The Power of Going Viral Online: One Designer’s Quest to Make a Difference After the Boston Marathon Tragedy

When it was born, social media changed everything. Companies began using social media marketing to connect with customers on a new level; engaging and communicating in an entirely different way. All of a sudden, social media gave businesses – and individuals alike – on a small stage a big voice.

Enter viral marketing; often simple, yet creative ideas that spread like viruses (hence the name) online.

You’ve seen social media help ideas go viral everywhere, from the catchy tunes of Psy to a magical reunion to a creative wedding entrance to countless memes.

But what makes an image, a video, or an idea go viral?

In the case of Keith Keirstead, head of Keirstead Designs, an inspirational response to a tragedy was the perfect recipe for his graphic going viral.

Originally from just outside of Boston – Worcester, to be exact – Keith knew both runners and spectators at the 2013 Boston Marathon. After the tragedy he was compelled to create something; he’s a designer, afterall.

On Friday, April 19th – the day of the Boston lockdown and man hunt – Keith sat down, created this powerful image, and publicly posted it on Facebook:

Not long after sharing the graphic on Facebook, two of Keith’s friends – Erin and Sarah – reached out. The ladies, both friends of two of the wounded (Jeff Bauman and Michele Mahoney), were deeply touched. [Be sure to read the incredible story about Jeff and Michele here, and find links to donate to their recovery at the bottom of this post.]

Erin and Sarah suggested teaming up with Keith to use the graphic to print t-shirts up and sell them on Etsy, with all of the profits going to Jeff and Michele’s hospital and rehabilitation bills; Keith agreed immediately.

It’s a beautiful sentiment; but here’s where the real magic happens

Keith immediately noticed that many of his friends had started sharing his graphic on Friday night, but he had no idea just how much attention it would receive.

Late on Friday night, Keith left for a weekend at the lake, where he had very little cell service; but was able to glimpse the effect his graphic was having via text updates from friends.

By the time he returned home on Sunday night, Keith found his “Keep Running, Boston” graphic had received over 5,500 shares!

After asking Keith what he attributed this colossal number of shares to, he explained it boiled down to a few key factors:

Some fellow rockstars

Sarah and Erin really took the reins when it came to the t-shirt sales. Between these ladies and their passionate friends, you can almost feel the Boston community reaching out to help their neighbors, comrades, and fellow Americans amongst the shares this post received.

Timing

Keith attributes a lot of the “virality” (and if that’s not a proper word, I’m coining it right now) to timing. While it was never his intention to have it work out this way, Keith’s original post (published at approximately 5:00pm on Friday, April 19th) was in the midst of the citywide Boston man hunt/lockdown.

With hundreds of thousands of Bostonians online checking updates of the situation, it was ironic timing to have posted the graphic. According to Keith, as of approximately…

• 10:30 pm on Friday (the 19th) night, there were 459 shares
• 9:30 am on Saturday (the 20th) morning, there were 1,800 shares
• Sunday (the 21st) night, there were 5,500 shares
• Thursday (the 24th) – when this post was published – there were 6,155 shares

Can you force an idea to go viral?

It seems the answer is a resounding no.

As we’ve often seen, the most unsuspecting ideas end up going viral. All the pieces have the be there: an interesting idea that will appeal to the masses, the right audience that will be the catapult to launch your idea into their friend circles, and perfect timing.

You simply cannot force it. Even large companies who strive to create viral campaigns or ads wouldn’t be able to create the likes of the Old Spice man on a whim, even with tons of ad spend.

But wait, there’s more

Going viral is great; but there’s always a message. Whether it’s marketing or, in this case – the greater good – going viral is meant to do something…something more.

Going viral will help the victims

Remember how Keith’s graphic is being sold on Etsy to benefit the victims?

As of Wednesday, April 23rd, just 5 short days after the graphic was released, the team had sold over 280 t-shirts; resulting in over $3,000 in profits going to the victims. What’s more is this number is only continuing to grow. As of Thursday, April 25th at 8:30 pm, when this post was published, the team has successfully sold over 348 t-shirts!

Click here to order your “Keep Running, Boston” t-shirt now!

Going viral will help Keith professionally

While the donations and awareness for the victims are obviously the true breadwinners of this story, Keith shared that his professional connections increased substantially thanks to his post.

From freelance opportunities to business connections of all shapes and sizes to “Hey, are you related to this Keirstead?” Keith increased the size of his network in a big way thanks to his graphic going viral.

4 Important Takeaways About Going Viral

I want to – no, NEED to – share how incredibly important a story like this is; which is why I felt the need to talk to Keith about his experience. If you gather nothing else from this…take this away:

1. Timing is key

When it comes to viral marketing – whether it’s “marketing” or not – timing is everything. You can’t force a good viral piece whether you want to or not.

2. You can’t (always) control viral

More than timing alone, you simply can’t force something to go viral. It’s one of the few natural things left up to us as users of the Interwebs.

3. Choose your medium wisely

If you have a video, go with YouTube. But if you have an image, where do you go? For Keith, Instagram and Twitter got very little feedback, so Facebook was the clear winner.

4. Most importantly: People can still surprise you

People – and our communities – can surprise you with their outpouring of warmth, support, and love. It’s heartbreakingly fulfilling to see that; even in the face of tragedy and loss. And while it’s unsuspecting, viral ideas can help us remember that humanity is alive and well. Sometimes we just need that reminder.

Support “Keep Running, Boston”

Share the graphic on Facebook and continue increasing awareness by going here.

To support the cause, “Keep Running, Boston”, along with Michele Mahoney and Jeff Bauman, please go to the Etsy page and purchase a shirt today!

You can donate directly to Jeff here and Michele here. Or, to help all of the victims from this tragedy, donate here.