The 6 “STEPPS” to Viral

What makes things viral? Why some viral but some don’t? Whether we're talking about ideas, products, or services, the same six psychological drivers were causing people to share. It’s called STEPPS. In each section below, I'll explain the meaning of each word, the psychology or science behind them, and how to make your own ideas take off. 

Social currency is the idea that people strive to look good, smart, or knowledgeable in front of others. When was the last time you were told something and told not to tell anyone else? What were your first actions after receiving that information? Most people probably told someone else since having access to information that only a few people have makes you appear intelligent and well-informed. It provides you with what refer to as social currency. One way to get this is to make people feel like insiders. So how can you make people feel like insiders? Let’s look at Starbucks. 

Even though Starbucks does not have an official 'secret menu,' our customers are always trying out new ways to customize their favourite drinks according to their personal taste preferences. Pink Drink and Cotton Candy Frappuccino are great examples is the Starbucks secret menu, the receipts have been shared privately via word of mouth and have taken over Instagram & the Internet in 2016. 

Read more: The Story of Things: Secret Menus

Starbucks made customers feel like insiders since they were one of the first people to pass this information on, they can access scarce information that not everyone else had. Hence in thinking about applying this idea to your product, your initiative, or your idea, how can you make people feel like insiders? By giving them special information that makes them look smart and in the know, making them look like insiders. The more you can make them look good, the more they're going to pass that information on. Giving them social currency, and they'll be more likely to share. 

Another way to generate social currency is to highlight inner remarkability. 

Like the blender company Blendtec, they have launched a series of videos named "Will It Blend?". The company use its blenders to mash different type of items such as a piece of wood, lighters, pens, golf balls or even an iPhone to see whether the blender was strong enough to chop them. The customer is amazed by the durability of the blenders, customer, sales surged to over 700%.

Watch more: Will It Blend? - iPad Youtube

If something is unexpected, mysterious, or controversial, stands out from messages about a similar product or topic, the message may be considered remarkable. The argument isn't that some products are innately amazing while others are bound to fail, but that any product, any concept (like the blender, it is just a boring house applicant), can be made remarkable.

The trigger can be defined as an activity that motivates an individual to act on their potential readiness. Consumer decision making is largely unconscious and happens as an intuitive response to cues in the environment. They are everyday reminders in the environment that the people notice, record, or listens to. 

Think about breast cancer. When people see the colour pink, they're more likely to think about breast cancer based on breast cancer ribbons.

Consider what will drive people to think about your product or concept. What will motivate them to remember you? Because if they like you, that's fantastic, if they never think about you, they will never take action. 

We share when we care. The more strongly we feel about a piece of content or a message, the more willing we are to share it.

With the desire to support children with cancer, Eco Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company cooperates with Tuoi Tre newspaper to host the ‘Sunflower’ campaign in 2018. Then the organizer will donate 30,000 VND for pediatric cancer patients if the participants draw or make sunflowers, take photos of sunflowers and write love messages for children with cancer and festivals in the photos, tag their friends and publicly post on their social media like Facebook, along with the instructed hashtags. Yet, the Facebook feed was dyeing with the yellow tone of Sunflower as thousands of drawings have been posted, the campaign has reached millions of people, more than 10 billion VND was donated to the fund.  

Read more: 'Blooms' in Ho Chi Minh City fest to support children with cancer

According to Berger, high‐arousal emotions are characterized as an excitatory state of increased activity. If Eco Pharmaceutical shared a picture of painful children on the hospital bed, it led the audience to donate some money, but they're definitely not going to share. The company has made the correct approach by asking people to share the drawing of sunflowers, it has moved people from low arousal to high arousal. 

Emotional information is 20% more likely to be shared; the more we feel, the more likely it is to be shared. So, instead of focusing on the function, consider the feelings while thinking about how to attract people to share your own content or thoughts. Focusing on the three whys is a good approach to start. Why are they coming to us in the first place? Why would people want to be a part of this social movement? Why would people be interested in this particular cause? Consider the underlying feeling and how you might convince them to care and buy-in.

