When talking about viral content particularly in the context of video, it is nearly always said that content is king.  True; great content is essential but your video, blog, or other format is unlikely to spread virally on this alone.  In this blog I want to look at some key tools that must be utilised if you want your content to go viral.

So let’s start with the actual content.  The key here is you need to have something of value to your potential audience.  Content needs to be a) worth their time and b) worth their friend/family/colleagues time.  Adding value can be achieved in a number of ways and will depend on the goals of your campaign, your message and your target audience. Whether its humour, controversy, Knowledge and insight or thought provoking opinions just make sure you are giving your audience something will want to share.

It’s not just what you know but who you know that counts

When it comes to spreading content virally your audience is possibly your most valuable asset.  Your social media and online presence needs to be well established and connected if you want to see your content being shared all over the web.  This is why building a social media presence is essential for every business as strong relationships especially with key influencers in your industry or interest group can take time to develop.  By staying in touch with your community through social media, email and subscriber lists, you have an already expectant and willing audience with which to share your content.

These relationships need to be consistently maintained and built upon through regular interaction with your online audience.  Monitor your connections, and look at how you can build your audience base. Social media in particular is constantly changing with several new users who may be relevant to your business joining in the conversations every day. Make sure your content is reaching them.

Only this week a new report highlighted just how important social media is becoming for video content distribution and engagement, "The research reveals that sites such as Facebook pose an undeniable challenge to search engines when it comes to content discovery and engagement."  (New Media Age - http://bit.ly/eqyCJ7)

Give and take

Your content strategy should not just be all about output.  Putting good, valuable content out there is vital yes, but you also need to take in information and other content from your online community.  Listen to your community - what do they want to talk about, what are they unsure about?  By understanding their needs you can deliver content that has real value to them.  Don’t be afraid to ask for your communities help for feedback or to share your content with their contacts.

It is so often the mistake too that people expect others to share their content yet don’t lead by example.  When you read, see, listen to relevant and interesting content coming from your audience then share it, comment, and praise.  Online relationships like any are a two way process.

Access all areas

The final point which I see as essential for content to go viral is to make sure you have a presence across the multitude of platforms available to you.  Understand where your target audience resides and how they source information and then make sure your content is released to all these places.  This can BE via social platforms, bookmarking sites relevant forums, article websites or via online press releases.  If you have diverse target audiences who reside in a number of places online then don’t be blinkered in your approach to content distribution.

The key to producing infectious content is to have something worth sharing that is made accessible to your audience and is easy to pass on.

"Social sharing becomes the ultimate form of distribution. Any business or individual who produces digital content in any form will be tweaking how easily the content can be shared, whether by adding a "like" button or designing the content itself to be sharable."  (Harvard Business Review Guest blog by David Armano http://s.hbr.org/aYDCOU)

Viral content distribution is a valuable method for spreading your message effectively.  So if you have something to say and you want people to hear you, make sure you get it right.

If you want to find out more why not come and talk to us at LittleVoice Media – visit www.littlevoicemedia.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Related articles

• Social Media Analytics – Understanding Your Social Customer and Context – Social Media Today – Posted February 8, 2011 by Jennifer Roberts (http://goo.gl/6eVKt)
• 10 Tips to Inspire Your Audience to Take Action in Social Media – Social Media Today - Posted February 9, 2011 by Pam Moore (http://goo.gl/m4eB0)
• 3 Things Any Video Needs to Go Viral – Mashable – Posted October 19, 2010 by Dan Greenberg -http://goo.gl/no1u