Taking Over Social Media

 

Red Bull’s collaboration with science sent the Social Media world into space. 

Wouldn’t you just love to be able to take over social media?

Yes, I mean completely take over.

Of course, it’s much harder than it sounds and highly improbable.

But taking note of the pros who have done so can help you with your own Social Media campaigns.

Because there are clear signs of what goes viral, and what doesn’t.

On October 2012, skydiver Felix Baumgartner set a new world record for skydiving an approximate 24 miles from the edge of space, reaching speeds up to 834 mph in the process.

An impressive achievement for science and mankind, but also a massive achievement for Red Bull’s marketing department.

This 10-minute jump from the stratosphere over New Mexico was broadcasted to millions around the world.

Resulting in arguably one of the biggest moments of 2012. It also made internet video history, as over 7 million people tuned in to watch the event live on YouTube.

And who was at the forefront of it all (except Felix Baumgartner of course)? The answer is Red Bull.

Diving from the edge of space in his Red Bull branded suit, Felix reached the speed of sound at 98,000 feet and then deployed his Red Bull parachute at 8,000 feet landing moments later sending the world into admiration.

Now if this mission had failed in any way – the parachute didn’t open resulting in Felix’s death, or if the jump got delayed even more (the originally scheduled launch was on the 9th of October, and then again on the 11th) – then Red Bull really would have looked like idiots.

But this was a risk they were willing to take. That is the key here: Risk, and it paid off big time.

In the days leading up to this event, Social Media channels went into overdrive.

The ‘Red Bull Stratos’ campaign – as the project was named – trended worldwide on Twitter. And the story was similar on Facebook as it surpassed 500,000 ‘likes’ before the event.

This number passed 1 million in just a matter of days afterwards, and much more were talking about it on Facebook.

Talk about embracing the power of social media with content worth talking about… just like right now!

This is just an example in the long list of extreme sporting events that Red Bull has sponsored around the world.

By creating these events Red Bull are able to create a spectacle worth talking about, and more importantly, put themselves, and them alone on TV screens around the world.

A strategy that is proving a massive success for the energy drink manufacturer.

What are the essentials here then?

Build a story worth talking about, capture the critical moments of the story on camera/video and allow for free PR using social media for the story to be repeated.

Simply put, that’s it.

Here’s a take over checklist:

– Do your homework. Study. Follow and replicate trends, because no content is truly unique. It’s your spin on it that makes it unique.
– Tell a compelling story that you, your friends and colleagues would read in your own time. Think about how precious your time is.
– Neetzan Zimmerman (Gawker’s main viral content guy) says you must “Aspire To Inspire” and touch people personally. He knows his stuff.
– Timing is everything. So get your timing bang on the hour!
– Engage with others, and bring those into the fold early on as they will work as your “sales force.”

…and spread the word!

It was estimated that this space dive alone was worth in excess of £10m in the UK and a massive £100m worldwide for Red Bull.

And taking over Social Media channels for a number of weeks had a big part in this.

Following these simple steps, your next Social Media campaign could go viral.

Indeed, it may…