Ask a business about its social media goals and you’ll most likely hear “go viral” somewhere near the top of the list. Virality, which commonly refers to posts surpassing one million views in a few days, has become the gold standard in social media marketing.
Even though most marketing professionals would admit that going viral feels like trying to catch lightning in a bottle, they still believe that effective social media marketing strategies should aim for that goal. If brands paused their efforts to consult with those who have achieved the goal, however, they might rethink their strategy.
Daniel Iles, Founder of Viral Coach, has spent the last several years reverse-engineering what makes content go viral and turning that knowledge into a scalable system for business growth. His view is that brands place way too much value on virality when what they really need to succeed is a strategy that promotes being consistent with the right system.
“Getting 100 million views in a single month can feel like a major accomplishment, but ultimately, brands realize it is just a vanity metric,” Iles says. “What makes the milestone meaningful is learning along the way how to speak directly and effectively to your target audience.”
Iles launched Viral Coach in 2023 to help brands with annual revenue between $1 million and $50 million replace bloated marketing funnels with lean, effective short-form video strategies. The coaching he provides helps his clients develop a content strategy for social media that scales visibility, leads, and revenue.
“Going viral once is luck, but doing it every month is strategy,” Iles shares. “When your goal is building an audience that actually listens to what you have to say, you gain the capability to attract in 60 seconds or less customers who will be loyal for years. At that point, you can leverage your platform and social media savvy to build a business that makes $1 million each month.”
The right content strategy for social media delivers value
Brands often believe effective social media marketing strategies rely on the right timing. They pore over analytics to identify when posts get the most traction, mapping out a content strategy for social media that targets the times when their followers are most likely to be online. What they fail to account for is that brands decide when something is published, but social media platforms ultimately decide if it’s good enough to push out.
“The algorithms are incredibly smart,” Iles explains. “A single piece of content shared by a brand will be pushed to its followers over days, even weeks if the content is good. So, whether you post it at 12:01 PM or 5:49 AM is completely irrelevant for performance. Your content strategy for social media should focus far less on when to say something and far more on what to say. If you’re posting the right thing, it will be delivered at the right time to your audience.”
The right content strategy for social media uses an authentic tone
Once brands determine what they should say on social media, the next challenge is identifying how they will convey it, which is why tone is a critical part of effective social media marketing strategies. When the tone is right, social media content can convert those who have never engaged with you before into followers who are loyal for years.
“Having a perfect script, eye-catching editing, and relevant information is important, but it won’t be effective if the tone isn’t right,” Iles warns. “If you present the content in a way that sounds ‘cringy’ or rubs people the wrong way, the result will be low engagement. Worse than that, it could also hurt your public image.”
Iles recommends building an authentic tone by steering away from statements that people can disagree with and sharing a brand’s unique stories and observations. Your personal experience is hard to refute and generally makes viewers more agreeable and engaged. Posts that present “Here’s what I learned from losing 80 percent of my reach overnight” will always outperform refutable statements like “Instagram’s algorithm is unpredictable.” Specific stories and lessons will always beat vague opinions.
“I encourage anyone to take inspiration and learn from their top competitors or the biggest people in the space, but keep in mind that those people are talking to their audience,” Iles says. “You need to make content that talks to yours. Content only converts when it’s aligned with who you’re actually trying to reach.”
The right content for social media is delivered with consistency
Posting the right content with the right tone only builds momentum for a brand when it is delivered with consistency. The goal should be building trust with an audience, which leads to relationships where the audience truly listens. If you show up sporadically, your audience won’t see you as a reliable resource, which can make it challenging for you to be trusted.
In addition, social media algorithms prioritize creators who post consistently over those who don’t. Platforms want to create an environment where users keep coming back because they know they will find fresh content. Creators who aren’t regularly delivering fresh content that sparks engagement won’t be prioritized for placement.
The most effective social media marketing strategies bring together the right content, tone, and consistency to establish a connection that inspires loyalty. Brands that focus their efforts in those areas, producing content that is intentional, authentic, and strategic, will achieve long-term success without needing to catch lightning in a bottle.
