How to go viral

ASOS, The University of Reading and Poundland are just three UK brands to go viral on Twitter in the last month. The one constant between the three was that each post injected a sense of personality into the brand, adding valuable information or humour. 

By Chelsea Heard, account executive at Stone Junction

Although each of these brands have a different audience and aren’t from the B2B engineering and industrial sectors we work in, there’s still lots to learn from these viral posts.

ASOS – Disability awareness  

So over the last several months I have been working with @ASOS to create a fashionable, yet practical waterproof all in one! Not just for people like me in a chair but for anyone. It's about making fashion accessible! So what should be next?! https://t.co/1gzzkRlED9 pic.twitter.com/7yS57QEmpD

— Chloe Ball-Hopkins (@chloe_ballhopzy) July 4, 2018

Fashion retailer ASOS has spent years building up a brand of inclusivity through initiatives like working with LGBTQ+ organisations. On July 4, 2018, Paralympic athlete and BBC reporter Chloe Ball-Hopkins announced she had been working with ASOS to produce a fashionable waterproof all in one. The all-in-one is on sale now and is designed with wheelchair users in mind. It includes trousers and a jacket that zip together, adjustable cuffs and a longer hem to avoid it riding up.

The tweet has now been featured in articles from Cosmopolitan, The Daily Mail, Glamour and Sunday Times Style. By having Chloe announce the collaboration, it was obvious to followers that she was an integral part of the design and inspired trust in the brand and its inclusivity. Accompanied by a larger campaign, including a vlog for The Daily Mail, ASOS gained lots of recognition for a project to be proud of.

Poundland - #Proudland 

.@TLRailUK You’re ‘off the rails’ #TLFail #Proudland pic.twitter.com/rago9G1zmh

— Poundland (@Poundland) May 30, 2018

Cast your minds back to the end of May, before the heatwave began. A commuter who tweeted Thameslink to complain about cancelled services received the response, "Very sorry Kevin. Appreciate at the moment the service is less Ferrero Rocher and more Poundland cooking chocolate." Naturally, Poundland weren’t best pleased and responded accordingly.

It’s true that twitter loves a good brand war, but this one was particularly well received. Not only did it demonstrate Poundland’s engagement with its audience, but the use of colloquial language and humour were a perfect choice too. It also took the opportunity to refute the comment with the simple hashtag #Proudland.

The humour, and stark reminder that a real, proud, person was behind the brand’s account led it to be retweeted 7,399 times.

University of Reading 

The University of Reading also had success with its work on Twitter recently. In a tweet on July 2, it said:

We've had feedback over the last week that some people are unhappy with our plan to offer up to 14 scholarships to refugees living in the local area. To these people, we would like to say: Tough. Jog on. https://t.co/ioDLPp5crw

— Uni of Reading (@UniofReading) July 2, 2018

Now retweeted 24,128 times, the initiative has been well received and the university has taken the opportunity to ask followers to donate to provide funding for a 15th scholarship.

The one similarity between each of these tweets? Consistency.

No matter what sector you’re in, each and every tweet or social media update from a business account must fit your brand character. This means matching the tone, style, morals and humour that your followers have come to expect will make your post more likely to be shared and remembered.

Of course, it’s also essential that each update is worthwhile and has something to say.

We know this can be hard work and difficult to keep on top of. If you find that you’re struggling to write effective social media updates, or you aren’t sure what to say, contact us on 01785 225416 to find out more about our social media management or training services.