Adam Marquardt
Thanks to pop culture, we all know that all it takes is one bite. One harmless little bite – or grisly mauling – and BOOM! You’re a zombie. Then, one bite later, another zombie. What does that have to do with your content marketing? Everything. You want your content to spread quickly; you want it to be mouthwateringly contagious. You want it to be viral.
Viral Content?
First off, what is viral? Is it defined by a certain amount of shares, views or likes? There is no hard and fast viral threshold number. Viral content is simply content that’s been shared over and over again. It’s "the thing" everyone is talking about.
Viral can also mean different things to different people.
We typically think of viral content as the stuff that’s gotten so big Anderson Cooper is talking about it. Think Grumpy Cat, Rickrolling, or the “Charlie bit my finger” kid on YouTube. It’s the stuff that everyone knows and is saying, “Did you see that?” Those things have been viewed millions of times. That’s one way of defining viral.
There’s also a more narrow way of defining viral - a way of considering your content viral because the people in and related to your industry and network have shared it over and over. That’s viral to – viral for your target market.
What Makes Content Go Viral?
The 42 million dollar question is this – What makes content go viral? Plenty claim to have the magic formula, but regrettably there isn’t one. We can, however, explore ways to help boost your blog post, video, or other content's chances of going viral by honing your content marketing plan to incorporate characteristics that will attract eyes.
Before we explore ways to boost your content’s chances of going viral, let’s first consider why someone would want to share it. Why do you share any news or information? Why share a blog post? To start a conversation? To share valuable information? Because it’s humorous?
If you build your content marketing plan around the reasons your target market shares, you're in a good starting position for going viral. Your strategy should include content that’s provocative, fresh, phrased correctly for your audience, visually appealing and inherently you.
1. Provocative Content
What do we mean by provocative? Not offensive or insulting, but content that elicits a response from the reader – content that is thought-provoking. Read a new piece of industry news that you think is all wrong? Write about it.
Emotion plays a huge role in determining how shareable your content is. Sharing once, twice, four times can lead to thousands if your argument strikes a chord with readers. Go on, strike that chord.
If you want people to care and react to your content, you must offer them something valuable. In a day and age where the web is saturated with millions of content pieces waiting to be seen and heard, make your content stand out by offering something that is truly valuable and moving.
2. Breaking News
Viral content is often new content, right? That means it’s up to you to stay informed and on top of your game. When news in your industry hits, write about it. Getting in front of the story with your take on things is an excellent way to be included in the global conversation. Being that in-the-know kind of guy or gal can have serious perks – like what you’ve had to say going viral. Go on, be that guy and get there first.
3. Be Sociable
Who wants to have a conversation with someone who talks but doesn’t respond when spoken to? That’s what is happening if you’re pumping out a bunch of information on the net but not following up on it. Powerful social media campaigns are a conversation, a global one. If you’re not out there replying to blog comments or responding on social media platforms, you’re doing it wrong. You increase your chances of your message spreading if you are social and participate in the conversations happening around your industry.
4. You’re Speaking the Wrong Language
Let’s face it, we all speak differently to different audiences. You likely speak a little more softly and sweetly to your 90-year-old grandmother than you do you best friend. With your best friend, you can cut up and let loose. You know your audience and you know how to speak to them. Do that.
5. The Eye is Oh So Important
Every good post should have a great visual. Why? First, it draws the reader to read it in the first place. Second, when you share on most platforms, a thumbnail image appears next to the link and blurb. A good graphic will draw other eyes to the your post among the mire of their endless news feed.
6. Be You
One thing the web is pretty good at – sniffing out a phony. Your content strategies should all represent your individual take on things. Don’t chirp and parrot something that’s already been said, say what you think. Don’t say something the way you think someone wants to hear it, say it in the way that only you can. You’re good at what you do, you know what you’re doing – share your thoughts. Really, just go out there and be you.
Your content marketing plan is a clearly defined map of where you want to go and how you will get there. To be successful, your content has to be attractive to readers – many, many readers. If it’s attractive enough, there will be plenty of eyes wanting to read it and plenty of hands just itching to click that lovely little share button.
Image Content: Eric Ingrum