Let’s Talk Social Media & “Going Viral”

OVERVIEW

Even if you’re not in social media marketing directly, I’m sure some iteration of the phrase, “Let’s just make it go viral!” has crossed your path at least once.?

For those of us in the industry, while the term elicits mixed reactions (anything tied to social media is a complex strategic endeavor after all), it’s a reminder that in today’s clickbait-heavy, meme-focused culture, there are a LOT of assumptions about what an “easy” marketing win looks like. Whether you’re leading the company, managing a social media colleague, or just curious about how social media marketing actually works, let’s talk about one of the biggest misconceptions of all: “going viral”.

WHY IT MATTERS

Social media is a funny behemoth. It’s no debate: if you were a part of the early days of MySpace or Facebook (when it was just for college kids), skipped the integration of social media into daily practices, or grew up TikToking your way through summer camp, social media has been and continues to be one of the most layered marketing tools for businesses.?

In the early stages of my career, I vividly remember having conversations around the importance of creating a Twitter profile for a company, or why Instagram was the future of marketing. If you’ve grown up on either side of the marketing industry as I have (pre vs intra-social era), you probably remember the seemingly-sudden shifts that came with the launches of new platforms (Hello, Twitter and YouTube), and the immediate impact marketers could create building those platforms.?

For a brief moment in time, social media was the universal marketing tool that created an opportunity to define a company's brand, spread their message, and develop a brand-aligned community. Especially before the paid campaign era, social media empowered small business owners and nonprofits to throw their hats in the ring with the larger corporations, feeling as though they could make their mark even if their team (and budget) was 1/100th the size.

The Common Oversimplification of Wanting to “Go Viral”

Today, many still search for that golden ticket, with the hopes of becoming an overnight influencer by “going viral”. There’s no doubt that having viral marketing can drastically improve your company’s brand awareness, follower count, or brand equity. But it’s not as easy as it looks, and the flip side to “making it” comes with some high costs to consider.?

Before asking your marketing team to “make us go viral”, it’s important to consider the following:

1. Why do you want to “go viral”? What is the goal you hope to accomplish?

As with the creation of any piece of content, trying to stay on trend just to go viral is a short-lived “success” strategy, and won’t necessarily get you the results you think it will. If this is something you’ve deemed a priority, make sure you and your team have clear alignment on purpose from the get-go to ensure reasonable expectations are set and preparations are in place (see #4).

2. Do you know your target audience? Would this align with them?

If you gained significantly more followers than usual in one day but none of them were interested in your product, would that growth really benefit your bottom line? Keep in mind the importance of intentional, steady growth that results from the strategic development and implementation of brand-aligned content that attracts your target consumer–it’s often far more valuable. (Never underestimate quality over quantity.)

3. What is the primary takeaway you want potential viewers to have from their experience with your content?

Don’t make content just to make content–that’s how you generate more work for minimal reward. How does it connect with your company’s goals and mission? Does it align with your values? Does it connect to what your company does? (Side note: following trends to increase engagement can be a beneficial strategy, yes – just make sure it still connects with your overarching goals at the end of the day. Trust that your marketing team will know how to walk this line, and when to stay away!)

4. Does your team have capacity to handle an influx of messages, comments, shares, and company tags? Is there a best practice in place for any “crisis communications” that could occur?

Should your content become viral, it will generate a LOT of engagement. Does your team have the capacity to handle it? Remember, when something goes viral, it also means that the original poster (you) may lose the integrity of the content as it circulates, so your team needs to be prepared to navigate any potential risks/unaligned perceptions from secondary user-generated content that may become associated with your company.

IN CONCLUSION

Let me tell you an industry secret.?

Instead of focusing on trying to “go viral” just by doing something trendy (and likely misaligned), make the development of your social media strategy the priority.?

Strong social strategy balances so many different pillars: consistency, data, authenticity, relatability, target client/customer problem solving, creativity, and innovation, for starters. It ties into your company’s high-level goals, and the marketing team’s concurrent goals.?

Social media is one of the prongs in your umbrella. While it serves as a critical extension of your company rain or shine, make sure it supports your whole mission whichever direction you decide to go.?

Additional Resources to Explore:

• Let’s Talk Brand Identity (Crisis) (Mindfull of Marketing Newsletter, August 2023)
• What is viral marketing (and does it work in 2023)? (Brent Barnhart via SproutSocial, February 2023)
• Viral Marketing: What It Is, How It Works, Examples, Pros & Cons (Julia Kagan via Investopedia, December 2022)

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