"Viralbility": why is it so important?
This word sounds foreign and made up yet its concept is anything but.
“It refers to simply the ability of an idea, post, photo or video to achieve viral status”
Viralbility is not technically a part of the English language and doesn't currently hold a place in the dictionary yet is the cornerstone for many businesses success in the social media marketing stratosphere. It refers to simply the ability of an idea, post, photo or video to achieve viral status, a post with high viralbility is likely to be shared and reach many more users compared to one with relatively lower levels of viralbility.
So why have I come up with a silly new word and why do I believe its so important?
As I touched on in my previous post, social media has breached the gap between voluntary pastime to necessary survival tool. This concept is most prevalent and impactful when discussing the way in which effective social media marketing techniques facilitate buzz and the spreading of ideas. In other words the way in which they achieve high levels of viralbility.
In my eyes the primary reason that businesses nowadays are in love with and dedicate so much time and finances towards SM is the natural and organic way it creates word of mouth between potential customers. Which in of itself is significantly more persuasive and rewarding than any advertising material as it comes from a trusted source. This is demonstrated in a study done by Nielsen where by it was found that 92% of customers state that word of mouth is the leading influencer to buy a product or service
Using this knowledge of the power of WOM it is simple for business to see the prospective reach they could achieve if high levels of WOM are attained. Thus creating a social media environment that is conducive to relative viralbility is also one that is conducive to strong exposure rates and a greater engagement with their audience. I really enjoy using the example of RMIT's social media presence as an example of effective viralbility. Posts such as this are relatable and applicable to not just students studying at RMIT but all universities, as such allows friends to comment and tag their own friends, increasing the reach of the post but ultimately increasing the exposure of the RMIT students Facebook page.
This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the impact of viralbility but as SM continues to assert its dominance over the marketing realm it is becoming more and more significant and frequent to see organisations attempt to create "shareable" content with the end goal of attracting more customers to their business model.
Please share with me any examples you've seen of businesses attempting to achieve high levels of viralbility in the comments below!