saying without content there is no message.  There’s nothing to forward, re-tweet, like or even delete if you don’t like it.  You are correct.  There has to be something there but think about this:  Is it the words on the screen or is it the way those words are presented, the way the author has pulled the thoughts together and presented them to you that influences you to share it with others? 

If you look at social postings that have gone viral, typically they have at least one thing in common.  They usually elicit some kind of emotional reaction.  It could be the sad faces of mistreated animals (arranged to make viewers feel anger, frustration, empathy), it could be the cute little 4-year-old boy holding up a broken tree branch and yelling “Daddy, look at my big stick” (say it to yourself but pronounce the word stick incorrectly by replacing the letters ‘st’ with a ‘d’ and you’ll see why it was funny), it could be the South Park clips where Jesus battles Santa Claus that are just so wrong but they still send you into hysterical laughing fits.  The point is that each clip that goes viral stirs up some kind of emotional reaction.  If the post didn’t make you feel something what would make you want to pass it along.  I’m sure there are some other factors but the emotional reaction is one of human’s strongest drivers and that extends to social media. 

So, bottom line, if you want your content to be shared, add a little emotion to it.  Try to make it funny or so informative that it will drive people into action.  Maybe it will be so compelling your followers will start a movement and put you at the head, thereby exposing you to international fame.  All of that out of your desire to share how your son embarrassed you in the park one day after finding a tree branch that fell to the ground.

Can you think of other items that make social postings go viral?  Share some here and let me know what you think.

Taking a Technology Break

I find myself connected to some form of technology for a large portion of my waking hours each and every day.  Between my laptop, my iPad, my Blackberry, and of course the television it seems I am always plugged in.  Recently I went camping with my Cub Scout pack.  These weekends are typically a break from technology of most forms except my cell phone which, for better or worse, is still able to get at least some reception in the hills of north Georgia.

This weekend I was shocked when entering the camp ground and saw no less than five portable satellite dishes on tripods around many campsites.  They were outside RV’s and one was even next to a tent!  A tent for goodness sake!  This means there was at least a generator, a satellite decoder box, and a television included in this weekend excursion into the wilderness. Is no place safe from technological intrusion?  Apparently not. 

Shouldn't there be a time or place where we are free from technology and where we can just enjoy our fellows and the natural environment?  I think so.

The Social Media Playbook

Eloqua has developed a great eBook of guidelines for social media users.  Their playbook provides guidance, suggestions and insights to users of all levels.  I recommend this guide for anyone getting started in the social sphere.

 Click here to download the guide from Eloqua’s site.

Fun Factoid Friday

Sometimes we need a bit of a distraction and what’s better than some odd trivia.  Have a great Friday!

One out of ten children in Europe are conceived on an IKEA bed.
Antarctica is the only continent without reptiles or snakes.
The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.
When George Lucas was mixing the American Graffiti soundtrack, he numbered the reels of film starting with an R and numbered the dialog starting with a D. Sound designer Walter Murch asked George for Reel 2, Dialog 2 by saying "R2D2". George liked the way that sounded so much he integrated that into another project he was working on.
Mark Twain didn't graduate from elementary school.
They have square watermelons in Japan - they stack better.
Iceland consumes more Coca-Cola per capita than any other nation.
Peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite.
A quarter has 119 grooves on its edge, a dime has one less groove.
Until 1796, there was a state in the United States called Franklin. Today it is known as Tennessee. (It's the red part)
The flashing warning light on the cylindrical Capitol Records tower spells out HOLLYWOOD in Morse code.
The average person has over 1,460 dreams a year.
Ants stretch when they wake up in the morning.
During your lifetime, you'll eat about 60,000 pounds of food. That's the weight of about 6 elephants.
In the White House, there are 13,092 knives, forks and spoons.
Recycling one glass jar saves enough energy to watch TV for 3 hours.

All photos are the property of their owners. 

I Love INFOGRAPHICS

For the past few years, Infographics have made a huge impact on the way millions of people see and process data.  You can find these long scrolling images on just about any topic of interest.  And more often than not, there is at least one obscure fact that I would have never known that makes me think “hmmm…I wonder….”

