viral marketing ebook tủ tài liệu bách khoa

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Introduction
This is the most actionable and concise guide in content marketing you’ve ever seen: You’ll
learn how to brainstorm cool ideas, write great content and format popular articles for
them to get shared on social media. You’ll also read how to use ViralContentBuzz.com to
put that great content in front of social media influencers to give it a necessary push.
This eBook is the official ViralContentBuzz.com collection of web guides put together for
your convenience.
ViralContentBuzz.com is a web-based platform that utilizes a crowd-sourcing model to facilitate
the generation of REAL “social buzz” on quality content.
ViralContentBuzz.com allows you to get Facebook Shares, Pins, StumbleUpon likes and
Tweets from established social media accounts that are primarily outside of your normal social
media channels. This keep the sharing organic and gives your content REAL social signals! Not
only does Google love these types of signals, but it also means more eyeballs on your content.
This type of organic sharing gives your content its best chance to go viral
Meet the founders:
Gerald Weber
Gerald Weber is an Internet Entrepreneur from Houston, Texas. After years of working for a
local search marketing firm in Houston, Gerald decided it was time to hang his own shingle in
December of 2005, when he founded Search Engine Marketing Group. Although Gerald is a
professional SEO by trade, social media has long been his hobby and addiction. Gerald first
started his love affair with social media in late 2007 when he joined StumbleUpon, followed shortly by
Twitter. And he has been hooked on social media ever since.
Please Tweet to Gerald to hear back from him: @The_Gman or Skype him as searchengineguy

Ann Smarty
Ann is best known for being the creator and proud owner of MyBlogGuest.com, which is the
Internet’s 1st and coolest guest blogging community. Ann can often be found guest blogging
on some of the industry’s leading blogs like Mashable, SEOMoz, Internet Marketing Ninjas,

MakeUseOf, Social Media Examiner and MarketingProfs.

Please Tweet to Ann Smarty to hear back from her: @seosmarty


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The Contents:
Going Viral: Basics
Explaining Viral Content
*Most Important Component: How to Get Lucky (Manufacture Serendipity)
Step 1: Inspiration, Brainstorming, Research
Actionable Guide to Finding Viral Content Inspiration
A Few Examples of Viral Titles
Step 2: Formatting a Viral Article
Note: What images you CAN use and how
Step 3: Learning to Write LOTS of *Awesome* Content
1. One Research => Several Articles with Originals Angles / Perspectives
2. Old Content + New Format => New Content
Step 4: Share Your Awesome Content on ViralContentBuzz.com
Viral Content Buzz Basics
How do credits work?
What is a project?
What are VCB Quality Guidelines?
How to get more shares for my article / project?
What do VCB PRO plans offer?
How to customize my dashboard to only share what I am interested in?
How to Use Viral Content Buzz (Case Study)
Viral Marketing Generating Machine?
Here’s what we are trying to accomplish with ViralContentBuzz.com:

Content Marketing Cycle at Viral Content Buzz


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Going Viral: Basics
Explaining Viral Content
We all know the basic definition. Viral content is
anything posted online that reaches intense
popularity, often in the short term but occasionally in the
long. It is the equivalent of becoming a household name in
television, only with a wider reach that has become global.
The most interesting element to viral content is what tends
to reach that status. Some of the most random clips,
images and stories have reached online infamy in the past,
and will continue to do so in the future. Often, it brings
success to the originators that they never expected, and can launch entire careers as a
consequence.
You may think that with this wider reach and often random success, it would be easier to create
viral content than ever. In some ways, you would be correct. The internet gives everyone an
equal platform from which to launch, unlike the special channels once required for fame before.
On the other hand, the competition is much larger. Trying to get seen over the crowd, which is
literally billions of potential people, is a mighty task indeed
Is There A Formula For Viral Content?
Everyone wants to know the secret formula for creating viral content. It would be amazing if
such a method existed, but the truth is that it just doesn't. There is no single way to make
something popular online, any more than there is to avoid a flop.
Luck* is the only way it's going to happen.
Viral content often goes viral for unforeseen reasons. Experts who claim to have the magic
potion for popularity are just taking the same guesses you could be doing yourself.

