Let’s all be completely honest with ourselves – the whole reason companies want to be on social media is so they can go viral. But you don’t just MAKE things go viral – despite how much a simple Google search says otherwise.
However, I’m here to tell you that creating something that is viral is not the ultimate goal of social media. Think about all the viral things that you’ve become addicted to. Maybe you’re old school and remember the “Leave Britney Alone” guy (Chris Crocker), or you remember the remix of Antoine Dodson’s “Hide yo’ wife, hide yo’ kids“. Maybe you remember the more recent viral sensations like Chewbacca Mom or Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen(PPAP). Either way, I want you to think about the people involved, and think about where they are now. If you noticed, they all off your radar now, and you’re thinking about the new latest news and gossip.
I’m not saying that becoming viral isn’t great. It’s amazing! All of the people that I listed reaped great benefits from going viral, and gained major publicity. However, if you’re a company, you don’t want to be thought of as just a blip on the social media scape. You want to create a constant buzz for your business among your social media tribe, building momentum until you find that one moment that people really jump on. For example, Oreo have a solid social media strategy, but during the Super Bowl in 2013, they hit the jackpot with this moment after the power went out.
Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC
— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013
This moment was genius, and the public loved it. But as that case study shows, it’s not really a viral sensation because the campaign building up to the Super Bowl went on for weeks, leading up to one of the biggest television events of the year. This is the kind of “viral” that companies want to encounter, because it is essentially a well timed marketing campaign doing exactly what every marketer dreams.
So how do we create these moments of marketing triumph? It’s a lot of work, but it comes down to these three steps:
- Be steady and constant with your content. You need to make sure that you have eyes on you from your tribe of social media followers, and make sure they’re engaged enough to share your really good moments.
- Timing, Timing, Timing. Know where your audience lives, take advantage of analytics and get to know when your tribe is online. Once you know when they’re online, post then.
- Make them feel something. Viral videos always trigger a strong emotion. People love to laugh, love to feel inspired, and yes, even love to cry at times. Once you know your audience, you’ll know which emotion you should be working with, and keep making them feel that.
I can’t guarantee that you’ll go viral, but I can make sure that your audience feels engaged! Are you ready to create a strong social media following? Contact me and let’s get to work!