Going Viral is Overrated.
Going viral should not be your social media marketing goal. There, I said it.
Everyone wants to go viral. So you go viral, then what? You see a temporary spike in sales. Some companies in the past have based their inventory numbers on their sales from virality, then they had to make a massive sale because their virality was not actuality. Or they gain all these followers who soon become ghost followers. Suppose you have thousands of followers and barely engage 100 of those followers per post. What's the sizeable following worth if they don't care about your content?
Focusing solely on going viral can be tempting, I get it, but it's not a sustainable or effective long-term strategy for social media marketing. Instead, aiming for an active community offers many more advantages:
1. Sustainability.
With the human attention span decreasing, viral moments are not even 15 minutes of fame anymore. A smaller but engaged community provides you with consistent, long term support and interaction, which is far more beneficial for your ongoing brand growth.
2. Brand Loyalty.
An engaged community fosters brand loyalty. Interacting with your audience frequently can builds trust and a deeper emotional connection, leading to repeat customers and advocates who promote your brand organically.
3. Genuine Engagement.
Viral content can attract a lot of attention, but not all of it may be from your target audience or for the reason you set out. Creating content for you target audience rather than the greater population will attract followers genuinely interested and supportive of your brand and more likely to engage meaningfully with your content.
4. Valuable Feedback.
A loyal and engaged community can provide insights and feedback beyond what the platform can give you. This helps you understand your audience's needs, and pain points. Giving you the ability to refine your products, services, and marketing strategies.
5. Quality Over Quantity.
While viral content generates lots of views, likes, and visibility. A carefully built and curated community will gravitate towards more quality interactions like stories, comments, discussions, etc.
These interactions often have a greater impact on brand perception and loyalty. You lose sight of your identity by targeting your content for virality over the community.
6. Algorithm Favorability.
Social media algorithms often prioritize content that generates meaningful engagement (likes, comments, shares) over sheer view counts. Building a community can help your content perform better in algorithms, increasing organic reach.
7. Control and Consistency.
Viral success is unpredictable and hard to replicate. You'll fail trying and unegage the valuable loyal followers you've acquired. Building a community allows for more control over your brand's messaging and ensures consistent engagement, regardless of trends or viral moments. The best strategy is consistent, quality content.
8. Long-Term ROI.
Investing in community building will offer a better return on investment in the long run everytime. While viral content can create quick wins, it is unreliable. An engaged, loyal community contributes to your steady growth in brand equity, sales, and customer retention.
9. Authentic Brand Image.
An engaged community promotes authenticity. Brands that focus on building relationships rather than chasing virality are often perceived as more trustworthy and relatable, enhancing their overall brand image.
Conclusion
While "going viral" is romanticized in the social media market realm, it is not the recipe for good social media strategy. Strategizing for virality and not community is how you lose focus on your brand's mission. Creating and fostering a consistent and engaged community online will always be more effective. This is more sustainable, authentic, and genuine, and can provide valuable feedback and long-term ROI, and so much more. Remember, quality over quantity works for content AND audience.
