The concept of going viral has been around for decades. In media terms, virality was a concept used by marketing managers who wanted to use customers as a method of getting the word out about a product. That was before the internet and social media took hold. Now, one video or post can launch careers, damage reputations, and swell bank accounts.

In the age of the internet, though, going viral has changed from a phenomenon to a genuine ambition - anyone with a social media account can go viral, and their lives can change in the process.

It’s not just limited to individuals - brands are trying to go viral all the time in order to get as many eyes on their new ad or product as possible. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with wanting your content to reach a large audience. Greater visibility can create opportunities, increase awareness and introduce your brand to new audiences. The problem arises when virality becomes the objective rather than a byproduct of effective marketing.

We’re not here to encourage this, though - it’s an unreliable marketing tactic, and one that very rarely drives any substantial growth.

Viral ≠ valuable

That’s the first thing that needs to be made clear: going viral does not equal value. Virality provides a whole lot of attention, of course, but without intent that attention isn’t worth anything.

When you go viral, you’re not necessarily reaching the right audience. Think how many ads you’ve seen, with millions of views, that you haven’t given a second thought because the subject is irrelevant. For actual success, and measurable impact and results, you need that attention to convert into action.

The analytics of a viral advert will show some impressive-looking spikes, but they’ll be concentrated over a short period of time, instead of the consistent peaks which signal retention.

Here’s a great example. Brass City Tile consistently achieves more than 100,000 views, or sometimes more than a million, but there’s little in the way of explaining products or services. This certainly helps to bring eyes to the brand, but it doesn’t translate to increased YouTube viewership, where the brand actually explains their products.

Of course, sometimes virality can translate into an influx of cash, like when a sudden craze or trend takes hold, and sales of a product skyrocket. This shows customer intent, but you need to be able to meet that demand and convert these one-time purchasers into repeat customers.

What actually drives sustainable growth?

Consistency

Brand consistency underpins sustainable marketing growth. Your entire brand needs to be cohesive and aligned across every touchpoint, from your visuals to your messaging, brand voice, and your actions. If you draw an audience in with certain messaging or visuals, only to deviate from them the next month, your brand will appear disjointed and you’ll alienate the people you’ve just attracted.

Click here to read our guide to the importance of brand consistency.

Brand purpose

Your brand purpose is the ‘why’ behind your business. It should inform every decision and direction you take with your marketing and your strategy, and it’s absolutely crucial for building and retaining customer loyalty and brand recognition.

Find our deep dive into all things brand purpose here.

Brand trust

If you apply brand consistency, and stick with your brand purpose, you create brand trust. It’s this trust that’ll keep customers coming back, even if your price point is higher than competitors, and it’ll encourage them to recommend your brand to their friends and family.

Paid media optimisation

Your paid media spend should be meticulously strategised so that you’re showing up at the right times and in the right places. Optimise your ads so that certain creative shows up at different stages of the user journey: for example, retargeting users who have abandoned a cart at checkout with a tailored message.

There are better KPIs than views

Millions of views on a video looks and sounds good, and it means you’ve grabbed attention. But it doesn’t go much deeper than that. Instead, measure your impact through other metrics:

• Website traffic from social media: This demonstrates that views on social media campaigns are translating into actual interest
• Conversion rate: This can be anything from sales to use of an online tool, downloads of resources, or other actions that show clear interest or intent
• Qualified leads: People who have signed up to a newsletter have shown genuine interest, and they’ve provided their data as a result

Summing up

You don’t need a ‘viral marketing strategy’ - you need a real marketing strategy. Virality can happen as a result of carefully planned, purpose-driven and consistent marketing, but it should never be the sole aim of a strategy.

Focus on building your systems and consistency, because that’s the foundation of strong performance. Viral marketing doesn’t encourage customer buy-in or loyalty - consumers want brands they can trust, and continually showing up in the right places with the right messaging will help to build that trust.

If you’re wondering whether to opt for virality or long-term growth, long-term growth wins every time. If you have your purpose in place, your systems refined, and your strategy sharpened, then you’re in a great position to grow your brand.

Going viral can be a pleasant surprise (as long as it’s for the right reasons), but it can’t ever replace the impact of well-planned, insight-driven marketing strategy.