Going viral on social media is every online creator and marketer's dream. While social media virality is a tangible achievement for anyone, most people won’t reach success overnight—in fact, you’ll likely have to work pretty hard for a chance at virality. Viral marketing is often a game of luck—posting the right content at the right time, on the right platforms. While going viral on social media shouldn't be your number one goal, there are a few things you can do to improve your account's chances of success.
How to Improve Your Chances for Social Media Virality
- Prioritize Quality Content
Posting more on your social media can be a great way to improve your engagement, but if you’re not careful, you could seriously damage your reputation. If you post content five times a day that doesn’t offer anything for your target audience, you will lose attention spans or, worse, your followers. Prioritizing quality content over quantity will keep your followers engaged and build those online connections. Remember: you must add value to your content to give your target audience a reason to follow and connect with your brand. Otherwise, why should they follow you in a vast sea of content? Providing quality content will help your brand stand out against the competition.
- Focus on Community Engagement
Think of the brands that have gone viral on social media—what did most of them have in common? Hint: it’s community engagement. Brands like Duolingo continue to go viral not just because of their witty, sarcastic comebacks but because they regularly interact with their followers. Cultivating your online community will build stronger connections with your audience. Viral brands don’t just post and log off; they stay in the comments section and continue to engage with their audience. Plus, viral brands tend to comment on other accounts’ posts, not just their own. By focusing on community engagement, you’ll strengthen your follower loyalty and interactions with your account, thus increasing your likelihood of being the next brand to go viral.
- Assess Your Social Media Strategy
If you prioritize creating quality content and building your online presence but are still struggling to grow on social media, you may just need to give yourself some extra time to find your audience (have some patience, please), or you need to reassess your social media strategy. Building a dedicated following on social media takes time and patience, but if you’ve been at it for a while with minimal results, then it’s time to take a look at what’s working and what’s not and strategize a new path forward. Or, if your strategy was providing results but engagement has since slowed, that’s a good indication it’s time to update your approach. If you need guidance on social media strategy and creation or help managing your socials, our team is here to help!
- Post During Optimal Hours
Do you have that one post that oddly did really well, but you can’t figure out how or why the algorithm seemed to favor this post? The answer might be in the post’s timestamp. The time you post on social media can greatly affect how many users will see your post, or if they even see it at all. Optimal posting times will vary depending on your industry, location, target audience, and platform. But generally, posting when the majority of your followers are asleep or at work isn’t doing anything for your engagement strategy. Analyze your social media metrics at different time periods and research your niche’s best posting times to determine when to post for better results.
- Utilize Platform Features
When a social media platform has certain features available for users, just remember they are there for a reason. Take some time to explore all the features available to you on your chosen platform—especially those new ones—and restructure your strategy to include these tools. Platforms also tend to prioritize the first users to post using their newer features in the algorithm, so always stay up to date with the latest tools and play around with them to maximize your chances at virality. Each platform is also unique, so tailoring your content to every platform you use according to its unique features will help boost your engagement and increase your chances of social media success.
- Analyze The Competition
Sometimes, the solution to your goals has already been answered by your competitors. If your competitors have had viral or high-performing content recently, it’s worth checking out why their posts did well. Find out what made their content successful and determine how you can use this knowledge to improve your own engagement. Now, that doesn’t mean copying and pasting their strategy, nor does it guarantee virality for your brand, but it is a good place to start gathering ideas and identifying what makes content successful. Algorithms are always shifting, so analyzing what posts are performing well on a platform can help reveal the best path forward for your brand.
- Shift Your Social Media Goals
While social media virality can happen to anyone, there is no formula for achieving success. No algorithm hacking or content strategy can guarantee virality on social media. If your only goal is to go viral online, you’re probably hindering your chances with unrealistic goals and ideas. Viral content isn’t the only measure of success and performance, and you shouldn’t feel bad if your accounts have slow but steady growth—in fact, this is the best way to widen your reach and engagement. By focusing on small but measurable growth, you’ll be better positioned to have a lasting impact online rather than just a fleeting viral post. Play the long game when building your social media presence and celebrate the small wins; your hard work will pay off.
Go Beyond The Social With BlueTickSocial
BlueTickSocial is a woman-owned and women-led digital marketing agency. We focus on building your digital presence to generate sales, increase engagement, create brand awareness, and take your company goals to the next level.
If your team needs help with digital marketing, the first step to your success starts here! Contact us today, and watch your business grow tomorrow!
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