Think back to the last thing your friend showed you on Vine, Facebook, or Twitter. Was it a funny video, a photo with a clever caption, or a prank gone wrong? Humor is a commonality among so much viral content because people love a quick laugh. Funny content provides a moment of relief from the rush of everyday life. For this reason, “Toupee’s Anatomy” should go viral. Viral content has been proven to be overwhelmingly positive, so humor is an effective strategy in trying to create something viral. Seeing something funny usually prompts people to pass it on to someone else, thus resulting in that content becoming viral.
Twitter thrives on the blunders and missteps of the GOP candidates throughout their debates and news interviews, broadcasting them and often calling them out on their policy. My connections (followers/people I follow) on Twitter consist almost solely of people that lie somewhere on the Liberal spectrum, which makes Trump an easy target. Using Hootsuite analytics to consider the entire pool of content that mentions “Trump” reveals that over 30% of the sentiment surrounding these tweets is not affection, enjoyment, or gratitude. This information reveals plenty of opportunity to engage with users who are critical of his ideas. Humorous content also provides the opportunity to engage with a wide range of people, without being completely polarizing. Although the image mocks Trump, it does not do so in a way that is grossly offensive or attacking his politics, so people who aren’t even politically inclined can engage with the content. The content is timely, as Trump is more visible in the news now than he has been in years. Additionally, Grey’s Anatomy is running its 12th season currently, so people will undoubtedly be tweeting about it.
Engagement will be encouraged primarily through my Twitter account, bringing my audience to the Pinterest post through a platform I have more influence on. I intend to target young voters, who I’ve observed to be most openly against Trump and most engaged with my Twitter account. Tweeting with the Grey’s Anatomy hashtag on the night of an episode premiere will engage with an established audience and provide an opportunity for interaction outside of my direct reach. Another established audience exists within @GOPTeens followers, the page is a satirical account that consistently engages with their audience and mocks GOP candidates. Interacting with this account and getting engagement from them would provide a link to a prime audience whose conversation is already centered around the theme of my content. I will schedule tweets to be sent out at times of peak activity through Hootsuite and observe whether different messages and hashtags result in different levels of engagement. Finally, as obvious as it may seem, asking for engagement can be an effective way to transition from just content to content that is viral.
The concept of my content is simple, therefore the strategy for promoting it should be as well. “Toupee’s Anatomy” was created to make people laugh and give them something to show their friends. Through effective strategies that take advantage of existing audiences and honesty with my audience, the piece will gain momentum throughout the 2-week campaign.
Description:
Toupee’s Anatomy: Season 1
Production Budget:
In order to execute this project, I used entirely digital materials. For this reason, the 5×5’s only cost was the software used, however in this case I created the image through a free trial. I used Photoshop to layer images on top of the show’s original poster.
Materials Used:
5×5 card : $1.00
Photoshop software: Free
Description:
Toupee’s Anatomy: Season 1
Hashtags:
#NHsmc Viral Content
#Sorry Shonda
#Make America Great Again
#Trump
#Greys Anatomy
Social Media Marketing Plan:
- Tweet the image with different hashtags at different peak times engaging with audiences of Grey’s Anatomy.
- Tweet the image and ask for engagement from my followers
- Try to gain engagement from @GOPTeens page, which is a satirical account that mocks Republicans. The page has over 80K followers and frequently interacts with their followers.
- Tweet intriguing captions to the link or embedded pin
- Schedule tweets around peak times for engagement among my followers
-Kiara Bunting