Ah, the dream of going viral. We’ve all been there – watching a random video of a guy skateboarding while drinking cranberry juice rack up millions of views, or seeing a small business explode overnight because their TikTok hit the algorithm jackpot. The allure of viral content is undeniable, and it’s enough to make any marketer wonder: should we be aiming for viral content in our marketing strategy?

The Siren Call of Viral Fame

Let’s face it – going viral is the digital equivalent of striking gold. The potential benefits make marketers’ eyes light up like it’s Black Friday. Massive brand exposure, exponential reach, instant recognition… it’s the kind of visibility that usually takes years to build, achieved overnight. Who wouldn’t want that kind of success?

A Reality Check: The Dark Side of Chasing Viral Fame

Here’s the thing about viral content: it’s about as predictable as British weather, and potentially just as disappointing. For every Ocean Spray skateboarding guy, there are millions of carefully planned campaigns that didn’t make it past a few hundred views. And that’s not because they weren’t good – they might have been fantastic, achieving all their actual business objectives – they just didn’t go “viral.”

The pursuit of viral content often leads businesses down a problematic path. Marketing teams spend countless hours trying to recreate someone else’s viral success, usually at the expense of developing sustainable, strategic content that actually serves their audience. It’s like trying to plan a lightning strike – not only is it impossible, but you might get burned in the process.

The Hidden Costs of Viral Obsession

When businesses become fixated on going viral, they often lose sight of what really matters. Resources get diverted from proven marketing strategies to chase the viral dragon. Content becomes increasingly outlandish in an attempt to capture attention, often at the expense of brand values and authentic messaging. Plus, if you do make it, one sudden burst of growth may not be the key to sustained sales and a longer term plan working towards your KPIs.

A Better Approach: Strategic Growth Over Viral Dreams

Instead of pursuing viral moments, successful businesses focus on building sustainable, strategic marketing campaigns that deliver consistent results. This means creating content that resonates with your specific audience, nurtures customer relationships, and drives meaningful engagement.

Think about it like this: would you rather have one post that reaches a million random people once, or a consistent strategy that reaches 10,000 potential customers every month? The latter might not sound as exciting, but it’s far more likely to contribute to your bottom line.

Real Success Stories: Beyond the Viral Myth

Let’s talk about Snag Tights, a perfect example of how strategic marketing trumps viral dreams. When this innovative and inclusive hosiery brand partnered with us, they weren’t asking for viral content – they wanted sustainable growth and consistent sales. And that’s exactly what we delivered.

Through careful planning and execution, we helped Snag Tights achieve something far more valuable than a viral moment: we scaled their TikTok spending to over £250,000 monthly, resulting in 22,000+ units sold per month. Their Cost Per Acquisition dropped to £12 (smashing their target of £20), and they maintained a Return on Ad Spend of over 4.

How did we do it? Not by chasing viral fame, but by implementing a strategic, data-driven approach. We tested various User-Generated Content (UGC) creatives, analysed video performance metrics, and continuously refreshed content to maintain engagement. This methodical approach might not sound as exciting as “going viral,” but it delivered something better: consistent, scalable results that contributed directly to the bottom line.

The Favoured Philosophy: Results Over Reactions

At Favoured, we believe in setting realistic, achievable goals that drive actual business results. While we love creating engaging, shareable content (and yes, sometimes it does blow up), we focus on metrics that actually matter to your business growth. We’re talking about return on investment, customer acquisition costs, and lifetime value – the kind of metrics that help you build a sustainable business, not just a viral moment.

The Bottom Line: Choose Strategy Over Virality

Should going viral be part of your marketing strategy? Short answer: no. Long answer: absolutely not.

Instead of chasing viral moments, focus on creating a solid marketing strategy that delivers consistent results and helps you achieve your business objectives. It might not get you millions of views overnight, but it will build something much more valuable: sustainable business growth.

Think of it this way – viral content is like a sugar rush. It feels great in the moment, but it’s not a sustainable source of energy. What you need is a balanced diet of strategic marketing efforts that fuel long-term growth and success.

Ready to develop a marketing strategy that focuses on real results rather than viral dreams? Let’s talk. At Favoured, we’re all about creating marketing campaigns that don’t just make noise – they make impact. And while we can’t promise to make you go viral, we can promise to help you achieve something better: consistent, measurable growth that actually means something to your bottom line.

Get in touch with us today, and let’s create a marketing strategy that’s built for success, not just shares. (And hey, if we happen to go viral along the way, we’ll consider it a bonus!)