One could roughly paraphrase the wisdom of The Karate Kid, as: all you really need is focus.* In The Dragonfly Effect, we stress that you apply that focus to illuminate a single product or person per social media campaign.
Make it your mantra.
You might be behind the launch of the greatest product the world has ever seen, a telegenic reformist politician or a social cause so good it makes you smile just thinking about it. For that matter, you might also be in the process of relaunching The Start-Up of You. Whatever your goal, here are three examples that demonstrate proven elements that will make your Dragonfly take flight, soar and remain aloft.
1. Roll with Cutie
Since launching its “Live Young” campaign in July 2009, the international version of Evian’s “Roller Babies” video has been view viewed by more than 56 million people.
Add in breakdancing and moonwalking babies with tens of millions of view each, and the onesie set is the clear draw for this bottled water brand’s 125 million page views.
For greater insight into the numbers on this viral video marketing campaign, Unruly Media offers a case study. If you want to find your inner Roller Baby or make a holiday card, evian can get that ball rolling.
2. Answer an engaging question like “Will it blend?”
Blenders were once the stuff of makeshift wedding gifts and smoothie operators. We now know them as the thing to give the mad scientist in your life thanks to the now-legendary viral video series by Blendtec with almost 200,000,000 combined views. Before viral videos, you couldn’t buy TV or radio advertising with that type of reach. Before viral videos, there were probably a lot fewer “kitchenistas” or wild-eyed dudes in the market for a $500 blender.
Also worth noting about Blendtec’s You Tube video series are how precisely the headline (a question), the product and the content align. They make a veritable video-SEO milkshake. What you see is exactly what you expected to get. And Google rewards (through higher ranking and lower CPC costs) folks who do that consistently.
3. Be funny and real
With well over half a billion (yep, that’s billion-with-a-B) views of the 90+ videos she has released since creating a YouTube channel in February 2010, Jenna Marbles reflects not-too-deeply on aspects of single life in America. “How to Trick People Into Thinking You’re Good Looking” and other cheeky titles have combined freshness with a sense of humor and personality that very quickly drove Marbles’ online brand to the top.
Born Jenna Mourey, the New Yorker from Boston University created her Facebook fan page and YouTube Channel just one day apart. Her Twitter account has more than 1.4 million followers. While her bleached, tan and fit persona suggest bombshell, Marbles’ cynical wit feels more like Carol Burnett getting home from a hip-hop club.
Evian, Blendtec and Jenna Marbles prove that putting a unique twist on everyday experience is the equivalent of giving viewers whiplash on the Web. That’s attention-getting, engagement and entertainment.
Ready to take action on that social media campaign strategy? Have a question on how to get started? Leave a comment below or Contact us.
* Sincere apologies to Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita (RIP) and more recently Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan