2022 like most years, has been a rollercoaster ride of trends going viral. From the infamous slap at the Oscar memes to all the Brahmāstra content (love-storiyaan and “Shiva”), the Johnny Depp-Amber Herd trial flooding our feeds to the Wednesday Adam’s dance moves, it may seem that creating viral content has been monopolized by bigger brands and celebrities. And the more local viral sensations like- “Bohoot Jagah Hai-Nahi Jagah Hai” or the bittersweet more recent ‘Vanshika break-up’ doing rounds on Twitter, sometimes there’s no telling what will be trending.
That doesn’t mean we stop trying. You can always hop onto the ongoing trends with your twists to make them sharable, thus increasing your visibility and relevance. Studying what type of content has gone viral previously and identifying recurring patterns there, can help your brand stay ahead of the curve.
Even if predicting virality can be tricky, certain types of content have greater scope for catching eyeballs than others. Let’s examine a few of these mentioned below-
- Videos For The Win:
Videos, be they animated or live-action, from vlogs to parodies, have repeatedly shown more popularity than other formats. Top social media apps like Instagram and Facebook too have been pushing for videos to get more visibility.
Short-form videos especially have a high value, and you must focus on creating good-quality, value-adding material that will appeal to your followers. Don’t shy away from taking out your professional gear or even hiring a 3D animation company to help you create top-notch posts.
Even if going viral may be a long shot, getting the right kind of attention from a fitting audience is always better than getting random, irrelevant views. Apart from appealing to your followers who’re already waiting to hear from you, landing on the ‘For You Page’ of potential audiences will be a jackpot. Try using the expertise of a video marketing agency in India that truly understands the local landscape, to increase your reach and get the best returns from your content.
- Memes:
Memes are an excellent tool of communication and have a mass appeal, popular among both millennials and Gen Z. They’re not just easy to create, consume and share but are also tiny units of cultural knowledge that have the power to bring people together.
You can always create memes on popular topics and stay on top of what’s trending to remain fresh and relevant. You can also experiment by creating original content that is meme-worthy.
This format can easily be repurposed and can also be very contagious. Ignoring the medium would be a big mistake since it checks out all the boxes for becoming a viral sensation.
- Influencers To The Rescue:
Influencers today have managed to create large fan followings, and are often seen as important opinion leaders within their communities. Bigger influencers are of great value for targeting diverse sets of audiences while micro-influencers have a more niche but dedicated following. A mix of both their strengths can be leveraged to get your brand under the right spotlight.
Influencers are also looking to recreate or comment on new and upcoming trends. So if you can incorporate your brand’s message within the content, without disrupting their unique style of communication, the collaboration is very likely to be a success. A strong influencer content strategy can help your brand leverage your chosen influencer’s creativity and fan base, to leave a lasting impact.
What’s trending today can be old news tomorrow, and making content just to go viral can backfire at times. But producing high-quality posts that please both the people and the algorithms, can get you trending, one view at a time.
