Ever wondered why some things become popular, and other don't? Why some products become hits while others flop? Why some ideas take off while others languish? What are the key ideas behind viral marketing? This course explains how things catch on and helps you apply these ideas to be more effective at marketing your ideas, brands, or products. You'll learn how to make ideas stick, how to increase your influence, how to generate more word of mouth, and how to use the power of social networks to spread information and influence. Drawing on principles from his best-selling book, "Contagious: Why Things Catch On," Professor Jonah Berger illustrates successful strategies for you to use buzz to create virality so that your campaigns become more shareable on social media and elsewhere. By the end of this course, you'll have a better understanding of how to craft contagious content, build stickier messages, and get any product, idea, or behavior to catch on.
Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content
Instructor: Jonah Berger
311,820 already enrolled
Included with
(5,220 reviews)
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
Add to your LinkedIn profile
4 assignments
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV
Share it on social media and in your performance review
There are 4 modules in this course
In this module, you'll start to learn what makes products, ideas, and behaviors contagious; in other words, why they catch on. You'll explore the science behind why some things become popular while others fail. You'll also discover the key principles, or six SUCCESs” factors that make messages stick. Finally, you'll learn how to make any idea more memorable, whether it’s a pitch to your boss or a lesson you want students to remember.
What's included
8 videos1 assignment
In this module, you'll examine how social influence shapes everything people do: from the products we buy and candidates we vote for to the food we like and careers we pursue. You’ll learn how people use others to help them make choices and how companies leverage this power to shape the products and services we use. You'll discover when people are more likely to conform or do the same thing as others, and when they are more likely to diverge or do something different. At the end of this module, you'll understand how to avoid being influenced by others and how to use influence to make yourself more successful.
What's included
5 videos1 assignment
This module will teach you about the power of word of mouth. You’ll learn why word of mouth, or person to person communication, is 10 times as effective as traditional advertising. Further, you’ll discover why some products or ideas get talked about more than others. Why some online content goes viral or some things get more buzz. You’ll learn the six key STEPPS that drive people to share, and how by understanding those drivers, you can make anything more contagious.
What's included
8 videos1 assignment
In this module, you'll learn what social networks are, and how they shape the spread of information and influence. How the patterns of social ties between people determine what we do, and what catches on. How people we’ve never even met can influence our tastes and preferences. You’ll learn about how strong and weak ties help get people jobs, and whether to concentrate or spread out marketing resources when launching a new product. By the end of this module, you'll not only be able to analyze the success of popular products, ideas, and services, but also apply these insights to make your own stuff more likely to catch on.
What's included
6 videos1 assignment
Instructor
Offered by
Recommended if you're interested in Marketing
Northwestern University
University of California, Irvine
University of Michigan
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Learner reviews
Showing 3 of 5220
5,220 reviews
- 5 stars
80.15%
- 4 stars
16.37%
- 3 stars
2.75%
- 2 stars
0.44%
- 1 star
0.26%
New to Marketing? Start here.
Open new doors with Coursera Plus
Unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Advance your career with an online degree
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy
Frequently asked questions
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
You will be eligible for a full refund until two weeks after your payment date, or (for courses that have just launched) until two weeks after the first session of the course begins, whichever is later. You cannot receive a refund once you’ve earned a Course Certificate, even if you complete the course within the two-week refund period. See our full refund policy.