As a business owner, it's important to have a strong online presence in order to reach your target audience and drive sales. Social media is a powerful tool for helping you to achieve this; and platforms like Instagram and TikTok play an extremely important role in helping you do just that.
However, when we think about creating content for social media, nowadays, you hear a lot of talk about ‘going viral.’ And while yes, having a viral post can absolutely help you to drive traffic to your page and drastically increase your conversion rate, going viral is not a content marketing strategy. Also, keep in mind that going viral can be a train wreck if you’re not prepared for it. Therefore, it is crucial to prepare yourself and your business for a viral moment.
Here are some key points to keep in mind:
Are you ready for it? Before you start creating content with hopes of going viral, ask yourself if your page, website, and team are prepared for the influx of traffic that may come with a viral post. Ensure your website is functioning correctly, your inventory is up to date, and you have systems and automations in place to handle the increase in demand.
Give people a reason to follow you. It's not enough to just go viral or have one viral post - you need to have a reason for people to stick around and follow your page. Think of your social media page as your online "shop" or "boutique." When a stranger visits your page for the first time, make sure they immediately know who you are, what you do, and how you can solve their problem or fulfill their need - i.e., giving them a reason to follow!
Optimize your page. Make sure your page is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and provides valuable content for your audience.
Invest in education. Consider investing in education and resources to help you create a social media and content marketing strategy that aligns with your business goals and objectives. With our Content Accelerator we can help you learn how to create a real social media and content marketing strategy for your business. Learn more here.
Now that you have the main points to keep in mind regarding ‘going viral’ and viral content, let’s discuss how to create a strategy to create a viral post.
So, let’s go back to basics...
the AIDA Marketing Funnel:
What is it?
This is one of the most generic funnels that people refer to when speaking about their marketing strategy. AIDA (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action) represents or shows the journey or progression that shoppers take toward making a final purchase.
Why should I care?
It’s helpful to know the fundamentals of the AIDA Marketing Funnel because when you do, it helps to make everything else in your marketing strategy ‘click’.
You save yourself time because you’re no longer constantly having to stress and ask yourself, “what should I post today?”
When you follow a strategy or at the very least, a general guideline, you will begin to have a much better understanding of how to show up, when to show up, and exactly why you’re showing up.
So, why should you care?
To put it simply, this will easily take you from anxious and overwhelmed to confident and organized.
How does this apply to content on social media?
Each stage of the AIDA Marketing Funnel plays an important role in your content strategy for social media, for example:
Awareness: is how a person will first become aware of your brand.
Interest: is how a person will begin to “know” your brand.
Desire: is when a person will begin to 'like’ your brand.
Action: is when a person has built ‘trust’ with your brand.
Keep in mind that people buy from people they trust.
So, by consistently showing up and following your strategy (posting content), you are simultaneously guiding people through the AIDA funnel; while also constantly having new people enter or join at the ‘top’ of the funnel. Meaning, this is an ongoing process.
Take a look at the example provided in the graphic below:
If you need help identifying who it is you're wanting to target on social media - check out our free resource Identifying your Target Market for Small Business.
Types of content & why they’re necessary:
Short & Long-Form Content:
A good social media marketing strategy will include both short-form and long-form content so that you are optimizing each step of the funnel for the person going through the buyer’s journey.
Short-form content, (such as videos, photos and graphics), is perfect for grabbing people's attention and driving engagement as well as traffic to your page/website (I.e.: Awareness).
Long-form content, such as blog posts, videos and articles, can be used to provide more value and in-depth information about your business and its offerings (which helps to build Interest & Desire).
Growth Content:
What is it?
“Growth” content is exactly as it sounds – content that will help reach new people and find new ideal audiences to help you grow.
As previously mentioned, short-form content, such as videos, photos and graphics, are great for growth as they tend to be more attention-grabbing and/or people tend to share this type of content with others. This helps drive traffic to your page (i.e., builds Awareness), as people tend to share content with others who are unfamiliar with your brand.
Why is it important?
It's important to find new people if you want to continue to grow your business because if you only ever market to the same people over and over again, eventually you will run out of people to talk to or that need your services/products. Therefore, it’s a good idea to include ‘growth’ type of content into your content strategy.
Nurture Content:
What is it?
This is the type of content that will ‘nurture’ your audience.
This means finding ways to purposefully support your ideal audience in any way they might need (for example: focusing on pain points). This content can be educational, informational, motivational, entertaining, and so on - whatever is most relevant and makes the most sense to your brand and strategy.
Why is it important?
People are growing tired of advertisements everywhere they turn (or scroll); we don’t want to constantly be sold to all the time. People want a reason to follow you and your journey; this means giving them a reason through the content you provide and taking the time to engage and build relationships with them.
It's important to engage with your audience on social media, (for example, by responding to comments and messages, and sharing other people's content) so that you can build trust, relationships, and strengthen your connections. And when it comes to engagement - genuinely engage with others as you would want people to engage with your content.
Sales Content:
What is it?
Telling people about what it is you offer!
Why is it important?
From an obvious standpoint, we need to make sales in our business in order to keep going and growing. But in terms of social media - people will have no idea what you offer if you don’t talk about it!
Especially in this digital age; we are constantly overstimulated as we are constantly bombarded with content, distractions and outside stimuli. Therefore, if you want people to see and hear what you do and offer – you must talk about it (!!).
Also, the “marketing rule of 7” states that a potential customer must see your message at least seven times before they begin to build trust and take action. So, don’t be afraid to repeat yourself.
Overall, implementing an effective social media marketing strategy will require a combination of quality content, engagement with your audience, time-management, and commitment.
Growing your brand online takes time and patience but by focusing on these key elements, you can begin to build a strong online presence and drive success for your small business.
Interested in learning more? Book your Clarity Call with us today!
written by:
Adriana Leos
Chief Creative Officer
vznayres