Go Viral or Go Home - 5 Ways We Fail

Seems like SEOs are screaming "Content is king" from the rooftops these days. It's a rosy, happy idea: create amazing content, people love it, they share/link to you and BAM you GO VIRAL. We all want to be like the monkey from "Outbreak" but very few of us get there. So where is the disconnect?

1) Our concept is not that good/original. Ouch, I know, that's not what we want to hear but this isn't your mom taping your art project to the refrigerator. The internet doesn't care about your feelings. Recycling content won't get you there unless you can do it bigger, better and add something the other guy didn't. Try original research. Better yet, work backwards... start with your audience. Who's mind are you trying to blow? Take that segment of people and a) fix a problem that nobody's been able to fix for them b) Show something in a completely new light. Turn a commonly held belief on it's ear. c) Entertain them, make them laugh or.. d) Piss them off. (careful ) You don't have to be revolutionary (if you can that would help) but you do have to know your niche inside and out.

2) Our presentation doesn't do the information justice. I can write a very informative blog post with groundbreaking insights into my industry. But if the guy in the next cubicle can turn it into a short, dynamic infographic then guess who goes viral? Not fair, boo hoo, internet is made for short attention spans (click, click, click ) so packaging our message/information in an attractive way is critical. Don't be boring, be a showman (or woman) and the views you get will ease that "cheapened" feeling.

3) Nobody is listening. Did you ever stumble upon an amazing post/article/other content while researching, a real jewel, and were shocked to see it has 3 Facebook likes (the author, his mom and his roommate?) It's like that Zen question about the tree falling in the forest, only the internet version says: If you create amazing content but no one is around to see it, it never happened. You have to have some kind of following to go viral, don't sit around hoping Perez Hilton will tweet your URL. Make some friends.

4) We launch carelessly. So you've created the perfect linkbait, you have your target audience in your sights; now don't mess up the launch!! Take the time to plan how you will drop it. Can you build it up before you unleash it on the world? Not always necessary but works for some kinds of content. Timing is key too; do the research, find out when the social networks are most likely to take note and promote it then. Do some tests, record the responses, tweak it and then drop the bomb. Explore other options too; can you syndicate it with links back to your site? Placement like that can backfire trafficwise if you put it on a site that has more social clout than yours, but can be good if you are looking to get your name out there and get links.

5) We give up. Failure makes many would-be viral content creators drop out of the race early on. This is not a one shot deal, this is testing the market. Failure=learning. Unless you are Lady Gaga you probably won't go viral every time you post. It takes time, but just know that if you are consistently creating amazing content then people will want to see what you come up with next so stop moping and give the people what they want