The Power of Content Strategy: Factors That Make Content Go Viral

Do you want to create content that captures the attention of your target audience and goes viral? Then you’re in the right place. Creating viral content is a coveted achievement. It can significantly boost brand visibility, engagement, and conversion rates. However, achieving virality is not a stroke of luck; it’s the result of a well-thought-out content strategy. In this article, we will delve deep into the intricacies of content strategy and the factors that contribute to making content go viral.

Foundation of Viral Content: A Strategic Approach

The compass that governs your content creation activities is content strategy. It’s about more than just churning out articles, videos, or infographics; it’s a meticulous plan that aligns your content with your business objectives and audience needs. In a world where over 70% of marketers actively invest in content marketing, having a robust content strategy is non-negotiable.

Understanding Viral Content

Before diving into the factors that drive content to go viral, let’s clarify what we mean by “viral content.” Viral content is not just about getting many shares or likes; it’s about creating content that spreads rapidly and extensively across various online platforms, often beyond your immediate audience. Viral content generates buzz, sparks discussions, and compels consumers to share it with their social networks.

Now, let’s dissect the essential elements of a successful content strategy that can lead to viral content.

1. Audience-Centric Approach

To create viral content, brands must intimately understand their target audience. Brands should create detailed buyer personas that include demographics, pain points, interests, and online behavior. By doing so, they can adapt their content services to connect deeply with your audience’s needs and preferences. A business can only be successful if it knows the audience and the kind of content they want to see. And making audience-centric content is the most vital part because, at the end of the day, they are the ones making your content go viral.

2. Compelling and Unique Content

The digital realm is inundated with content, and the sheer volume of content to consume can be overwhelming for the masses. To make your content shine, it should be unique. It should offer unique insights, innovative solutions, and fascinating entertainment that make it stand out from the crowd. 

A study highlighted that articles featuring images every 75-100 words garnered an astonishing two-fold increase in social shares compared to those with fewer visuals. This emphasizes the power of visuals in drawing and retaining the customer’s attention. So, businesses striving to stand out in the digital noise must remember that engaging content development and strategically placed images can be their winning formula. It’s all about offering your audience something they can’t easily find elsewhere, and visuals play a key role in achieving that distinction.

3. Emotional Resonance

In the world of content, going viral is like hitting the jackpot, and emotions are your winning ticket. Laughter, awe, anger, or empathy—these emotional triggers are what make people click that share button. It’s the one thing that propels your content to the outer regions of the web. According to research published in the Journal of Marketing Research, information that evokes the emotions “awe”, “surprise”, or “anger” is 28% more likely to become viral.  So, when crafting the message, businesses shouldn’t just think about facts and figures; they should think about feelings.

Moreover, businesses should harness the power of storytelling to weave emotions seamlessly into their content strategy. They should share relatable anecdotes, paint vivid pictures, and create characters that their audience can connect with. It is important to ensure these emotions are not just random but relevant to their brand and message. When content strikes an emotional chord that aligns with the brand’s identity, it becomes memorable and shareable. Emotions are the primary catalyst behind viral content. 

4. Shareability and Accessibility

Content shareability is one of the pivotal factors in making your content go viral. People only share content they find meaningful and something that connects with them. Or something they think would connect with their friends and family as well. In this modern age, the attention span of people has decreased significantly. Moreover, mindless scrolling through different social media apps has become an addiction. People spend hours and hours on apps like TikTok and Instagram watching reels because short-form content has taken the digital world by storm. 

According to a study, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. Meanwhile, Instagram has 2 billion monthly users. That’s why it’s important to make engaging and meaningful content that is easy for users to share by integrating social sharing buttons, embedding tweetable quotes, and creating visually appealing graphics. Additionally, it is also critical to ensure that your content is available across multiple devices and applications.

5. Timing and Relevance

Timing is everything in the quest for content to go viral. Brands must stay vigilant, monitoring current events, trends, and pertinent holidays that can improve their content’s reach. So, they should always be up-to-date with what’s happening and align their message with the trends. It’s like catching a wave at just the right time – the impact can be tremendous, and your content can ride the wave of popularity to reach a broader audience. Timing, in essence, can make all the difference in content virality.

6. Influencer Collaboration

Leveraging influencers in your niche can catapult your content’s reach. Working with influencers who share your company’s values and vision might provide access to their loyal and enthusiastic fanbase. Influencers have built credibility and rapport with their followers, and when they vouch for your content, it carries weight. So, businesses shouldn’t underestimate the impact of influencer partnerships – they can amplify the brand’s message and help them connect with a broader and more engaged audience.

7. Authenticity and Transparency

In an era of skepticism, authenticity and openness are valued more than ever. Brands should be honest and upfront in their SEO content writing and not shy away from addressing potential concerns or criticisms. People appreciate openness, and they can spot a scam immediately. When you’re upfront about your brand’s values and actions, you not only foster trust but also create a devoted following that has faith in your purpose and mission.

8. Engagement and Interaction

To increase user engagement, companies can integrate interactive features like asking questions, running polls, or arranging competitions. This tactic motivates users to participate actively with the content and possibly circulate it among their social networks.

9. Data-Driven Iteration

It is important for brands to continuously assess the performance of their content by monitoring metrics such as shares, comments, and click-through rates. Moreover, they must use data-driven insights to improve their content strategy and their chances of creating viral content.

10. Consistency and Long-Term Commitment

Viral content doesn’t always happen overnight. It often requires a consistent and long-term commitment to producing a quality content strategy. Keep refining your strategy, learning from your successes and failures, and adapting to changes in your industry.

Suggested Reads: What is Content Marketing and Why Do Businesses Need it?

Revolutionizing Your Content Strategy

In conclusion, creating content that goes viral isn’t a mysterious process restricted to the lucky few. It’s a strategic endeavor that involves a deep understanding of your audience, the creation of exceptional content, emotional resonance, accessibility, timing, collaboration, authenticity, engagement, data-driven iteration, and a long-term commitment to excellence. That’s where Market Pro can help you. We create a content strategy for our clients that guides this process, ensuring that your efforts are purposeful and aligned with your business goals. We can elevate your brand’s online prominence by integrating these crucial components into your content strategy. Our proficient marketing team will produce content that not only connects with your intended audience but also has the capability to become contagious, providing your brand with the attention it requires to prosper in the virtual sphere.