Are There Any Tips At All?


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Sure, there are ways to potentially increase your chances of hitting viral status. They are really
just methods of improving overall content and visibility so that you are seen. Which then ups the
likelihood that you will be shared, then reshared, and so on until that sought after status is
achieved.
Do something unique
If you want to go viral through an original concept, rather than piggy backing on the success of
something else, you have to be unique. Which means doing something no one has done before,
or at least something they have done in a way that hasn't been seen.
Keep things high quality
Yes, there are things out there that went viral because they were bad. But those unintentionally
hit the sweet spot between "bad" and "so bad it's good". That isn't an easy feat, and you are
better off making something to be proud of.
Be controversial
It's still as true today as it ever was... controversy sells. On the web, where everyone has an
opinion and is frothing at the mouth to share it, you can really take advantage of that fact. While
you should try not to be outright offensive, stir up some debate. Here’s a good example of a
timely controversial article that went hot on Reddit back in 2009
Focus on social marketing
This one should be self-explanatory. Social media is your greatest tool in going viral, so use it.
Catch the trends early
The original Psy video for Gangnam Style attracted some lucky few early, who made their own
videos. Which then went viral riding the success of the original. The only problem is that the
longer you wait, and the more spoofs out there, the less effective yours will be. Get on the
bandwagon with the first boarding.
Don't try too hard
Online users are cynical and experienced now. They can smell desperation like a shark can

smell blood in the water. Don't try too hard, or your efforts will backfire.


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*Most Important Component: How to Get Lucky (Manufacture Serendipity)
Back to the main component of viral marketing: "LUCK"
To go viral, you need to be lucky: You need to be able to publish some great content at the right
time with the right people around to be able to spread the word.
So is there an actual way to create that "luck"
Yes... to an extent...
The term we are routinely using for that us "manufacturing serendipity"
Serendipity = a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; a fortunate mistake. Specifically,
the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it
[wiki/Serendipity]
A Few Quotes Explaining How You Can Manufacture Serendipity
"The harder you work, the luckier you get"
"The best way to ensure that lucky things happen is to make sure a lot of things happen"
"You can't automate accidental discoveries, but you can manufacture the conditions in
which such events are more likely to occur" [Sam Ruby]
"You greatly increase the number of opportunities you have for “getting lucky” by
increasing the number of opportunities you give yourself to get lucky." [Mike
Fishbein]
To rephrase the above... The more you do, The better your chances are to get lucky / viral
That means viral marketing involves lots of experimenting, connecting to various people, seeing
what others do, getting help, etc.
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To create viral content, you need to create lots of content and do lots of experiments

To go viral, you need to be everywhere: Lots of connections, lots of channels, lots of
social media platforms.


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Step 1: Inspiration, Brainstorming, Research
Actionable Guide to Finding Viral Content Inspiration
People seem to never grow tired of “20+ Weird Something” and other obviously viral titles. The
key here is to find an innovating and unique angle! So why not try them if they work and
entertain people (looks like a win-win to me)?
Here are some effective sources of link bait inspiration:
1. Google Search
Good old Google search is quite
understandably my first source of
inspiration. Here’s one trick I’d like to
share that always works: Google
wildcard search. Just insert * anywhere
in-between your topical search phrase and
you’ll get plenty of suggested term
variations right within SERPs:
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[amazing * swimming pools] for
more ideas on swimming pool
designs;
["what kind * are you"] for more

viral quiz ideas;
[weird *] just for something bizarre.


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Quick tips:
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Use usual “viral list” cliches to get more ideas (amazing * word, awesome * word, weird *
word, bizarre * word, etc). Note: in case Google decides to drop the word as being
“descriptive and unimportant” be sure to place plus sign (+) before it to force Google to
include it;
For more search inspiration try Google Suggest and this cool tool:
/>

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2. Google Images
Google Image search allows for great visualization: you almost always can predict which type of
content each listing represents: an ecommerce shop, “viral” blog post or any other. Thus, you
only click through if it looks like something worth attention (=saves time a lot) Look:

Besides, Google images search seems much more straightforward than general search: those
images that are linked to, contain search terms in alt text and file path are usually ranked higher.
So first pages will contain plenty of images from viral pieces like you do (other types of content
seldom put so much emphasis on images).


