5 Simple Things to Help Your Content Go Viral

Have you ever had this scenario unfold? You’ve just created some amazing content, everyone that you’ve shown it to absolutely loves it and can’t wait to release it into the wild that is the web. You throw it on your micro-site, company website or blog and wait for the inevitable take off. After all the content is great and that’s all that matters right?

Wrong. Great content won’t mean much if you don’t cover the basics for activation and sharing.

Despite what you have been told, content is only king when it has been fertilized and nurtured. A farmer wouldn’t just throw seeds into the ground and just hope that they grow. Why would you do the same with your content?

1. Target a specific audience for activation. Not all content is the same. The content that will work on Digg will not necessarily thrive on Delicious. Why? Different audiences. Just like any medium you need to play to your base. Seeding effectively will be key here.

2. Build in sharing capabilities. Now make sure that those sharing capabilities adhere to both your audience AND work effectively. Cutting and pasting a url isn’t going to cut it anymore. People have built in sharing networks and audiences that you need to ensure you leverage. Nothing is worse than receiving a mess of code instead of a nicely formatted sharing option. Test before you deploy.

3. Bite-size content. Organization is vital here. Does the design of your micro-site or blog lend itself to becoming viral? Can you even find the share button? Is your content brisk, organized and lend itself to scanning or a quick pan? If you can’t get attention in the first 5 seconds once they hit your desired landing page, you need to redesign the experience.

4. Actively promote your content on multiple platforms. Integrated marketing works for a reason. Multiple points of attack allow for a broader audience and a better chance of success. You should always cross-pollinate your marketing efforts not just from a brand standpoint but from a content standpoint as well. Consistency=Success.

5. Check for the originality of content and utility. Great content usually has been thought up on some form or another in almost every genre. A variation or similar campaign might already be out there. Don’t get caught ripping something off. If you do. The Internet will hurt you.

All the things above take only a commitment of time, testing and thought. If you start doing these on a regular basis this will become like second nature to you. (I have this as a sticky note in My Documents.)

Can you think of any other simple things to check before releasing your content?

This isn’t written for the social media savvy as much as it is written for a creative at an agency. (Who I think should have a completely symbiotic relationship with a developer anyway.)

Photo Credit: Bud_caddell

tagged as content creation, content marketing, content stickiness, sharing viral content, social media answers, social media content, viral content, viral content creation