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Unpopular opinion: That big viral ad campaign we all chased last quarter was a total waste
I run a small marketing shop here in Portland, and last month I convinced a client to dump $15,000 into a quick viral video push. Everyone in the forum says you gotta go big or go home, but that week was the worst I've had. The video got 2 million views but zero leads, just a bunch of memes about our logo. Meanwhile, I ran a simple $500 email sequence to a list of 300 past customers and it pulled in six solid contracts. The week felt like a circus - we spent all our time tweaking hashtags while our real audience sat ignored. Am I wrong for thinking viral marketing is mostly a vanity play for small businesses? Has anyone else seen a high-view campaign totally flop on actual sales?
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gavin2281mo ago
Hold up though @aaron740, 2 million views for 15k is solid reach. You can't just write that off because it didn't turn into leads overnight. Viral campaigns plant seeds for brand recognition that pay off months later when those meme viewers actually need your service. Email lists are great for quick wins but they shrink over time. A big audience that knows your logo is worth something even if they aren't buying right this second.
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aaron7401mo ago
That week felt like a circus" is exactly right. You spent all that time on hashtags and chasing views while the real money was sitting in your inbox. But here's my real question - when you pitched that viral campaign to the client, did they push for it or was that your idea in the first place? Because I see a lot of small agency owners convincing themselves that big flashy numbers equal success, then blaming the platform when it flops. Was there a specific metric or success story they showed you that made you think this would work better than the email list?
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