Social media apps have become something we find hard to be without. 3.96 billion people currently use social media worldwide, 800 millions of which are active on Instagram, generating Instagram traffic.
This is why we cannot even begin to talk about B2C marketing and not explore Instagram, its algorithm, and how to make the most out of this network.
And most importantly, you’ll want to know how to create viral content on Instagram.
This article will thus explore and answer some of the key questions:
- Why is Instagram essential in modern marketing?
- What actually happens when you go viral?
- How to craft content that goes viral?
- How many views is viral on Instagram?
- How to make sure your content kicks off?
Let’s get started on how to go viral on social media.
Why is Instagram essential in modern marketing?
Instagram built its insane popularity based on the fact that people are visual beings. We love seeing a pretty picture and we like sharing visual content as well.
This app’s simplicity, clean outlines, appealing colors, made it one of the favorite social media platforms for young people worldwide.
Naturally, wherever you have an engaged community, brands can advertise and profit. Whether you capitalize your business on Instagram through Insta shop or wish to generate new leads and conversions, Instagram will find your target audiences online and help you out in reaching them.
Apart from offering a stage for your show, Instagram is an app which many people use to communicate. This presents a possibility for your Instagram page to develop real relationships with your customers, answer their questions, and offer reliable support.
Finally, your brand can find affiliate marketing companions here. Insta is crowded with influencers, but your loyal customers will also be happy to share your content and recommend you in their Insta stories.
Over 70% of brands across a wide range of sectors use Instagram to foster engagement and create new leads. 500 million people are checking their app daily, scrolling for new eye-catching stories that will add value to their contemporary lives.
What happens when you go viral?
Technically speaking, “going viral” means that your content reaches and responds with a lot of people who weren’t all your followers.
How to make something go viral? Well, there are two types of content can go viral: Instagram posts and Instagram stories.
New algorithm updates are now helping you out in reaching more people with your posts. Firstly, each user’s feed is changed so that you can now appear on the main page of someone who follows something related to your brand.
This free promotion helps people get higher value out of their Instagram app while helping you reach your target audience without sponsoring your posts.
Secondly, the Explore section has had some improvements as well. The posts that people see in the “Discover” section are posts from the brands they follow plus posts of the pages liked by the users they follow.
This means that, once you reach your first batch of likes, your post will automatically be exposed to thousands of eyes on Instagram, and this number keeps growing the more people like your content.
Going viral in the first stage of building your brand on Instagram can be very challenging. Luckily, there are some tips on how to make better, more attractive content that will get attention across this platform.
How to craft content that goes viral?
Unlike what many marketers, especially newbies, might think – visual appearance is not the number one factor of good content.
Amazing content, regardless of the platform it is made for, always has to satisfy the needs of your target group. This means that, first and foremost, the content is useful and informational. It provides value to the customers and they feel like they want to spread the word.
To excel at making killer content, make sure it always satisfies these criteria:
- It is relatable.
- It is engaging.
- It comes in the right package.
Help your audience relate to you
Being authentic is what makes one brand stand out among its competitors. Especially on social media.
When creating relatable content, think about the kind of story you can share that will make people share it with:
- “Yeah, me too!”
- “I can sooo relate to this. Anyone else?”
- “That’s what I’m talking about!”
Shareable content is excellent content. Once you reach that value point, your followers will do the outreach job for you.
Create engaging posts
Your followers on Instagram are members of the online community you have created. The communication between your brand and your community is a two-way street.
Engaging the first viewers of your post is step 1 to reaching a wider audience. Instagram will promote you more when you have a greater number of likes, comments, and shares.
When it comes to the means of sharing content, the algorithm measures how often someone would send your post into a private DM to their friends, plus whether your post is shared via users’ stories.
Engagement shows, above all, that your story is relevant to your target group, and deserves to be showcased to your potential new audience.
Pick an adequate content type
Now that you have figured out what is the story you want to share, it is time to decide how to “dress it up”.
There are many formats you can use when it comes to content on Insta:
- Photos;
- Graphics;
- Animations;
- Videos.
Instagram Reels are becoming more and more popular since the outbreak of TikTok among the Gen Z population, but it is currently being viewed by all age groups worldwide.
Take your time to research what is the best way to pack your story. Even though photos get a higher reach on this platform, in general, by creating a video you have a greater chance of going viral.
How to make sure your content kicks off?
Unfortunately, great content is not always a guarantee for high engagement. There are different strategies for helping your post shine and reach a large number of people organically.
When you have done an excellent job in creating content that can easily go viral, it is time for your campaign.