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3. Reddit and Subreddits

Obviously, you can just sift through the official subreddits page if you want to. But you will be
going through results for a long time, and it is more a tool for browsing than finding something
specific. Especially if the subreddit you are looking for is obscure and less likely to have a high
number of people subscribed or posting to it.
Luckily there are ways to help you quickly suss out these boards.
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New Reddits – This feature is a quick way to check out what has just been posted more
recently. This is handy when you are looking for trending topics, because chances are
they will be groups together as users post again and again about it.
Subreddit of the Day – Find out what has attracted the most attention and been named
the Subreddit of the Day.
Metareddit – Brown by metatags, clicking on each one to get a description from the
randomly generated list.
Subreddit Finder – Find useful tags and sort them by most promoted, active or several
other specifications.
Subreddits – A full list broken down by larger categories.

Some Interesting Subreddits
I have found some really great subreddits using the tools above. I have found some truly bizarre
ones, as well. If I were to come up with a list of my absolute favorites, it would be hard to narrow
it down. But if you twisted my arm, these are the ones I would recommend.

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/r/Paranormal – Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? Even those of us you aren’t
convinced in the existence of the supernatural can get a kick out of a well woven tale
of spooks and specters. If you have an interest in the paranormal, this is a mustsubscribe blog to check out. It covers ghost stories, cryptozoology, UFO’s,
investigations, possessions, haunted objects and more.
/r/GetDisciplined – Ever wanted to change your life, but you just don’t have the
willpower to keep going? This is a great subreddit for you. It gives you advice, support
and motivation for anything you want to improve. Whether you are trying to lose
weight, get organized, find a better job, finish school or anything else, this should be a
daily stop.
/r/AbandonedPorn – It isn’t what it sounds like, promise! This board is all about
abandoned places around the world. From hospitals to zoos, find the beauty in those
places that used to bustle with activity, but have now been left behind and empty.
/r/Fascinating - Sometimes you just want to know something cool. This subreddit isn’t
updated as often as many of the others, but everything posted there is interesting. It is
worth just reading what is already there.

/r/YouShouldKnow – This one is similar to WhatILearned, a popular board listed on
Reddit’s main page. Anyone who has a bit of expertise on a subject, or just knows
something helpful, post it on this subreddit to help teach others.
/r/LifeProTips – Ever wanted to know how to make your own vanilla extract? Perfectly
portion ground beef? Set your internal clock? You can find out here, hacking life like a
pro.

4. Flickr Groups
Flickr is an awesome source of inspiration. Best ideas come from browsing through Flickr
groups that unite photos on one particular topic.
The best way to find a cool Flickr group is:
1. Search all images using your base term (and probably using one of the tools mentioned
above);
2. Look which “pools” most popular / commented / favorited images belong to (Click “Also
in” icon to the right of the photo). Chances are, you will find many quality relevant Flickr
groups this way:


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More content brainstorming tactics:
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Mix up words & *trendy* themes. What fun ideas emerge? Example: zombies and work
instead of a boring yet-another “health and safety at work” article no one will ever
notice... Get more ideas here: brainstorming the link-baity content.
Run a Lotus Blossom creative thinking session to produce a quantity of initial ideas: take
a single subject, break it into 8 themes and break those themes into 8 facets to get 64
points!
Try to think of something that will help someone and will be ultra engaging. Something
YOU would want to read
Keep a calendar of strange/notable events bookmarked - public anniversaries, quirky
celebrations etc (Note: A guest post may take time to find a home, so make sure to plan
FAR ahead)
Create an ideas wall by scraping blog titles; here’s an example (but only use for ideas).
Learn to make lists!
Keep it hot! => Don’t write about apples, write about apples for zombies!
Both Pinterest search and Quora search have been very useful for me. There are cool
ideas for any topics!


