Yes, It's Viral, but I'm not Afraid

This time of year, the word "viral" strikes fear in the best of us. Images of flu viruses ready to attack spring to mind.

But that word holds a scary connotation for B2B marketers just about any time of year. After all, once an online B2B campaign goes viral, it takes on a life of its own—and it can turn on you.

So, might there be some "preventive medicine" you can apply that will help ensure a viral campaign stays healthy? In a post at her B2B Marketing blog, Loredana Niculae offers a few prescriptions. To maintain campaign health, she says:

Do your homework. To ensure you start off strong, first find a few role models. "Research several social-media sites … to discover what the big success stories were for industries related to yours, and try to replicate that success," Niculae advises.

Build a fan base. There's immunity in loyal numbers. "Put a video on your company website and integrate other social-media tools to build a user base—and communicate with them," she suggests.

Optimize your optimization. "Videos should have clear titles, an accurate description and appropriate keyword tags so … they [pop up] in a YouTube search," she says.

Wondering how to measure your success? Niculae suggests you ask these questions post-launch:

• How many potential clients were exposed to your ideas?
• How often did bloggers talk about you and your ideas? And what are those bloggers still saying?
• Where are you appearing in search results for important phrases?

Finally, once you've determined your campaign was a hit, don't stop there. "You need to follow it up with something that holds the audience's attention," she advises. "This can be a sequel, or some behind-the-scenes videos, but the idea is to exploit the buzz you've originally created for as long as you can."

Call to Action: Stay strong and sure. Taking a few steps like these can help ensure your B2B campaigns remain healthy even when they go viral to the max.