4 Secrets to No BS Viral Marketing

It’s not often I laugh out loud at ads, especially in my Facebook feed.

But last week I came across a video ad that had me busting a gut.

In fact, I immediately played the video for two other people, as delighted with the message as with the fine example of viral marketing.

Uh, yeah. That suggests a subject for viral marketing.

Warning: you may not find this nearly as amusing as I did if you don’t share the company’s world view. You’ll see what I mean in a minute…

This video is for No B.S. Skin Care. Please take a moment to  watch this video.

See what I mean?

Let’s pick apart the secret ingredients of a viral marketing piece.

#1 – Connect on the beliefs and worldview of your ideal clients.

So who is the ideal client of this makeup company and what do they believe?

Their ideal customer is likely a Millennial female who identifies as a feminist or individualist (note the actor’s sarcasm, nose rings, colored hair and “rebellious” leather jacket) who is FED UP with the hype and BS of the beauty industry.

She’s fed up with societal norms and standards of beauty that don’t include her and companies’ deliberate manipulation of their customer’s emotions to get them to buy.

The message is clear:

“Screw you, beauty industry! I create my own self worth.”

How can you use this in your wedding business?

Tell couples clearly what you’re for and what you’re against. Boldly. Without holding back because you might tick someone off.

In fact, if you DON’T tick someone off with your For and Against message, it isn’t strong enough.

#2 – Have a compelling USP (Unique Selling Proposition.)

Simply connecting with your clients’ beliefs isn’t enough, though it’s a good start. You need to give their rational mind some facts they can use to justify the purchase.

Why should they buy from you and not the competition?

A few bullets from the No B.S. Skincare USP:

• You have two choices in the beauty industry (according to their marketing): products with harmful chemicals or products with “natural” ingredients that don’t work. No B.S. sells products that aren’t bad for you AND they actually work. “We’ve hit the sweet spot between a mixture of nature and science to create potent formulas with clean ingredients.”
• All ingredients are listed on their website. In fact, this page illustrates the company’s value of transparency and is a beauty product education in itself.
• Their prices aren’t marked up to pay for expensive celebrity endorsements and the “pink tax.”
• You skip the beauty industry BS marketing that encourages women to base their self worth on their beauty.
• With each purchase, they donate a product to a charity for at risk girls and women, Project Glimmer.

This is summed up nicely as, “No frills. No gimmicks. No BS.”

How can you do this in your wedding business?

Identify and communicate specifically exactly what makes you different — and better — than the competition.

Is it your process? Your diverse experience? The products or services you can’t find anywhere else?

#3 – Include social proof up the yin yang.

The video and website include reviews, endorsements from beauty influencers (unpaid ones, according to them) and press mentions.

The more evidence of your value you have in the form of the opinions of your clients’ peers and authority figures, the more they’ll be influenced to buy.

Make sure you make liberal use of your positive reviews on ALL your marketing materials and especially on your website.

#4 – Have a sense of humor…as long as your ideal clients get it.

This company mocks the beauty industry and the competition (Photo Shop before and afters, a model with snail on her face) but they’re not afraid to make fun of themselves, either.

“If you have knobs with skin on them, this is for you.”

(That line got laughs from the guys, too.)

This is a HUGE component of viral marketing because it makes those who share it look smart and clever. Remember: people like what they agree with and share what makes them look good.

If you and your clients have a sense of humor, don’t be afraid to include it in your marketing.

#5 – Reduce or eliminate the risk.

The company has a “Love It or Return It” refund policy. If you don’t like the products, simply return them for a full refund.

This is called a “risk reversal” in marketing because the company takes on all the risk, making it much easier for the customer to make a purchase decision.

How can you eliminate risk for your clients?

It may make sense to consider a money back or other guarantee. This works best with products, but some service businesses have implemented this with great results, too.

The Beauty Bottom Line

Now, I’m no beauty expert (far from it!) but I bet there are other beauty products out there that are just as effective and free of harmful chemicals.

But do any of them have a marketing video like this? Do any of them talk about “skin knobs?”

I don’t think so.

It’s likely these products are decent, but it’s not the quality that makes this a viral marketing campaign.

This company is winning the business of their ideal clients by appealing to their beliefs and wrapping it in a believable, entertaining package.

What do you think?

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