Behind every social media post is an often unacknowledged desire... we all want to go viral.
We hear about it every day: someone's nextdoor neighbour posts a hilarious video of their cat playing the piano, and the next thing you know they are getting product sponsorships and being invited to sit on Ellen's couch.
Easy, right?
So, you dress your cat up in a hawaiian shirt, film it walking on your Casio keyboard, and....?
Nada. Five likes if you're lucky.
So what is it that makes a post go viral? Is it just luck, or is there a way you can work to stack the cards in your favour?
There are many theories, concepts, plans and "sure-fire!" ways to guarantee your post goes viral - just ask Google.
But what it all really comes down to is a fundamental understanding of marketing, and social media marketing in particular.
Kaplan and Haenlein sum it up about as succinctly as is possible:
the right people need to get the right message under the right circumstances
So first things first: who are the right people?
Who's attention is it that you are trying to grab? Where will you find such people online?
If you decide that your key demographic is over 65's, you will likely come to the conclusion that Facebook - in fact, any social media - is probably not where you should be focusing your attention. In such a case, a billboard at the local bingo club may be more suited to your target demographic.
But say you decide the key audience for your melodic mouser is bored millenial housewives who love a good cat clip... then yes, Facebook would be a good place to start!
Also want to make your cat a TikTok star? Well, those users tend to be from a younger generation, so plan your content accordingly... perhaps the kitty playing Doja Cat would be better received by Gen Z than old school Snoop?
Which brings us to point two: what is the right message?
As explained by Forbes, your content needs to be of a certain quality: what will make your cat stand out from the 16 million other felines online? What is it about your particular kit-flick that makes Sharon want to share it with her tennis buddies? It's not just any old cat-playing-the-piano post that can go viral these days; you need to be offering something new and hip and fresh.
(Sidebar: if you are using the word 'hip', then Facebook is definitely the social media platform for you).
Which brings us to the final element in our recipe for viral success: the right circumstances.
Again we turn to the wise words of Kaplan and Haenlein who tell us that mostly, it boils down to a whole lot of good luck. Excellent. So basically, we are about as likely to get Tiger to go viral as we are to win Thursday's Powerball jackpot.
But fear not, there are some things that can improve the circumstances of your post; Forbes suggests reaching out to key influencers in your chosen target audience. If you have nailed the first two aspects of identifying your target viewer, and having your content as lit as feline-ly possible, then influencers should be falling over themselves to comment on / share / tag your post. Such endorsements are the beauty of modern social media, and what makes going viral, go viral.
Job done!