There’s a commonly accepted belief that even great social marketing campaigns need a certain element of luck to become viral. I must admit, I was willing to accept this thought process as well. A few days ago, however, I read a LinkedIn article by Jonah Berger, a Wharton professor, who makes a strong argument as to why this is not the case. This concise article, gives a solid “formula” for how to build a powerful viral campaign and I recommend everyone read this article. In it, Professor Berger briefly discusses the six principles that he believes lead to a successful viral campaign, which he describes in more detail in his book “Contagious: Why Things Catch On”.
The six principles use the acronym STEPPS and consists of Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, and Stories. Think for a minute – what campaigns come to your mind as examples of campaigns that really went viral? Do they have these six traits? this is not a scientific test, of course, but it’s a good starting point.
Click here to read the full article.
U Penn Social Book 