In the social media space, it’s easy to become numbers driven. Small business owners especially know the euphoria that comes with a reel reaching a high number of views, getting comments hyping up your new product or seeing lots of saves and shares. There is also a fair share of times when posts don’t perform as well as you hoped.
Analytics help us know how our content is being received by our audience, and how we can adjust our strategies accordingly. However, they are not the be-all and end-all of successfully promoting your business online.
The Reality of Going Viral
After scrolling on your business account for just five minutes, chances are you’ll see a few marketing hacks telling you how to go viral – some even giving false promises like “if you do this hack, you’re guaranteed one million views!”. In such an unpredictable environment, it’s impossible to always foresee how a post will perform. As a result, these hacks are often unreliable and may not provide all the relevant information.
One thing they don’t share is that going viral isn’t as necessary as it seems. While getting lots of views and engagement can benefit campaigns like giveaways or spreading awareness for meaningful topics, it’s important to first consider the call to action for each post and whether going viral aligns with your goals.
Robust organic social media strategies focus on getting long lasting results, which ironically contradicts with going viral, as the benefits of going viral usually don’t last long. You also can’t predict how going viral will impact your business in the long run. While it might seem unnecessary to think about, sometimes just one video going viral can be life changing for small businesses. There’s always the risk of your content getting the wrong type of attention, and sometimes overwhelming positive feedback can take a toll as well.
Brisbane coffee shop Little Florence Coffee’s TikTok marketing has been on fire for the past while, particularly their Hailey Bieber inspired drink in 2022, with many users sharing their positive experiences with it in user generated content. Consequently, business has been booming for the small cafe, with lines going around the block! But because of their physical and staffing capacities, they were struggling to keep up with the sudden influx of customers. While this is a unique situation, it’s definitely important to think of the long term results of your content reaching such a large audience, and have an action plan in place for if something like this happens.
It’s impossible for the human brain to fully comprehend what millions of views actually looks like. While it almost feels normalised on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, the sheer scale of engagement can be overwhelming, making it difficult to grasp the number of individuals behind those views – each one a unique person with their own thoughts, reactions, and potential influence.
Change Your Perspective
Learning to view your audience as individuals with unique characteristics is an effective alternative to going viral, which can sometimes have even better results!
Also, instead of just focusing on the performance of individual posts, consider how all elements of your profile work together to achieve your desired results. Think of your social media profile as a digital shop, and your followers and audience are customers who walk into your shop. How would you like to greet them? What emotions do you want them to feel while they’re inside your shop? What actions would you like them to take before exiting?
Another thing to note is that even if your content reaches an exceptionally large audience, typically only a small portion of people will actually purchase from you. Conversion rates on Facebook and Instagram range from 1-2% and on LinkedIn they are slightly higher at 2-5%. So, focus on how you can make your followers feel like they can trust you, and turn them into loyal customers, as this will go much further than a viral TikTok.
Alternatives to Going Viral
So, you’ve figured out that going viral isn’t the end goal of your content marketing strategy. Then what should your goal be? Here are a few alternatives to going viral which you can aim for with your social media campaigns.
Nurture Relationships
Instead of broad reach, you could aim to build deeper connections with your current audience, focusing on relationship marketing and personalised content. If you’re a product based business, focus on selling the lifestyle behind your products. If you’re a service based business, treat your account like an extension of a personal account, highlighting your values and what makes you stand out from competitors.
People want to connect with you. It’s that simple. One of the best ways to build a relationship with your followers is by inspiring conversation in the comments of your posts or DMs. This not only increases engagement, but helps create loyalty, thus support for your business.
Next time you’re constructing a social media post, ask yourself how you can promote conversation in a way that feels genuine.
For tips on how to build client loyalty, read our blog article ‘Client Trust In The Digital Age: Transparency & Ethics In Digital Marketing’.
Build Brand Recognition
You don’t need to hit one million views to have a recognisable brand, consistent messaging and branding does this. When people repeatedly see the same logo, brand colours, tone, and values across different channels, it reinforces your brand in their minds. However, building brand recognition goes further than just this. Think of ways you can present your business like it’s a person. Then, find ways to consistently communicate your visual branding with your brand persona, so people can automatically know who you are when they see a new post.
Check in with your account to see if you’re effectively doing this, with our Digital Marketing Audit Workbook.
Establish a Niche Audience
You may have been told that you’re targeting everyone, so you’re not targeting anyone at all. While reaching the most amount of people possible may seem beneficial in theory, targeting a specific segment of people produces better results.
To profile your customer, look at the different types of audiences that you want to interact with your content, and break them up into categories based on demographics. From here, with each post you can cater to a different smaller audience that aligns closely with your business, fostering a more dedicated and relevant following.
For help on finding out who your target audience is, check out our Profiling Your Customer Workbook.
Increase Website Traffic
Your website is the hub of your business, typically having the most detail on what you sell and other vital information. You can also use social media as a tool to drive more people to visit your website, so it boosts traffic.
Website traffic can be generated by a range of content marketing strategies. The goal is to get people to visit your site, where they can engage with your blog, products or services, subscribe to your email list, and more.
However, similar to going viral, high website traffic alone doesn’t guarantee higher conversions. Think about how you can ensure your website is easy to navigate and makes people want to act.
For help with SEO, read our blog articles Search Engine Optimisation: 5 Easy Tips for On-Page SEO and Off-page SEO: 4 Ways to Improve Your Search Engine Ranking.
Lead Generation
Focus on creating content that encourages people to sign up for newsletters, download resources, or inquire about services, helping you generate potential customers.
Ready to get Results on Social Media?
Generating results in social media marketing involves three key stages: awareness, consideration, and decision. In the awareness stage, social media can be used to share engaging content, such as informative posts, videos, and infographics, to capture the attention of potential leads and introduce them to your brand. During the consideration stage, you can provide deeper insights through targeted posts. In the decision stage, social media can facilitate direct engagement through personalised messages, special promotions, or limited-time offers, encouraging leads to take action and convert into customers.
For help on different ways to use social media to generate leads, sign up to our monthly e-newsletter.
