Why Viral is Dead for Small Businesses

Are you bored (yawn) of seeing blog posts on the web telling you how to make your small business posts and videos go viral or how to create viral content?

I am, and here’s why!

It’s false hope.

For every small business video or content that goes viral, there are millions of bad ones. So, trying to be one out of ten million is nearly impossible.

Relevance trumps reach every time. I would rather have 100 relevant views from the people who have a need to buy what I have to offer than one million views from people who have no intention of purchasing.

The Problems Small Businesses Face going Viral

As a small business owner, I can only cope with so much work, and if my business went viral very quickly, I don’t think I would be able to cope. Meaning the work that I do wouldn’t be very good since nothing would be getting my full attention except for the stress that comes with too much work overload.

Have you ever read the stories about small businesses who take on a Groupon deal, and next thing that happens is they need to close the business or move to smaller premises, just like this fruit and vegetable company? They couldn’t cope with the high demand of vouchers and the loss they were making from the offer, all because the offer went viral.

What’s the Slow Viral?

Slow viral is the power of less. Let me explain.

Target small groups of about 100 people who really like you, love what you do and, most importantly, like to talk about you. It’s not an easy task, but with social media, the process is a whole lot easier. If you don’t have any fans yet, target 100 people who you would like in your close network.

Now that you have 100 people, keep a hold of them because these are the people who will spread your message, your business and, most importantly, give you referrals. They will love what you’re all about, and you won’t need to worry about anything going viral anymore.

The 100 people will talk to their people, and their people, and their people and so on, whilst you’re building your business gradually, getting ready for the days you can cope with your business going viral.

Summary

Just to clarify, I’m not against things going viral, of course not. What I am trying to say is concentrate on what you can cope with and target those buyers who really want what you have.

So the next time you’re writing a blog post, creating a new video or sending out a post on social media, don’t think, “How can I make this go viral?” Instead, think, “How can I get 100 people to really love what I’m doing so they will share with their friends, their colleagues and peers?”

What are your feelings towards small businesses going viral? Is going viral just a fad? Or should we all aim for viral outreach?