To go viral on LinkedIn, you don’t have to get lucky. In fact, the opposite is true. You can take these simple steps to share smart, viral content. It’s a matter of smart content strategy and genuine engagement.
What is viral content?
Loosely defined, viral content is any article, picture, video — any piece of content — that quickly gains a massive worldwide audience. Once content “goes viral,” it can take on a life of its own and propagate across the web, especially through social media platforms like LinkedIn.
Why is viral content so valuable?
It’s easy to find hundreds of articles online about the benefits of going viral, but here they are boiled down: In a B2B context, going viral simply means amplifying your brand’s reach by several orders of magnitude — sometimes in a matter of hours.
3 tips for going viral on LinkedIn
You don’t have to be a social media guru to post viral content. Here are three tips you can use today:
1. ? Don’t sound like a “follow bot”
Authenticity is the currency of all media. Any business can muster an army of software scripts to gain — but not earn or keep — thousands of followers overnight. To offer value to your followers and go viral, be genuine and authentic instead.
If humor is your strength, don’t be afraid to show it to your following. If you have deep expertise, share insider knowledge willingly with no strings attached. LinkedIn’s Top Voices of 2016 award winners take the time to talk to their readers directly by regularly engaging with comments, shares and likes to go viral.
2. ? Pinpoint the best time to post
Although you might already know the best moments to post content for clients, every social media platform is different and every content niche has unique engagement characteristics. You’ve got to find the times that work best to engage your audience.
Long story short, the worst time to post on LinkedIn is Friday through Monday. LinkedIn users are most impressionable Tuesday through Thursday during “break times,” meaning before clocking in, during lunch breaks, and after clocking out.
3. ? Avoid sales talk at all costs
Social media users decide whether to share posts in a matter of seconds — sometimes fractions of a second. Nothing will make your readers avoid your content like cursory, basic sales talk in the first sentence.
B2B marketers are wise to the usual content marketing playbook. Presenting genuine, knowledgeable, and entertaining social media content is a smart strategy. By following these steps, you won’t have to rely on luck to make your content go viral on LinkedIn. You’ll be able to make it happen yourself.
[cta]If you’re ready to take the next step on LinkedIn, it might be time to call in an expert. Contact me, Mark McIntosh, RevGrow CEO and founder, today by calling 972-998-5132, and I’ll be happy to explain how I can help you.[/cta]
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