I’ve seen it far too many times. People obsess over going viral, finally have it happen, and then just as fast as it occurred it goes away and you’re left with whiplash and an ever sinking ship of followers leaving.
If you spend all your time focusing on trying to go viral, there’s a few things I want to clear up, so let me ask you some questions…
- Can you sustain it? Right now, at this moment, is your business ready to handle explosive overnight growth?
- Can you stay on top of the virality? Meaning, can you keep pumping out new ideas and content to stay relevant?
- Are you prepared mentally to handle the onslaught of new people in your space, many of which may have negative things to say?
Let’s tackle those questions one by one now….
Can You Sustain It?
Starting with the first one – chances are, if you’re still new in your business, a sudden explosion of growth can be incredibly overwhelming. You might not have the systems in place to support the new onslaught of customers banging on your door. Even if you have a digital platform, can your platform handle the sudden surge in traffic?
Do you have enough space on your calendar for people booking calls? Do you have a support process in place for people who need help accessing your courses, programs, and offers? Speaking from real life experience here, I’ve watched platforms crumble when a sudden surge of 1000 new customers popped up overnight. It’s why, even as a solopreneur, you want to make sure you have a solid foundation in place and the systems to support it.
Note – you don’t need to go out and purchase the heftiest plans to support this, but you do need to make sure your existing platform can scale FAST if needed.
Can You Stay Relevant?
Next question – can you stay relevant? There’s a few things I want to point out here.
1. Going viral is hard as hell.
2. Staying relevant is exhausting if you don’t have the systems in place or the time to be a content generating machine.
And 3. More often than not, the thing that goes viral isn’t always related to your business. It could be a just for fun video you shared. A dance. A behind the scenes.
And when people wind up in your ecosystem, over time they end up dropping from your orbit when the content you start posting is not what they expected. So while, sure, that initial burst of new followers is nice to have… if you don’t have a plan in place to keep them there, it’s not sustainable.
Where Are You Emotionally?
Last question I asked is possibly the most important. Where are you at right now emotionally and mentally? Because here’s the thing, when you go viral you have to be prepared to have thick skin. It’s unfortunate, but it’s what happens when people feel empowered to speak negatively safely hidden behind a computer screen. I’ve had clients mentally shut down and take a social media break because of going viral and not being emotionally ready to handle it. And I don’t want that for you.
What Next?
All of the above are big reasons why I often advise AGAINST making “viral” a goal. A slow burn to the top is far more sustainable. This means going with the flow, allowing your posts to reach the people they’re meant to reach, and just know, every post you share isn’t going to be a hit. And that’s Ok.
Because ultimately, there’s nothing more deflating than pouring hours of your time and energy into a post, being so pumped and excited about the content, patting yourself on the back for what you feel is the best post you’ve done in a while, hitting publish, and being greeted by….
Crickets 🦗
Yup, been there, done that. I’ve felt that gut wrenching feeling of wondering if I’m actually capable and good enough at what I do. If I should keep going, or if I should just throw in the towel and go back to a *normal* job.
And, yes, I know how extreme that is – how silly you feel afterwards for letting a social media post dictate your energy so much.
But at the end of the day, these metrics are rarely the ones that move the needle, yet we grant them ownership of our energy whenever they don’t perform as expected, and we fall into defeat mode.
Here’s the thing: I have seen and supported businesses with less than 5000 followers make over $1million in sales, businesses that average 10-30 likes per post have $200k plus months, and businesses that have Reels with only 200-300 views make $10k in a single day.
So when I tell you not to obsess over the vanity metrics, those “likes,” “follows,” and “views”, I’m not saying that those metrics aren’t important, but what I am saying is these metrics often aren’t the things that are going to result in sales.
TLDR: Vanity metrics rarely are an indicator of someone’s success, but too often we get caught up in them and allow them to influence our wellbeing. Today, hit that “Hide Likes” button on your post and let it ride knowing it will reach the person it’s meant to reach, no matter who or how many that might be.
Does this resonate with you? Are you granting yourself more space to breath and relax today?
Ready to create a stream of BUYERS in a sustainable way? I’ve still got space in my 3-day LIVE workshop, Vibrant & Visible. And you can snag it right now for just $97 (normal price will be $297). Click here to reserve your seat!
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