Creating Viral Content
We get asked how to make something go viral on social media All. The. Time. We wish there was a recipe for immediate success, but it’s not that simple. Lots of content that goes viral isn’t quality, and vice versa, much of the quality content that’s produced will never get the airplay that it deserves simply because it was posted at the wrong time.
Below, we’ve shared our best practices to make your content thrive digitally.
Play with emotions.
Start with emotional, brand-authentic content. Emotional doesn’t just mean making someone reach for the Kleenex box, but could also mean joy, surprise, and lust.
Stories that evoke either a positive or negative emotional reaction are shared more than content without emotional ties, and always, positivity outperforms negativity.
Short + sweet.
Social media posts should be bite-sized. Four sentences written copy and 45 second-video snippets - max. Social posts can drive traffic back to a website where a full story (long form content) lives permanently.
Use a damn #hashtag.
Hashtags are known to increase viewership, followers and engagement. By correctly using a popular hashtag or creating your own unique hashtag, you can grow your audience, make your brand a part of a trending conversation, and boost your revenue.
In the example we’ve provided, you’ll see that in a single Agave Social Instagram post, of 1,354 overall impressions, 1,247 of these were from hashtags. 92% of the people that engaged with the post found it via the hashtags.
Use their newest methods.
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram want content to go viral on their sites, and they will support your posts by showing it to a wider audience if you use their newest tools (hint: when you do an Instagram Live Video, your following gets a notification).
Make it practical and useful.
People want to share information that’s informative and helpful to their friends and families.
Use a strong call to action.
Make a clear call to action at the end of your post: “We’re raising money to save Gerald from County Animal Shelter. Please consider donating to his medical relief fund (insert link bit.lyXXX) and share this post to your following.” Show your readers exactly how to use the content you gave them. What happens next? They’ll post it, and you’ll get results.
Don’t be afraid to spend a little $.
Yes, you’ll have to spend money on your post to reach a wider audience, but it doesn’t have to be a lot of money. Using correct targeting methods and even just $25 to boost a post, will significantly increase the number of people that will see and hopefully engage with your post.
Use basic analytics to your advantage.
It’s important to understand some simple insights into your followers. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter share the days/times that most of your followers are online. Posting during these hours is a simple way to get your content in front of the most of your followers.
View the screenshots provided to better understand why we at Agave Social post on our Instagram most often on Friday and Saturday afternoons.
Think small, to gain a large impact.
Lastly, use any grassroots methods you can think of: re-share the post on your personal social channels, ask friends or relatives to share, comment and like (do this sparingly for the sake of your relationships!), and get your community involved by tagging partners and sponsors and asking them to share the content. When asking others to share on your behalf, make it extremely easy for them. Send brand-specific copy that they can choose to use in their social post, and remember to include the #hashtag within the copy.
This may seem overwhelming, and for most, it’s more time and energy than they’d like to spend on their social media strategy. In reality, these tips are a drop in the bucket when it comes to creating a successful social medial strategy for small businesses. We are here to help answer questions, give general guidance, and to even create your company’s marketing strategy at any time!