How often do you see viral posts on social media? There are quite a few, but you rarely find them all from the same source. The chances of you going viral the first time is already slim to none, let along doing it multiple times. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t create content with the intent on making it go viral. In fact, each piece of content you write should have that goal.
On Facebook, there are ways you can increase the chances of your posts spreading like wildfire. This level of exposure is desirable, not for the fame, but for the potential traffic and conversions it can bring. If you’re like most, you’re not sure what it takes to make this happen, so here’s a quick guide.
Really Research What Your Audience Wants
It’s not enough to guess – if you aren’t 100 percent sure of what your audience wants, then you won’t know what will attract them. Your posts need to entice them enough to want to click on and share them. BuzzSumo is a great resource for learning what content is going viral. Use this tool for competitive research and consumer insight.
Upload Your Content Directly to Facebook
The content that uses Facebook’s ecosystem gets rewarded by the social network. For instance, uploading video content directly to Facebook versus linking to it is optimal. The same goes for images and other content. This will help push your content up in the feeds.
Don’t Forget to Optimize Your Posts
This doesn’t just mean keywords. For one, you need to ensure your image sizes are optimal – portrait isn’t ideal, since Facebook only allows square and landscape photos. But don’t rely too much on photos. Numbers show uploaded video content gets 135 percent more organic reach than photo content. Videos also have an autoplay feature, which can help hook your audience. Lastly, make sure your page is regularly updated – some followers like to visit the pages they follow, rather than just waiting for content to show up on their feed.
Don’t Be Afraid to Promote Your Posts
Facebook allows you to pay to boost your posts. This is, in fact, highly recommended, since Facebook changed its algorithm. Now, it’s much harder to get your content seen. However, if you do end up having a post go viral, it wouldn’t hurt to boost it with the promoted post feature. Ideally, this works well for pieces that have received over 5,000 interactions.
Hugh Benjamin is an internet marketing expert that offers services to small business owners. He helps businesses build an online presence using organic and paid methods. Some of his services include PPC marketing, social media marketing, content marketing, SEO, ORM, web design and business development consulting.