There are 5 most important things to think about when launching your story on Instagram:
- Timing;
- Determination;
- Hashtags;
- Partnerships;
- Captions.
Pick your timing
Posting on Instagram is a time-bound activity. Numerous statistics can help you find out when your audience is online and most likely to respond.
However, not everything can be scooped from researches found online. To make sure you understand the behavior of your target group, you need to test their response rate concerning the time when you post.
Conduct your own test over a period of time, and discover when is the best time (day, hour) to open a dialogue with your audience. These tests can also help you out in choosing the content type for your campaign.
Be persistent
If TikTok influencers taught us anything, it is that we should be continuous and determined in our outreach and sharing.
It takes a while to craft and share the perfect story that will go viral. Sometimes it takes many attempts to reach the desired goal. But the key, however, is not quitting in this quest, but rather learning from each experience.
Instagram analytics can help you analyze and understand what the users want. But, unlike Google’s smart shopping campaigns, there is only so much Instagram can do. The biggest part of the job you have to learn on your own.
Get the most out of hashtags
Hashtags became an important part of social media culture, precisely thanks to Instagram and Twitter. Users still search stories by hashtags and location.
By using the right combination of hashtags, you will appear on the timeline of those interested in your content. This can help you go viral much faster, and it is still an organic way to grow your followers.
To get even more attention your way, you can also put an effort into engaging with posts from other users who use the same hashtags as you. Spread brand awareness like a pro.
Reach out to influencers
Influencers are an essential part of nearly every social media strategy modern brands are developing. And there is a good reason why.
These individuals gained online popularity by being authentic and genuine. This is why they enjoy respect in their communities, and why their followers trust their choices.
Influencer marketing will get you further than other campaigns since they took referral marketing to a whole different level.
If you don’t have any collaborations with reputable influencers yet, it’s time to rethink your strategies and plans.
Don’t forget the captions
Content on Instagram is not just about visuals. It’s far more than that.
This social media platform became a great place for storytelling, and the textual narrative you use in your posts is often more important than we admit.
Instagram captions for your business campaign should be designed to match these requests:
- To be consistent with the visual content.
- To be attention-grabbing.
- To inspire the viewer to find out more.
- To offer added value along with the visual content.
Viral Instagram content to inspire your next campaign
- GoPro and The Secret Life of PetsThis exciting cross-promotion campaign was a big surprise and refreshment for all Instagram users. GoPro is a company that has been working with different sports brands and has built upon trends in extreme sports. However, this odd combination of an animated movie and filming equipment was a real hit online, and the impressions of the audience were excellent. GoPro achieved higher brand awareness and positioned the brand as a fun, joyful, friendly asset worth investing in.It is worth mentioning that this campaign has also used other platforms such as YouTube, where two short animated movies were posted as well. Cross-posting has also contributed to the high engagement and virality of this content.
- Addidas Pitch Black Contest
Right at the time when Nike was dominating the industry, Addidas has released a new Pitch Black collection of footwear. To build up the hype around this news, the company marketing team has decided to run a contest where the winner gets the pair of new, exclusive sneakers. Three images of the shoes were posted in a row. The first one has announced the competition that is arriving. The second post has elaborated the rules of the game, while the third post reminded the followers to get involved.The content went viral on Instagram, but the competition itself was involving the company profile on Spanchat, making people invest some effort into participating in the game. By inspiring the users to see their Snap Story also, this campaign has elevated the user interaction of these channels and the reputation of Addidas online. - Stranger Things & Google
While we are waiting for the new season to show up, it might be a good time to reflect on how this stranger show became so popular in the first place. Heavy and creative marketing has outdone itself when it comes to making the way for this show to enter our homes. But, one of the campaigns we remember the best was when they were collaborating with Google. The combined campaign was promoting both the show and the new app Google has just launched, called Google Allo.This Instagram marketing trick has involved a real-life treasure hunt that you could find by using Google Allo. Being teased with this new approach, hundreds of New Yorkers were searching for the Stranger Things vending machine to “use their powers”. Needless to say, this smart move from the show team has helped in building up the hype for the incoming season.
Knowing how to create viral content on Instagram
Instagram is still among the top popular social media platforms and a great place to grow your community. And it is not going anywhere.
Even with the recent growth of TikTok and Clubhouse popularity, Insta still remains the very top choice for people of all generations.
Paid campaigns on Instagram aren’t as effective as with other platforms, though. This is why Insta requires valuable viral photos and trending content that inspires organic growth.
Invest time and creativity into crafting the amazing content, and you will get your ROI without a doubt. Good luck with your next campaign!