Social media has provided marketers with the most unique form of marketing, and all because it is completely free.

Surprisingly, for something free, there is potential to go global, utilize multiple platforms, and change/update in no time. Once something goes “viral,” literally thousands get to view what you posted. Not bad for a tool that comes for free. Though free, some businesses regardless of size, have hired marketing teams (if they don’t have one in-house) dedicated solely to social media marketing campaigns , also for the purpose of constantly communicating with loyal customers and potential clients.

While some marketing teams may spend so much on pay-per-click or online advertisements to establish a web presence, some marketers have found a better and simpler way into the hearts of visitors and viewers. And yes, it’s still free unless you spend a little amount for making the video. It’s called viral marketing.

Viral Marketing is So Effective Even If It’s Free

We’ve all heard the term “it went viral” when something is heavily viewed on YouTube or other video platforms. Marketers can use free viral marketing to promote a brand, product, or service. To prove just how powerful viral marketing can be, here are four examples of social media marketing campaigns that went viral and captured the attention of thousands.

Viral Social Media Marketing Campaign #1

Heinz Beans – The “Which bean are you?” Quiz

While Heinz launched their new product called the “Five Beanz,” they also created a quiz contest on their Facebook page called, “Which bean are you?”

The quiz was used to determine what kind of bean a customer was based on personality questions. In addition, Heinz gave contest participants a goodie bag if they shared the Heinz Facebook page at least ten times. The campaign lasted more than two weeks, got around 22,000 likes, 10,000 shares, and generally reached 11 million people. Most people like a personality quiz even if it’s just out of curiosity. While this social media marketing method isn’t new, Heinz was the first food company to utilize it, and the results spoke for themselves.

Viral Social Media Marketing Campaign #2

Wilkinson Sword – The Santa Claus hostage video

Wilkinson Sword released a hostage video just before Christmas of 2013, showing three elves arguing whether to shave off Santa’s beard or not.

The video was posted on Wilkinson’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages. To get people involved, the video was left on a cliff-hanger and the phrase “CLICK TO # SAVESANTA” at the end. Another video would come soon that determines the fate of Santa Claus, based on the votes of the participants. One of the aims of this viral marketing ploy is to remind people that the brand’s famous razors make for great Christmas gifts.

Viral Marketing and Social Media Make a Good Couple

Viral Social Media Marketing Campaign #3

WATER is LIFE – First World Complaints Video

The non-profit organization WATERisLIFE created unique viral marketing of collected clips of the underprivileged third world but with captions of common privileged first world complaints such as: “I hate it when my phone charger won’t reach my bed” or “I hate it when I go to the bathroom and forget my phone” and other such complaints. The video became a huge success and had over a million views, boosting the organization’s campaign to bring clean water to third-world countries. The ending caption, “First world problems… aren’t problems” also boosted interest in the organization’s international work.

Viral Social Media Marketing Campaign #4

Cadbury – The giant chocolate Facebook thumb

To boost the likes on their Facebook page, Cadbury thought of creating a giant Facebook thumb using their signature Dairy Milk bars. The thank you gesture was made especially for the fans, for giving Cadbury a million likes. The chocolate Facebook thumb alone garnered 40,000 likes and shares. In terms of social media marketing campaigns, this one combined the attraction of delicious food with a familiar icon like the Facebook thumb, another perfect sample for viral marketing.