Two social media experts joined NECN to talk about the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS.

What makes a social media campaign go viral?

Wendy Pierce of Solomon McCown and Company aid she believes the Ice Bucket Challenge took off because it had authenticity that people thought they could connect with, it had a low barrier to entry, and it had the power of social media behind it.

David Gerzof Richard of Emerson College and Big Fish Communications added that not every social media campaign works well for every brand.

“We probably won’t see another Ice Bucket Challenge any time soon for other non-profits, but there’s a roadmap,” Richard said. “Any brand out there should sit back and take note of what happened with the Ice Bucket Challenge.

“If you go out there with something that’s really authentic and you reach out through powerful social media networks, people with big networks, people who have huge sets of followers whether it’s Facebook or Twitter, that’s how you get out there. You need to capture the attention of the people with the largest social networks,” she said.

Pierce and Richard also discussed how much money has been raised for ALS because of the challenge.