You Don’t Have to Go Viral to Grow Your Business… Here’s What to Do Instead
Having been in the digital marketing industry for over twenty years, I’ve noticed how the culture of social media changes. With these cultural changes come new requests from clients. In the last couple of years, with the popularity of short-form content, the big question has been, “How can I go viral?”
And it’s a fair question. As online businesses, we often think of going viral as the ultimate goal for building an online presence.
After all, who wouldn’t want their content to explode in popularity overnight, reaching millions of potential customers?
But the truth is that going viral isn’t a sustainable strategy for most online businesses. Chasing viral moments can lead to inconsistency and burnout, putting your growth strategy at the mercy of unpredictable algorithms.
The good news? You don’t have to go viral to grow your business successfully. Want to know what to do instead? Let’s get into it.
Content Overview
– Mythbusting Virality
– Consistent, High-Quality Content
– Leverage Niche Communities
– Social Media SEO
– Drive Engagement
– Know What Belongs Where
– Develop Your Social Media Strategy
Mythbusting Virality
As a digital marketing professional, I aim never to make my clients go viral.
It’s not because I don’t think it can be good, but because I’ve seen virality have some drawbacks.
- You attract the wrong audience.
Suppose your viral moment wasn’t directly related to your brand, business, or offers. In that case, the people in this new audience are probably outside your ideal client avatar… which means all these new views and followers will never convert to sales.
- The results are unpredictable.
Even if you happen to go viral, there’s no guarantee that anything you ever put onto your social media after that moment will perform nearly as well regarding views.
- Vanity metrics do not equal sales.
Having a lot of views, comments, or followers on a social media post does not mean those will convert to sales. At the same time, your posts with the smallest interactions could potentially be your highest sales post ever.
At the end of the day, I tell all of my clients to focus on marketing strategy over virality.
FREE RESOURCE: Ideal Customer Avatar Worksheet
Consistent, High-Quality Content
Consistency is one of the most powerful tools in your marketing toolbox. Delivering high-quality content regularly builds trust with your audience, showing them you’re reliable and knowledgeable.
Viral moments come and go, but consistent content keeps people engaged and returning for more.
Action Tip: Develop a content calendar and stick to it. Whether it’s blog posts, videos, or social media updates, create a schedule that delivers consistent value to your audience and will nurture them at the top of your funnel.
Leverage Niche Communities
Instead of trying to attract everyone, you should use social media to find the community in which your ideal client avatar hangs out online. Popular ones on TikTok include “BookTok” and “CleanTok.”
Being active in the right communities or platforms can help you build stronger relationships and deeper trust, ultimately leading to greater loyalty and repeat business.
Action Tip: Join specialized online communities, such as industry-specific forums, Facebook groups, or LinkedIn discussions. Engage with members by offering helpful insights rather than promotional pitches.
Social Media SEO
Did you realize that search engines can optimize your social media posts for better performance? Optimizing your posts for social media SEO (with hashtags, keywords, and engagement rates) can help your content reach a targeted audience without needing to go viral.
Action Tip: Use relevant keywords and hashtags for your audience and content, but avoid spamming. Look at what your audience is searching for and engaging with, then tailor your content to meet those needs. This will increase visibility over time.
FREE RESOURCE: Small Business SEO Checklist
Drive Engagement
Building a strong, engaged audience means creating content that sparks interaction—comments, shares, likes, and discussions. Engaged followers are more likely to become paying customers, and their loyalty will fuel long-term business growth.
Action Tip: Ask questions in your posts, encourage feedback, and create polls or interactive content that engages your audience. Reply to comments and messages to foster community and deepen the connection with your followers.
Know What Belongs Where
Each platform you use has strengths, audience, and best practices. Even within each platform, each type of media has its optimal uses (for example, you use Instagram stories differently from static posts, and reels are different from carousels).
It is important to tailor your content to fit the platform where it will be posted. What works on Instagram might not work on LinkedIn, and vice versa. Knowing where to invest your time and resources is key to effective marketing.
Action Tip: Understand the purpose and audience of each platform you’re using. For example, Instagram might be great for visual storytelling, while LinkedIn is better for sharing in-depth industry insights. Adjust your strategy accordingly for each channel to maximize engagement and growth.
Develop Your Social Media Strategy
As we all know, social media algorithms can feel like the Wild West and even more intimidating if your only goal is to get in front of as many people as possible.
Instead, focusing on a social media marketing strategy founded on working with the algorithms and understanding sales psychology is a much more sustainable and effective way to grow an online business with social media.
Even with all the action tips above, you may be thinking now that you don’t have the time or the social media experience to DIY your social media strategy… in which case, I have some great news.
You don’t have to do it alone.
Suppose you’re ready to improve your social media strategy, especially with the upcoming holidays. In that case, my agency accepts new clients for social media strategy and management. You can schedule a free consultation call with me to discuss your business goals and the next steps as we work together to achieve them.
FREE RESOURCE: Making the Most of Social Media Workbook
Links for This Episode:
– Marketing Office Hours
– Discover Your Digital Marketing Success Path
– How to Use Our Digital Marketing Team
– Schedule a free call with Jennie today
Get in touch with Jennie:
-Free Consultation: https://jennielyon.com/chatwithjennie
-Website: jennielyon.com
-Social Media: @jennielyonmarketing
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