When I think about all of the monster catastrophes that so many brands have brought upon themselves by conducting social media marketing incorrectly, a few commonalities start to surface:
1. Lack of or false transparency
2. Failure to engage
3. Invasion strategy
You would think by now these folks would get it, but it seems like many brands are still floundering. What seems to be happening is someone, either on the brand team, or at an agency, or many times both, says "hey, this social media thing is really heating up, let's do something quick to get in there." And then a bunch of people with no experience in the space come up with a plan using their traditional media backgrounds to make a big impact in a short period of time. NNNNT (score board buzzer), wrong.
One key to success in viral marketing, like other forms of WOM marketing, is to gain access to key influencers within your target audience. Influencers are individuals or groups of individuals who are opinion leaders and trend setters who have the ear of a significant audience. 