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A Few Examples of Viral Titles
Here are a few cool title examples that went viral - for your creative inspiration!
1. Abbreviations – using popular abbreviation reflecting either slang or professional jargon
vocabulary:

2. Playing with antonyms (words with opposite semantic meanings), e.g. substituting a word in
a well known (or set) phrases with its antonym:

3. Playing with well-known quotes:

“Ain’t it the Truth?” is actually a quote – The Cowardly Lion from “The Wizard of Oz”
4. Using oxymoron – combining what normally cannot be combined (e.g. poor and rich):


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5. Playing with homophones (words with a different origin and meaning but having the same
pronunciation) or using “pun” – deliberately mixing two similar-sounding words:

6. Semantic “distortion” (somewhat related to #2) – substituting one word in a set phrase with
any other word for comic / unexpected meaning:

7. Creating words that have two meanings and can be interpreted in two (often opposing) ways:

8. Question-answer play: asking and instantly answering a question:


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Step 2: Formatting a Viral Article
A good article obviously is the combination of the following:
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Very interesting, entertaining or funny
Very useful

Extremely unique in some way
Or a combination of all of the above

And while there is never a guarantee that your content WILL actually go viral, having these key
components is the foundation so that you will have the best chances of your content spreading
far and wide.
While the idea and research are very important, the “package” (formatting, images,
subheadings) is very essentia as well!
Now that you have an idea and did some search (collected information, images, etc), let’s see
how to put that together properly.
Here’s a handy cheatsheet of what a social-media-friendly article should consist of [you can
download the pdf cheatsheet here]:


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Note: What images you CAN use and how
Why you are free to use just about any images for inspiration, when you are beautifying your
articles, stick to images you can use to keep the trouble away. Here’s a quick list of resources:
Creative Commons
(Please credit the author or the image page and mention the license)
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Smart Photo Stock (Filter by free photos when you search for images)
Here's also the list of CC cartoons to spice up your blog posts:
Wikimedia Commons. Here’s their TOS allowing you to re-use the media
Wired Creative Commons Collection;
Here's also a handy list of Creative Commons Cartoons (Great for going viral!!!)
Compfight / Flickr is the great tool to quickly find a great CC image on Flickr (Please
make sure you select Commercial license that allows to re-use images even for
commercial purposes).


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Royalty-Free Images
Royalty-Free images are those you can re-use for free, even without attribution (you can just
mention the domain of the site; no actual link is required).
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Microsoft resource, which you don’t even need to give credit for, at least in so far as I
read the rules
MorgueFile (You are allowed to use their images. Here’s the license summary).
123rf and SXC both have a great collection of royalty-free images

Create Your Own Images! (the best option!!!)
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Here are a few tools for awesome screenshots.

Here are a few tools that let you create an image easily!
Overlay photos with text: Great "viral" tactic


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Step 3: Learning to Write LOTS of *Awesome* Content
Going back “Manufacturing Serendipity”, here’s the hard truth: To see some of your content go
viral, you need to create LOTS of content without sacrificing on the quality. Let’s try to see how
to make it doable:
The keys: (1) learn to research + (2) learn to re-focus smartly!

1. One Research => Several Articles with Originals Angles / Perspectives
Let’s start with steps and follow with examples:
1. Start your research on Google:
a. (1) start from some very specific keywords (like [shopping online women] or
[gender differences shopping]), + use define: operator to get some more ideas on
the topic (like [define:bargain hunters]).
b. (2) Now expand your keywords to find more information (try using ~ and *
operators to include more results, e.g. [~gender ~differences shopping] and
[gender * shopping]).
c. (3) Lastly, expand your tools (try Twitter search, for example, for recently
discussed articles within your topic)
2. What if you don’t really know how to start? Here’s quite old (but still valid) guide on
searching Google when you are not really sure what you want to find. Use it if you *feel*
you want to write something but not really sure what.


