Interesting fact of the day: 70% of event programmers said the viral nature of an event is extremely or very important, but only 16% feel they are very effective at making an event viral, and 63% don’t call themselves effective at all.

According to the dictionary, ‘Viral marketing’ is the term given to:

“…a marketing strategy that focuses on spreading information and opinions about a product or service from person to person, especially by using unconventional means such as the Internet or email.”

But what exactly makes a campaign ‘viral’, and why would you want this as part of your overall strategy?

Elements of a viral campaign include the following:

• It incites an emotional response – Identifying the right emotion to target is key to the success of your viral campaign. According to one study, emotions found to be most effective include curiosity, amazement, interest, astonishment and uncertainty.
• Isn’t promotional – Yes, you heard that right. Covering your piece of viral content in logos and branding will not get you very far. Remember, we are appealing to emotions, people.
• Is usually video – If you have a spare seven minutes, watch this fantastic TEDTalk by YouTube’s Trends Manager ‘Kevin Allocca’, who shares four big reasons why video goes viral.

Thinking of creating a piece of viral content to supercharge attendance for your event? Here are four digital trends that might just work for you!

1. Gifographics

Have an interesting angle to promote your event on? Gifographics may be the perfect accompaniment for your digital campaign.

Several years ago, creating an infographic would have generated numerous social shares, but since the introduction of Pinterest, these have become almost expected from digital marketers (people remember 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they read, and an incredible 80% of what they see, after all).

This gifographic on cheetahs created by Graphic Designer Jacob O’Neal generated over 1,170 natural backlinks not bad, huh?

A full explanation of how to create beautiful and inspiring gifographics can be found in this lengthy explanation.

2. Stop-motion videos

With the right idea, this concept is a fantastic way to introduce video into your digital strategy in a unique way. They are also cost-effective – this type of content can easily be made at the office on a sunny afternoon, so no expensive videographers needed!

In order to make your very-own stop-motion video, you’ll need the following items:

• iMovie or JPGVideo
• A digital camera
• A few willing volunteers

Stuck for inspiration? Check out this step-by-step guide on how to create your very own stop-motion video, plus some fantastic examples to get the creative juices following!

3. Vine

The few individuals that have cracked the code for creating viral content can usually be found on Vine – professional Viner Zach King has created content for national brands, including car manufacturer Ford, which consequently skyrocketed their presence on the social media platform immensely.

Much-like stock motion video, Vines are relatively easy to create and are extremely cost-effective. Extra points for Event Marketers that can link current events to their event through the power of a short eight-second Vine clip.

4. Memes

Memes divide opinion when it comes to successful content, but the proof is in the pudding – when done right, they are memorable, clever and ridiculously sharebale.

Many will think that this type of content is only effective when it comes to B2C, but they’d be wrong. Memes for B2B audiences when they fit the following criteria:

• They invoke humour which can be connected to something that is relevant to their industry/customer/day to day life
• They use an image that is commonly associated with viral memes
• When they are not directly promoting the associated brand

First, take a look to see if something similar has also been created within your industry – you don’t want to be seen as copying, after all. Secondly, be sure to use the correct social media image dimensions for each platform (here’s a great source). And lastly, be sure to include relevant hashtags to widen their reach!

So there you have it, a non-exhaustive guide to creating viral content to boost your event’s marketing efforts. For further reading on how to come up with original and inspiring campaign ideas, check out ‘Five Fantastic Digital Marketing Articles to Kickstart Creativity’.