Get a million likes in 24 hours

Recognize this image? These two little girls were the start of a recent Internet trend. At Whipp, we realize that some of the buzz of asking for 1 million likes has now become inappropriate and far-fetched, but it didn’t start out that way.
 
These two little girls told a compelling story, about the death of their dog, and their parent’s hesitation to bring another pet into their very full family.
 
It went viral. In 24 hours, they had over 1.2 Million likes and thousands of comments.
 
Then it went beyond viral, it began to trend…much like dog shaming, everyone had something they were willing to do, a cause they were wanting to raise awareness of, or something they would be able to get (such as a bunny), for one million likes.
 
So how did these two girls get their message out so fast?
 

1. Everyone wants to be a part of something

These two girls really, really wanted a dog. They took a unique approach using social media as a tool. People felt for these girls and their big family. They wanted to help them out, and they also wanted to prove their parents wrong. People wanted to help this cause…however small the cause…they did it perfectly.  1 million likes can’t cure cancer, but 1 million likes could get these two girls a dog. The girls took an approach many companies forget: they believed it would work. They didn’t underestimate the power of their network and social media as a whole.

 

2.  Make it Simple, and don’t give up

At first, they were even taking donations. However, once thousands of people began to “Like,” their post…the donations went down. All they wanted was a “Like.” It’s easy to like something on Facebook. They also made sure to let people know it would be a rescue dog, it’s simple to like a family recusing an animal.

While these girls got it right the first time…sometimes companies don’t. And “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” If a company stops trying, they are asking to fail. Maybe your company is not a picture of a cute family of children holding a sign asking for a dog, but your company has something in it, somewhere, to touch an audience and make people want to share. So know what your company wants, and what it will offer. The Girls wanted a dog, and proving their parents wrong meet getting one.  Remember, Henry Ford failed, and was left broke 5 times before becoming successful with Ford Motor Company.

 

3. Stay Connected

After you finally achieve your goal, be it a million likes or one thousand friend requests… as a company you need to stay connected. Social media and news media are connected. The girls and their family were instant buzz, and therefore newsworthy. They ended up on Good Morning America shortly after their post. Of coarse they got their puppy…BUT, they also had to stay connected and finish the story. If over 1 million people like something about you over night, and helped you…you owe them something…a follow up. The girls posted pictures when they got their puppy, and kept the world updated step by step. Remember, the goal for a business is to increase the number of people connected to your business so you can share more content. While not everything you post will be as touching or liked, it gets your name out there as a business with a positive outlook.