Table of contents
• Factors that contribute to going viral
• Why going viral is crucial for brands & businesses
Introduction
Let’s examine viral marketing, for the success of any brand or business. Going viral doesn't mean a random spike in views or an algorithm favoring your content. It’s all about context and format that can take your brand or business to the next level.
Going viral is crucial for brands and businesses because it increases visibility and reach and builds brand awareness, resulting in increased revenue. Get ready to learn about viral marketing methods and explore the ways to amplify your reach.
Understanding going viral
Let's clear up some misconceptions about going viral. It's not just a random spike in views, and it's not the algorithm favoring your content. Most importantly, it's not just about the content itself. There are a lot of factors that contribute to going viral, such as context and format.
And let's not forget the audience – they are a key factor in making your content go viral. For example, a post garnering engagement from 150 accounts initially was able to generate 300k views in less than a month. It had been dormant for days, but a trending sound was used to make it happen. Audio cues play a big part in the social media user experience, and sounds that are funny are more likely to yield results. The key takeaway here is that context, format, and audience are the main ingredients in the recipe for going viral. And when you get it right, the results can be astounding.
Factors that contribute to going viral
Let's get this straight - going viral is not a matter of chance, luck or fate. It's a well-researched phenomenon that businesses and brands can leverage to expand their reach beyond their immediate audience.
Going viral involves producing content that resonates with your audience, in a format that they find appealing. Established audience, trending sounds, novelty factor and a humorous angle - these are the key factors that can contribute to a post going viral.
Example of a viral video incorporating the elements that lead to viral reach.
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Audio cues, for instance, play a crucial role in this process, augmenting the social media user experience with sounds that are catchy and leave an impression. Moreover, the content itself should be humorous, unique, and offer something different from the usual.
For instance, a funny anecdote with an unusual twist, or a novel approach to a common issue can help get the traffic you are seeking. While there is no guarantee that every post would turn viral, you can maximize your chances by incorporating the right elements in your content.
Case study
We're about to get into a pretty neat case study. The post we're highlighting was a test, reposting a TikTok video on Instagram on an alt account. It then went on from 0 to 300 000 views in less than a month, after being dormant days since the initial post. It took an already established audience of about 150 accounts liking and commenting to kickstart things. Over 800+ prior posts led to that.
As depicted in the screenshots, this is a before and after view of the like and comments count in the early stages of the post & its late stages going fully viral.
Racking in 7000 likes in the first 24 hours of the post being actively shared by user who discovered it.
The post now has accumulated almost 40 000 likes over the course of 30 days.
What was the key to going viral here? A trending sound was used to achieve this. Audio cues play a big part in the social media user experience – a sound that's funny is more likely to yield results. The video itself is a funny anecdote about chat GPT. Chat GPT trended during the hibernation period of the post, and right as the OpenAI hype hit its peak, things kicked into high gear. Additionally, the singular hashtag “unionize” taps into a common sentiment in response to AI’s controversial nature regarding loss of employment.
The post garnered an average of 1000 likes an hour, in its initial boost cycle, totaling nearly 40 000 likes and 100+ comments. It all happened because of the novelty factor combined with the unusual and funny nature of @sillyyerba (the subject in the video) using chat GPT to write a resignation letter.
Now that you've seen how it's done, it's time to leverage that traffic with a few key actionable steps. Let’s learn more about how to amplify your reach and maximize your social media presence and your relationship with your audience.
Why going viral is crucial for brand amplification & scaling businesses
Going viral is not just a fleeting trend on social media, it is a vital tool that can be leveraged, refined, and repeated. For brands and businesses to achieve increased visibility and reach, cost-effective marketing, building brand awareness, and ultimately, increased revenue, it must be well understood.
Four Key things need to be examined in the process of going viral.
1: Comments
The comments are going to make or break the conversion of the product or service you’re trying to sell. Always remember to interact with the new arrivals. Pin their comments on your video or make a direct follow up video to the individual who commented. Additionally, the comments themselves can have a reply chain or be liked themselves, effectively leaving a foot print of every single account that interacts with you up to that point.
An overview of the content strategy needed to cultivate retention.
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2: The Likes
When you go viral, you don’t only know how many people your post have reached, you also know who. When likes are rolling in take note of the so called “Low Friction Access Accounts (LFAA)”.
These are the people who are most likely to stick around and use the platform for more than a few hours a day. They comment often, share your content to their followers, tag other accounts who likely would be interested in the content they just watched and so on… If you noticed the same cluster of users liking your content consistently, take note. Reach out to them when appropriate, offer discount codes to them if you have a digital store. In short, reward their support.
3: The Sound Cue
If your content has its own original sound, you’re in a particularly privileged position. Currently, social media platforms can automatically aggregate & archive content other users have created using your sound cue. Musicians in particular stand to benefit the most from this because users are able to follow the originator of a track directly.
Furthermore, the increase of users interacting with your content that will cause a feedback loop. Organically growing your reach and your following by proximity simply by having someone with a bigger platform than you using your sound.
4: The Call To Action
Make it so easy to follow commands on your account that even a baby could do it. You don’t like to click, tap or swipe for what you want to see and be met with obstacles wasting your time. It is is a fact. Extend that same courtesy to your audience. Doesn’t matter if it’s a book, a ticket, a course, a RSVP or an application form, be clear.
Your caption, ideally within the first 4 words should point to where the audience needs to go. Your pinned comments should be accounts that either have had their requests from you fulfilled or, leaving their testimony.
Your profile needs to guide the viewer accordingly to a so called deep link in your bio. In short, a link that migrates the user from one app to the next in one click without having them doing the work to get there.
By understanding the factors that contribute to going viral and amplifying your reach with trending sounds, creating resonating content, partnering with influencers, and engaging with your audience, you can achieve organic growth and gain a loyal following. Going viral may not be the end-all-be-all, but it is a crucial step towards establishing your brand as a meaningful and recognizable presence on social media.
Ways to amplify your reach
Making the most of your reach comes down to two simple things. If your strategy is to build a following, interactivity and accessibility is key. Provide a mix of insights and entertainment.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to convert the 10% most dedicated audience members, get savvy with tools that let’s you track them. It could be Meta Business Suite, or Notion, as long you’re able to track specific details about your core userbase and reward their interest and patronage.
Here are some key points to keep in mind. First, use trending sounds and hashtags to help your content reach more people. Second, create content that resonates with your audience - if they like it, they'll share it! Third, partner with influencers to reach a wider audience. And finally, and most importantly, engage with your audience - respond to comments and messages to build a strong community around your brand.
Conclusion
Imagine your brand reaching millions instantly, and for free. That's the power of going viral. Don't miss out on increased visibility, brand awareness and revenue. Take action and learn how to amplify your reach today. Follow us on YouTube to learn more about topics like this.
Until next time!