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So now that you have started your research, you are getting a lot of various interesting results:

the exact article topic is forming. Not all of the results you get will be useful – likewise, not all of
them fit your initial idea, but many of the articles and tools you are coming across are very
useful and fun!
So learn to form several post ideas while doing one research. Open several (notepad) files
and sort useful ideas and tools are finding by topic. Write several articles simultaneously.
That can result in a week of work, but in the end, you’ll get several absolutely awesome articles
written.
Here’s a real life example
Once upon a time I got really excited with various ways marketers are using Google
Spreadsheets. While doing my research of different tools and scripts they are using, I was able
to find some fantastic ideas. So, instead of writing one article, I wrote 4:
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The Easiest Reputation Management
Tool (Google Spreadsheet) (This one I
built myself based on the scripts I found);
5 Essential Spreadsheets for Social
Media Analytics – This guest post on
Mashable was a result of the same
research but I re-focused it to “Social”
Three Awesome Google Spreadsheet
Hacks for Marketers – This one lists
*different* tools and tricks that can be
applied to general marketing;

HOW TO: Archive Twitter Search Results
in a Google Spreadsheet (and Analyze
Them!) – Lastly, I didn’t mention this tool
in any of the above articles because it
was too awesome and deserved a
separate review.

The result? Four detailed and useful articles at high-profile blogs (including Mashable and
MarketingProfs) – all coming from one in-depth research!


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2. Old Content + New Format => New Content
Or let’s put in a fancier word: Content re-packaging.
Content re-packaging is about expanding your initial research by creating different types
of content pieces (videos, images, presentations) that opens up various opportunities of
additional exposure (video and photo user-generated communities, presentation-sharing
sites as well as iTunes, Amazon, etc).
Re-packaging is another great way to re-use your old research into the new content. Besides,
content re-packaging gives you more freedom for promoting your content. If you turn your
content into an image, you can promote it on Flickr and now Pinterest. If you turn your tutorial
into a screencast, you’ll get great exposure from Youtube (and other video sites if you have
more time).
Types of content re-packaging
Content re-packaging is one of my #beeverywhere strategy (= managing to
be around the web while staying productive) I’ve been using for ages. Here
are a few types of re-packaging:

Images (Infographics, Cheatsheets, visual quotes, etc)

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Additional marketing opportunities: Pinterest, Facebook, reddit.com/infographics,
more
● Additional value to your brand: More visual context around your brand
We now have a social web that is dependent in many ways on visual content. People are more
likely to share photos, and we even have Pinterest leading the way in image based social
networking. Turning content into images is a great way to both freshen it up and give it a boost
on the social web.
Images with captions and a link to the post are perfect for Pinterest and Facebook, for example.
New images representing those posts are great for Twitter. Then there are the holy grail of
online images: the infographic. These puppies have become extremely popular, and people
routinely share them with others. You can pack a lot of data into an infographic, and the more
informative it is the more likely it is to go viral. Everyone should be adding infographics to their
usual output on a regular basis.


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Infographics Tools. Tools like Piktochart and Infogr.am are easy to use and have a
ton of features to customize it to exactly what you want. These are social media
powerhouse pieces, and very shareable on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest, to
name a few.
Comics tools: Strip Generator and Simple Diagrams. Break your content down to the
bare essentials and draw up some fun cartoons. Not only are these a great way to
repackage a post, but they are widely shared and can be entertaining, as well. They are
also great for sites like Pinterest, just as infographics are. Not to mention, they make
excellent portfolio pieces that show off your creative diversity.

Ebooks
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Additional marketing opportunities: Amazon (free Kindle books), iBooks, etc
Additional value to your brand: The ability for your users to take your brand offline
(when traveling, for example)
It has become very useful to offer free ebooks on your website, including those that can be
“bought” with a tweet or share. A quick way to create an ebook is by taking old posts from your
blog and turning them into chapters. My personal recommendation is to turn “series” into digital
books to make them more topical.
Apps like Zinepal and EbookGlue make it easy to do this. Just make sure you properly
edit it into a book format, including a table of contents section and page 30numbers.
MyEcoverMaker allows you to design stunning book covers and then create the 3D
version all in one shot.

Videos
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Additional marketing opportunities: Youtube (and other video sharing sites) + A
comparatively easy way to rank in search (Google gives a lot of love to Youtube
videos)
● Additional value to your brand: The ability to keep user longer on the site; more
branding opportunities
Oh, videos…it is so easy to waste an entire day on YouTube, isn’t it? It is time to tap into that
widely held addiction and make your own. These don’t have to be very sophisticated. It can be
as simple as running a tutorial with visuals, or even just a slideshow with a voice over.


