WHY GOING VIRAL ISN'T A GOOD MARKETING STRATEGY
Everyone these days is obsessed with going viral, and I get it - it means more eyes are across your content, which is surely a good thing right? Well, not always. Going viral comes with risks and challenges that you need to carefully consider. Here is why going viral on social media isn’t necessarily a good marketing strategy when promoting your business.
Sipping coffee at Nazaré, Portugal
So? A quick story time - a few years ago I went viral on Tik Tok and because of it I gained a load of followers, my engagement spiked, and I got a thoroughly enjoyable dopamine hit. But did it actually help my business? Not really. The video I posted was of the record breaking surf in Nazare, Portugal - home of one of the biggest waves in the world. I was travelling Portugal in my van at the time, and had heard the swell was coming so I raced the van over to the little town to catch all the action. The waves were over 80ft and big wave surfers were charging them - it was a once in a lifetime experience that not many people can say they will witness. So naturally I posted a video about it. And it took offffff. It’s now sitting at nearly 13 million views, and nearly at half a million engagements.
You’d think that would be great, but are those likes, comments and follows from people who I actually want to engage with my content? Probably not. They were not necessarily my target audience and their attention span was super short - it has been hard to sustain the momentum and convert the exposure from that one viral video into long-term customer engagement or sales. Essentially - people had an interest in this really cool phenomenon that I posted, but not my everyday content.
I think it’s important to also note that once content goes viral, it can be difficult for you - whether it’s your personal brand or a businesses brand - to control the narrative or how it's perceived by the audience. And negative comments or misinterpretations can really damage brand reputation!
It’s so easy to want to jump on social media trends and create content that doesn’t necessarily resonate with your audience, but in the long run your leads will suffer. Creating content for your social media audience should be about quality not quantity. You should be providing your audience value, so that they stick around and engage with your account.
If you are marketing your business, take the pressure off yourself and stop pressurising the content to ‘go viral’. Instead think about who you want it to reach, and create for them. Ask yourself before you post, will this help that person or entertain them?