Top 5 Viral Marketing Social Media Platforms

92% of marketers said that social media is important to their businesses. And 72% of B2C marketers versus 64% of B2B marketers were able to develop a loyal fan base through social media marketing.

Whether it be a product promotion, or an new special offer release, social media has become the top choice for small businesses and online marketers.  When it comes to marketing online, having a campaign, or even a lone video go viral is like winning the lottery.

Having your campaign or video go viral may be pure luck, or, it may be by design. The bottom line is you have generated something of value in the eyes of people interested in your company or your product without having to really promote it. This is a true win-win scenario.

With so many social media sites available, it’s not always easy to know which one is best suited for your type of business. So, for viral marketing success, you should at least be familiar with all the platforms you use.

Here are the top 5 social media platforms you need to be familiar with, each identified by how much time, on average, a person spends on each platform

• Facebook:

Facebook has been ruling the social media space for the last couple of years. It has become a one-stop solution for marketers to showcase their products and offers in front of their target audience.

Facebook users lean towards a more personal connection. Perhaps because it’s early focus was a friend’s only platform. Here users are drawn to posts that connect with them on a more friend-to-friend level.

Viral Traits of it:

• Shareable posts
• Casual “voice”
• Inspirational quotes
• Behind the scenes
• YouTube:

YouTube is one of the leading platforms for video posting and sharing. It’s one of the greatest ways to incorporate online video advertising in a more effective manner as compared to TV commercials. YouTube is basically meant for entertainment. People search YouTube for anything, from music videos to cooking shows and hysterical bloopers.

Viral Traits of it:

• Funny moments
• Product reviews
• Educational How-to
• Vlogger moments
• Instagram:

Instagram has opened the doors wider for influencer marketers and viral content that focuses on the images and short video content. It has become a wonderful opportunity for brands to promote “from the voice of the consumer” as well as leveraging consumer generated media.

Viral Traits of it:

• Highest quality images
• Images that tell a story
• Influencer posting
• Video sharing
• Twitter:

The most used social media channel for news, Twitter users seek to be informed. The instantaneous nature of Twitter makes it a preferred source for checking what fans are saying about the latest sports flub or why the power is out on their cable TV.

Viral Traits of it:

• Short and sweet
• Informative
• Incorporating 1-2 #’s
• Reddit:

One of the few platforms that maintains a predominantly male audience, Reddit is a fast-paced news feed of sorts with categories ranging from politics to cute bunnies eating carrots.

Here people seek to be amused or educated.

Viral Traits of it:

• Informative news
• Irregular or ironic news
• Funny photos and captions

Leverage the above mentioned social media platforms and be better equipped for generating viral marketing campaigns and posts. For all platforms, don’t forget to seek the platforms in which your target audience already exists, and reach out to them in a way that provides them something of value, without sounding promotional or disconnected.