When used to talk about things that are published online, the word viral refers to content that people consume and are then compelled to share with others. For a business, the benefits of publishing viral content include increased awareness about their brand, more visitors to their website and improved search engine rankings as a result of more people linking to their site.

Although there’s no way to guarantee that a specific piece of content will go viral, there are best practices you can follow to maximize your chances of success. So without further ado, here are five viral marketing tips you’ll want to keep in mind:

1. Inspirational Stories about Real People

Humans are hardwired to respond to stories. And given how moved we all are by emotion, it’s easy to understand why human interest stories are such a powerful recipe for viral content. What’s great about this specific kind of viral content is it can help create a very positive association with your brand.

2. Quizzes

Blog posts are the most common type of online content. While the right type of blog post can definitely go viral, it’s worth noting that there are other forms of online content. Quizzes are the perfect example. BuzzFeed and other publishers have perfected this type of content. The great thing about quizzes is not only are they very engaging, but it’s easy to build in a viral hook that makes people want to share them with friends after taking them.

3. Motivational Content

Some of the most popular pieces of content on YouTube, reddit, Instagram and other social platforms are focused on motivation. The reason is most of us need a kick in the pants every once in awhile and are well aware of that fact. So when a piece of content has a strong message that’s very motivating, the people who enjoy it want to then share that same positive feeling with others.

4. Long Pieces Packed with Value

A lot of viral marketing tactics focus on crafting content that’s fun, entertaining or brings out different emotions. As we discussed above, those approaches can definitely work really well. However, you don’t necessarily have to go down that route in order for content to go viral. Another strategy is to craft “epic” pieces of content. By choosing a topic and then publishing the longest & most authoritative piece of content on it, you can make it go viral within your industry. This strategy can also work really well to rank for highly competitive keyword phrases.

5. Infographics

Even though they’re by no means a new type of content, info-graphics are still very popular. That’s why including at least one in any viral marketing campaign is a very good idea.

If you’re looking for a way to monitor the content you publish to see how well it performs, take a look at our social media management dashboard and all of its very useful features. If you want to see just how much more productive you can be take a look at a free demo of Send Social Media. If you’re looking for the simplest way to stay on top of your company’s social media efforts, be sure to take a look at the Send Social Media Dashboard 7-day trial! simple and effective as possible, take a look at all the great features of Send Social Media.

Consistency is one of the most important elements for a business to find success with social media marketing. Far too many businesses give up on social media channels before they have a chance to gain real traction. One reason that it’s so common for businesses to give up is they feel like these activities are taking up too much time and not delivering enough returns. Plenty of businesses simply don’t have the team resources needed to stay on top of social media on a daily basis.

If these kinds of issues sound familiar, your business is in the perfect position to harness the power of social media automation. When done correctly, this type of automation can keep your social media efforts running on a consistent schedule. It will also free you and any members of your team up to actually have time for engaging with people through social media. So if you want to get on top of social media marketing for your business and avoid feeling like you’re stuck on a hamster wheel, here are a few tips for getting started with automation:

Keep It Human
While the right social media automation tools will allow you to do more in less time, that doesn’t mean you want the content you share to seem impersonal. Businesses that aren’t afraid to show the true personalities of their brands and team members always do their best on social.

Tailor Content to Different Social Channels
A common mistake that businesses of all sizes make is taking the exact same content and sharing it across all of their social media profiles. The reason this is a mistake is every social network has its own culture. So if you share the exact same content with duplicate descriptions across all your social profiles, it’s not going to resonate nearly as well. Taking time to customize what you’re sharing to different social channels can make a big difference in how well it performs.

Be a Curator
Another mistake many businesses make is only sharing their own content. By going beyond this scope and curating a wide range of content your followers will find interesting, you’ll be able to make your profiles much more engaging.

Regularly Review Stats
The best way to know what kind of content to share more of and what to avoid is to review your performance stats on a regular basis. Having this information will guide the focus of your social media automation strategy.

If you want to see just how much more productive you can be take a look at a free demo of Send Social Media. If you’re looking for the simplest way to stay on top of your company’s social media efforts, be sure to take a look at the Send Social Media Dashboard 7-day trial! simple and effective as possible, take a look at all the great features of Send Social Media.