Why Going Viral Should Not Be Your Goal on Social Media

A few days ago, I read the tragic story of a couple who were so obsessed with ‘going viral’ on YouTube.

This story inspired me to write this post on why going viral should not be your goal on social media.

Some brands are of the mistaken opinion that the goal of social media is to have their content ‘go viral’.

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The thought of your content going viral on social media is cool, but that in itself is not the purpose of creating content.

So what should be your goal on social media? Before I answer that let’s clarify what going viral means.

What Does “Go Viral” Mean?

On social media, any piece of content, i.e. any picture, quote, article, speech, song, video clip, game or news item that is funny, informative, clever, shocking or so surprising that people pass it on to all their friends immediately is said to ‘go viral’.

So now you know what it is all about, it is easy to see why you would want your content to achieve it. But should that be your goal?

Several factors are involved in your content going viral most of which are out of your control.

It’s your audience that decides whether your content is going viral or not. And what content will be a hit or a miss is out of your control. It lies only with your audience.

Moreover going viral is not a valid, sustainable and replicable strategy.

Most viral contents die off almost as fast as they rise. Think of Pokemon Go, it was a viral success, but today the craze for it has died down.

But the truth is that the majority of your content will never go viral. So if that’s your goal, then you’re going to be very miserable.

What Should Be Your Goal for Social Media?

The purpose of creating content on social media is to drive the conversation around your brand. Your goal is to get a good ROI on building that piece of material.

Focus on producing content that is entertaining, informative, educative and shareable. Learn to create content with consistency.

Instead of focusing on it, focus on producing excellent content, i.e. content that will resonate with your target audience.

Use your content to showcase your ability, to help grow a community around your brand. And use your content to give your brand a human face and persona of its own.

If your content is original, insightful and helpful and you’re fortunate enough to have it go viral, that’s fine! If not, that’s fine too. Keep on creating quality content with consistency.

Conclusion

So don’t let your case be like that of the couple mentioned above.

There is no need to risk your life or empty your bank account for the sake of creating great content. Do the best you can with what you have, where you are.