Recently I found an inforgraphic that was all about Left handed people.  Being a leftie, I found this very interesting. It informed me that I am more likely to become an alcoholic, I am more likely to die earlier than righties and I am more likely to really, really hate spiral bound notebooks…which I do.  Did you know there was also on one New Year’s Resolutions?  It’s true.  If you think losing weight is the most popular New Year’s resolution you would be incorrect.  It was actually number six for 2012.    Did you know that the younger you are, the more likely you are to achieve your resolutions?  Interesting.  And finally, an infographic about what you would do with your last year on earth.  This should be really good.  Most people said they would spend time with family or travel.  I guess that would depend on why the earth was coming to an end but that’s a whole other topic…I hope it isn’t because of zombies.  The last thing I want to see as I am enjoying the view of the Paris skyline (because I want to travel during me last year) is a group of trudging undead coming after my family’s brains.  But I digress… 18% of people responded they would either quite their job and begin relaxing (7%), party (6%), or some other activity (5%).  But, if the world was coming to an end, at least we would hear about it first on social media according to 47.5% of the respondents because they would be lighting up the social channels with the details. 

I think infographics are a great way to get people interested in data that can otherwise be a bit boring. The visually draw you into specific topics and provide a large amount of detail in creative ways.  Here are a few others that I find interesting and informative. 

Google Search Ranking Factors 2012

Social Media Prism Germany Version 4.0

Top 20 global Social Media Sites – Networks and Videos dominate

The Best Countries to Do Business in 2012  

Who Really Uses LinkedIn?

And by the way, in case of zombies, this may be helpful.

Evolving Communication Preferences

I am reading an interesting book by the title “No Bullshit Social Media” by Jason Falls and Erik Deckers.  While I am not a fan of what seems like society’s seeming acceptance of profanity in all means of communications, the book does have some good points.  For example, the authors discuss how social media has become one of, if not the preferred method of communications between consumers and organizations.  This switch in communication preference means an organization’s traditional marketing efforts will become less effective, public perception will decline and customer service efforts will need to evolve.  So what can an organization do?  Of course the answer is to embrace social media instead of fighting the trend.

“You can be a manager….risk averse and skeptical of that which you don’t know.  Or you can be a leader…willing to push change, not fear it; a driver of innovation not a passenger in someone else’s ride.

You can listen to what customers – yours and your competition’s –are saying about their needs and adapt to meet them.  You can build relationships and trust with consumers over time, making them loyal to you and stakeholders in your success.  You can focus on the lifetime value of a customer, not the short-term dollar amount of his or her next purchase.
You can join your stakeholders in conversations and even collaborate with them to create new products, services, or share value for the greater good.  You can join social media sites and be social there.“

Organizations need to pay attention to this trend and get onboard.  The risks of ignoring this trend is far too high.

Frito-Lay-ments

Recently a friend told me a story about how one of his family members got some social satisfaction. Frito-Lay had a special where you could go into specific stores and receive a free bag of chips. What a deal!

Well this friend told me that his sister called him fit to be tied after her experience with a local grocery store. When she went into the store to get her free bag of chips, the store manager said they were only free to 'shoppers' and since she had not purchased anything, technically she was not a shopper and refused to give her the free bag of corny goodness. Nowhere in the advertisement was this stipulated. In fact the advertisements stated that no purchase was necessary. Oh come on...give the lady her chips!!!

Social media to the rescue. She was so taken aback that she decided to write about it in her blog, on Facebook, and to take it another step, she even started a twitter account to tweet about the incident there. Very quickly, she was contacted by the grocery store and Frito-Lay with offers of free merchandise and apologies galore. Ah the power of a few comments on the most popular social media channels with viewership of 800 million plus. This is a great example of how people are using social media platforms to spread their experiences quickly and from virtually anywhere. Company owners and managers…time to put on your listening ears!

Frequently a company or organization is the target of negative postings citing poor customer service or negative experiences of some kind. People are 10 times more likely to talk to others about a bad experience versus a good one. With Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, the tendency to vent to the world becomes even easier because these tools are so readily available on so many devices people carry with them everywhere they go. When bad experiences happen and people feel they have a case to make (sometimes they don’t but that’s another story), they will spread the word. Upset people will come up with new ways to get their message out and this will be at the expense of the offending organization.

To combat this companies and organizations need to follow a few simple suggestions:

1. Get everyone on the same page. Now I am not going to say that the store manager in question was intentionally trying to fraud anyone by his definition of ‘shopper’ but it is a bit suspicious. A brief email or reminder memo to each location outlining the program before it is started can go a long way to avoid misunderstandings.
2. Setup a hotline service. Use social media to your advantage. Be sure to include a special contact url for questions or comments. A quick message to a twitter account could solve many issues before they become social nightmares and PR headaches.
3. Educate not only management, but also the front line staff to the dangers of nonconformance with established (and many times advertised) guidelines or programs. This will help keep your managers free of the proverbial egg on the face.

It all boils down to the following: use some common sense, keep people informed, make it easy to contact you and you will keep yourself out of trouble. Now where are my chips!