Monkey see monkey do. It seems sort of natural when people imitate others. Public visibility encourages imitation and that highly visible products advertise themselves. When people are uncertain of what to do, they look to others for social cues. Have you ever make an assumption about a restaurant based on the number of people in. If the restaurant's busy, full of diners, you assume it is pretty great, and you recommend yourself go and try. If the restaurant's empty, with only a few diners, you assume the restaurant dish is not so delicious. The information signal can be received by looking at other people and see what they're doing. If the customer can't see it, it's going to be much harder for them to imitate. To make it easier for people to see what other people are doing is to make the private ‘public’. If more people see lots of others people using your service, purchasing your product, they're going to be much more likely to do it as well. The company can think about adding a logo on the products or utilizing colour and design. 

Apple has removed a small chunk of the screen to fit the selfie camera and pushed the bezels to the top edges to create a wide notch for its iPhone X. The new design not only let Apple arrange the selfie camera, sensor, dot projector, Face ID innovation, but it also helped Apple product front design differentiate from other smartphones. 

Read more: Year Of The Notch: How The Controversial Design Trend Took Over Smartphones

At the time, most smartphones don’t have a notch and so iPhone X would be easily noticed by its appearance. Because the easier it is for people to see how many other people are doing something, the more they'll use that signal of information, and the more likely they'll be to do it themselves.

While considering how to use this concept, consider how you may make the private public. How make it easier for people to see how many other people have purchased your product? Have you utilized your service? What can you do on your website to make that size or volume more obvious?

People like to pass along practical or useful information out of a desire to help others by providing tips and advice. Practical-value content is any type that the audience can implement instantly and easily, without spending too much effort.

The tutorial video below shows viewers how to use just one empty bottle, can clearly separate the egg yolk from egg white. Because of how simple it is for users to attempt it, the video has received over 17 million views. Because it was useful, this piece of material was extremely shareable.

Or this piece of info was created by Breast Cancer Network Vietnam. This piece of content was created by Breast Cancer Network Vietnam. Their core value is to promote breast cancer awareness to all women. In this post, the visual explains how a woman can identify signs and symptoms of breast cancer. The visual is easy to understand, and it is easy for the women to implement. A quick look at the visual provides the necessary info for any woman viewing this to check themselves for the signs and symptoms. They can also check themselves relatively 

Read more: Breast Cancer Network Vietnam BCNV

To achieve this, ask yourself What is your skill, and how can you demonstrate it through helpful information if you're a small firm, initiative, or movement? Because the more useful and practical anything is, the more likely it is to be passed on.

Stories can serve as educational and entertaining tools, as well as vehicles for individuals to discuss issues that are important to them. Stories are much more likely to be shared than advertisements because personal stories are perceived as more trustworthy. 

On their website, Nescafe tells the story of how Nestlé brings out the highest quality of Vietnam’s coffee. How the firm helps Vietnamese farmers with their crops, how invested in technology that helps the farming process, managing pests and diseases. How to maintain post-harvest quality, and ensure the clean storage of the beans. Reading bout the farming process instantly carry the audience to the highlands, coffee beans in hand.

In consumer psychology, more positive evaluations of promotional materials were found when the facts were delivered in narrative rather than list format. Building a story that carries that message inside of it and it'll be difficult for people to forget it. Information travels furthest when knotted to a simple yet touching story. 

Viral marketing is not all about luck. You can do this if they understand the principles of how it works. Understanding how to build contagious content are more likely to spread from person to person, just like a virus might. 

Reference:

Jonah Berger on Viral Marketing 2020, streaming video, LinkedIn Learning, California, United States, viewed 19 August 2021, <https://www.linkedin.com/learning/jonah-berger-on-viral-marketing/the-power-of-viral-marketing?u=2104756 >.