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It is less about being fancy and flashy, and more about offering up that information in a more
easily digestible, original way. One of my favorite examples is someone who takes popular

CreepyPasta stories and reads them out for people on YouTube. These get a ton of views,
despite the content being available elsewhere. That is the power of re-packaging something into
a video.
Tool: Screenr (online and free!). You can make a video with nothing more than a voice
over, or even a text representation of your post. If you really want to get professional you
can do an actual tutorial, using either a video capture of you showing how something is
done on your computer, or through a recording of you doing something in real life. Video
sites like YouTube and Vimeo are perfect for hosting them, and it will gain a lot of
attention this way.
Animoto is another cool way to create a quick and stunning video. It combines text,
music and photos.
Here’s a good example of simple catchy video you can do at home!

Podcasts
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Additional marketing opportunities: iTunes
Additional value to your brand: The ability for your users to take your brand offline
(when traveling, for example. Who doesn’t like listening to something while on the
beach?)
Podcasts are becoming a more standard form of media on blogs these days. A lot of people will
automatically record them reading out their content and post it along with the original for people
to have multiple ways of keeping up with content. Personally, I think these are a great way to
engage with your audience. However, they can be a bit time consuming to create. Make sure
you have the best possible tools to make the process simpler.
Podcast Producer. More blogs have been using this one lately, and I think it is a great
idea. Plenty of readers are short on time or have to multitask. So having an alternate
way to enjoy content that is more passive works well to keep their attention. Have posts
offered in podcast form, just a simple recording of you reading off the content. You can

offer it for download, or have a media player on the site that lets them listen to multiple
posts in a row without taking the time to queue them up themselves.


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Here are a couple of ideas for both videos and podcasts:
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Interviews – Sometimes there is a topic that is ripe for discussion that you have
written about in the past. Those make great interviews, which you can directly connect
to your old content. Finding people in the industry to give their perspective will put a
fresh spin on something already covered. Plus, it can increase you visibility by tapping
into another person’s audience, and foster a long standing professional relationship
with the subject of the interview. Plenty of guest posting gigs have started thanks to a
single interview. Remember that the exposure goes both ways.
Google Hangout and Webinar – Want to really engage? Try a webinar, a seminar
that is held over the web. Set a date, start promoting, and take all of that old content
to be a part of the lectures. There are many kinds of webinars you can hold. The first
is a single speaker format, where you present the information and conduct all talks.
Another is an interview style, where you have a guest you speak to in front of the
audience, and possibly engage that audience into asking their own questions. There
is a panel discussion with multiple people, who speak directly to the audience on your
behalf. Or there is an interactive, fully engaged version where you have open
discussions and activities with your audience. You can decide which is best for you.

And again an example!
Once I decided to look into and compare TOS of most popular social media sites. That took me
at least a day of reading, dropping results into a table and then compiling a post. In the end, I

was much more knowledgeable about what you cannot do on social media. But that’s not the
only benefit.
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I did a guest post on how to avoid
getting banned on social media.
Then a couple of weeks later I
compiled the same research into a
nice-looking social spam infographic
(which drives really good traffic from
Pinterest by the way);
Lastly, I wrote a case study on I
created and promoted that infographic
using MyBlogGuest new Infographics
Gallery.

If you work both hard and smart, you can achieve some great results and improve your content
strategy greatly!


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Step 4: Share Your Awesome Content on ViralContentBuzz.com
ViralContentBuzz.com is a free platform that allows you put your content in front of industry
influencers in a most unintrusive way. Here’s a quick-start guide to try the platform:

Here’s a detailed video screencast you want to check out before moving forward

Viral Content Buzz Basics
How do credits work?
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Your follower counts determine how many credits you earn as you share content within
the VCB dashboard.
As you earn credits by sharing, you build up a “bank”
When you submit your own project to VCB, you’ll need to allocate some or all of your
credits to this project (you call it “budget” although I think “pool” is more reflective of what
it is)
VCB members share your content, which earns them content from the pool you’ve
allocated to your project. Remember that their follower count allows them to earn higher