Why Going Viral Doesn’t Guarantee Social Media Success
Thursday 17th October 2024
by Beth Perrin
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As social media marketers, we all dream of creating that one post, video or comment that blows up online and rapidly gets shared by millions. However, while this might sound like a positive outcome in theory, it’s not the most realistic or effective goal for growing your business. A viral piece of content may get seen by lots of eyes and temporarily increase brand awareness, but what really matters is building a genuine connection with your audience and slowly nurturing authentic relationships with your customers - and this is something that takes time, trust and continued dedication.
If you’re solely focused on getting as many views or shares as possible, it means you’ve forgotten about creating value for your desired audience, and that you’ve turned your social media presence into a one-way broadcasting platform instead of an open space for conversation and community. Your followers will sense this, and may be deterred from sticking around when what they’re really looking for is meaningful connection with your brand.
What’s Your Social Media Goal?
Instead of focusing too much on virality, first and foremost you need to work out what your brand’s main social media goal is. Once you’ve decided what you want your content and ads to achieve, you can set realistic and attainable targets for your campaigns and make sure they’re delivering the right message to your audience. Some examples of social media objectives are:
• To gain followers
• To encourage clicks through to your website
• To make direct sales
• To drive newsletter sign ups
• To provide great customer service
• To entertain
Your goals can vary per platform and may change for each campaign, but it’s important to outline them carefully before creating any content and keep them in mind throughout the creation process and all subsequent interactions.
Drawbacks of Going Viral on Social Media
Viral posts lack a targeted audience
While viral content can of course reach millions of people across the internet, this wide reach can often attract a broad and diverse audience that might not have a genuine interest in your products or services. The new followers you gain from a viral post may be low in quality and misaligned with your brand message, and once the buzz of your post has died down, these followers may not engage with your brand again, meaning they aren’t likely to become paying customers. Think of it this way: If you throw a large net into the sea, you’ll likely catch fish of all sizes and species - and while this may seem like a positive outcome at first, many of those fish won’t be the ones you were hoping for.
In addition to this, many creators find that once their initial wave of virality has subsided, they notice a decline in their audience size as newcomers often decide to unfollow once they realise that the viral post was a one-off.
Pressure to replicate the success of a viral post
The aftermath of a viral post can be overwhelming. You may feel compelled to replicate its success and maintain your newfound popularity, which might cause you to churn out rushed, repetitive or low value content, and can lead to unwanted stress and pressure for your marketing team. Just as quickly as you rose to fame, you may find yourself struggling to upkeep the momentum generated during your viral moment - and your audience’s attention span may run out as they swiftly move on to the next big thing.
Unrealistic expectations for future content
Similarly, viral content can lead to unrealistic expectations for your future content, and you may find yourself disappointed with the lower levels of engagement your next few posts achieve. Again, this can cause stress for your marketing team, and can impact the way you look at your subsequent results.
Possible overexposure
Going viral can lead to a sudden influx of attention that your team wasn’t prepared to handle, making Community Management a challenge. Your notifications and inboxes may suddenly overflow with comments and messages, and your team might become overwhelmed with the amount of responses they need to send. Important customer service requests may get buried under the mountain of comments on your viral post, resulting in customer dissatisfaction and disappointment.
What to Focus on Instead of Going Viral
Create memorable content
As outlined above, viral content may bring a temporary boost in engagement, but its fleeting nature means users won’t necessarily stick around and become long-term followers of your brand - especially if the content is based on a short lived trend that will eventually pass. Instead, you should aim to create memorable, long-lasting content that will stay in the minds of your readers or viewers even once they’ve clicked away.
Memorable content can include UGC (user generated content), which 79% of consumers say highly impacts their purchasing decisions, as well as educational and informative content, such as infographics and visual fact sheets - these can boost a reader’s attention span and comprehensibility by as much as 82%. Eye-catching visuals, high quality videos and articles made with LinkedIn’s article publishing feature or the long-form post tool on X can also go a long way in making your content stick in people’s minds.
Invest in paid advertising
Another effective way to boost your social media results without relying on a viral piece of content is to invest in a paid advertising campaign. While an organic (unpaid) approach may be sufficient for larger brands that already have a well-established presence online and offline, some businesses may prefer to combine organic content with a paid advertising strategy in order to stand out from the crowd and reach their goals.
High-quality customer service
The power of excellent customer service can never be overstated - and a viral post means nothing if you aren’t attentive to your customers’ and followers’ needs. Providing high quality support should be a priority for your business and is undoubtedly the best way to make your social media strategy a success.
Monitor your social inboxes around the clock to make sure you don’t miss any incoming comments and messages, or use a CRM platform like Sprout Social to bring all of your conversations together in one place. Respond promptly and ensure that all of your customer service reps are adequately trained to handle the different types of enquiries you might receive.
Provide personalised experiences
Offering personalisation is another excellent way to put your customers at the heart of your social media strategy. 84% of consumers agree that they’re more likely to buy from brands that treat them like a person, not a number - so it’s vital to tailor your interactions to their specific needs if you want to increase loyalty and nurture long term relationships.
In order to provide a personalised experience, use customers’ names when replying to their comments and messages, and always type out a new response instead of copying and pasting a templated answer. Make sure to check your previous messaging history with a customer before responding, especially when dealing with an ongoing conversation that another member of your team has handled prior to you. This will prevent the customer from having to repeat information they’ve already shared, which 75% of consumers say they find frustrating, and gives the impression that your brand doesn’t care about its customers on an individual level.
Summary
Today’s social media world may be obsessed with viral content, but it’s crucial for businesses to look beyond the temporary appeal of instant fame and consider the potential downsides. Going viral can lead to short-lived attention, an untargeted audience, brand image risks, unrealistic expectations and fluctuating engagement levels - none of which are particularly useful for your brand in the long run. Instead of chasing virality, make sure you focus on building a sustainable and loyal customer base, providing high quality products and services, and fostering gradual growth.
If you need a hand with Social Media Community Management, don’t forget we’re here to assist your business from 8am-10pm, 365 days a year. Get in touch with 3sixfive today to discover how we can level up your interactions and support your marketing campaigns.
