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| Path: Main Street > Resources/Library > Research Articles > Feature Article |
Making it stick: Viral e-mail campaigns
By Pattie LaCroix
May 28, 2007Provoking people to take action is central to a viral e-mail campaign. For a viral e-mail campaign to work, it necessarily must provoke the receiver to pass it on. Viral e-mail campaigns hold great potential to expand the reach of your message, grow your constituency, and create a broader awareness of your campaign issue beyond your core list of supporters. Here are a few things you might want to take in consideration when planning your viral e-mail campaign.
Your initial send-out is permission based: your viral e-mail should be sent out to your permission-based list of supporters, activists, etc. who have given you permission to send them e-mails. From this initial e-mail “launch pad” your e-mail becomes viral once this initial group sends it out to their individual social and professionals networks, and these networks send it on to their networks - and as the commercial saying goes - and so on and so on and so on.
- Your message must be in alignment with your brand and values
Online there are certain kinds of e-mails that stand a greater chance of becoming viral than others. A high entertainment factor has always worked well, or a great inspirational story has also proven to be effective. Whatever content tone you select, keep in mind that your e-mail should be in line with your brand and values. Creating a very funny e-mail that is highly entertaining but out of line with your values will create an enormous disconnect within your support base and, in some instances, erode your credibility. In other words, don’t just be entertaining for entertainment sake; use this as a device only when appropriate.
- Know what your key succinct message is
The central message of your viral e-mail campaign should really communicate one clear and concise point. It should provoke emotion, humour, compassion, witty commentary, and so on.
- Timing
You want to get your message to the right people at the right time. Timing is essential. Ideally, the content of your viral e-mail will pick up on current events, a recently released study, or an evolving public trend. This backdrop of current affairs will go a long way in provoking people to pass along your message.
- Tracking
Ensure that you can track your e-mail and determine what you need to track. Essentially, you should determine the criteria of what success looks like for your campaign and then ensure that these criteria can be tracked. It is recommended that you use an e-mail service provider like GotMarketing or WhatCounts to blast out your e-mail. This will assist with spam filters as well as provide you with a complete stats package for your campaign.Of course, the emergence of social media tools online holds great potential for your viral e-mail campaign to be posted on YouTube, for example, or become the subject of blog commentaries.
One of my favourite viral e-mail campaigns, which was sent to me several times by people in my social network, is The Meatrix, a clever commentary on our meat producing industry. It uses the cultural framework of the popular film The Matrix. Combining pop culture with humour to educate people on the serious issues surrounding the meat producing industry was very effective. The massive success of this highly entertaining and informative viral e-mail campaign has spawned an entire series of subsequent e-mail campaigns along the same theme. You can check it out here...enjoy! http://www.themeatrix.com/.
My next column will cover the key elements you need to know about your website and public engagement. It will feature tips on how to get your “website house in order” to support your e-mail campaigns.
Pattie LaCroix has provided strategic leadership in crafting integrated communications and fundraising strategies to nonprofits for more than a decade. As CEO of Catapult Media she is passionate about the power of storytelling in engaging your audience and building support for your work. You can reach Pattie at www.catapultmedia.ca.
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