Many brands believe that going viral is the key to success, but while a single viral post may bring thousands of views, it rarely leads to long-term engagement or brand loyalty. The reality is that viral moments might bring a short burst of attention, but they don’t guarantee lasting relationships with your audience.
Look at past viral successes like Magic, the on-demand app that launched at #1 on Product Hunt and gained 17,000 users in a single weekend. Even Pokémon Go, despite its massive cultural impact, struggled to maintain its initial momentum. These brands had viral moments, but did they build long-term success? Not really.
Jeff Bezos famously said, “All overnight success takes about 10 years.” Companies that seem to explode onto the scene often have years of groundwork behind them. Their success is the result of strategic social media growth strategies, not just a lucky viral moment.This article will give you an extensive overview of how to grow your business on social media effectively using the right strategies.
The Problem with Viral-First Thinking
Here are some of the major hiccups of a viral first mindset every brand and business owner should know about:
Virality is Unpredictable
The thing about virality is that it is like a virus; it needs a host. Just like a cold virus doesn’t survive well outside a human body, viral content doesn’t sustain itself without continuous engagement.
Once people have seen a post a few times, they stop sharing it. It reaches its peak and then fizzles out. There’s no exact formula to guarantee virality and even the best-crafted content can get buried under algorithm changes or audience indifference.
Short-Lived Impact
A viral post can bring in a sudden wave of attention, but that doesn’t mean it translates into long-term engagement or loyal customers. Businesses that go viral often experience a temporary surge in followers, but once the hype dies down, engagement drops.
Take the case of Peach, a messaging app that saw explosive growth the moment it launched. Thousands of people signed up within days, eager to try out the sleek new platform. But just as quickly as the hype built, it faded.
Their infrastructure wasn’t prepared for the sudden influx of users, and by the time they could adjust, the momentum was gone. Users had already moved on to the next big thing.Instead of obsessing over a short-lived viral hit, it’s better to invest in social media growth strategies that ensure steady, organic engagement. Creating valuable, shareable content that builds trust over time will always outperform a single viral post that fades away in days.
Misaligned Audience
Another major issue with viral content is that it often pulls in the wrong audience. When something goes viral, it reaches a mass audience, but that doesn’t mean it’s reaching your target audience.
If people are engaging with your content just because it’s entertaining or trendy, they’re not necessarily interested in your brand, product, or service.
For instance, let’s say you own a niche eco-friendly clothing brand. If one of your videos goes viral because it’s funny or relatable, you might gain thousands of new followers overnight. But if those people aren’t interested in sustainable fashion, they’re unlikely to engage with future posts, let alone make a purchase.
It’s like trying to sell a fishing rod to a crowd of people who just happened to be standing near the lake. Sure, they might watch your demo, but if they don’t fish, they won’t buy. When your goal is simply to get as many views as possible, you risk missing out on the people who actually want what you’re offering.
Burnout and High Effort
Constantly trying to engineer viral moments means you’re always chasing trends, adjusting to platform algorithms, and pouring time and resources into content that may or may not take off. And even if it does, the pressure to keep going viral can be overwhelming.
Businesses have spent millions trying to manufacture viral success, only to be met with lacklustre results. Meanwhile, some of the most successful viral moments were accidental and spontaneous posts that resonated with the right audience at the right time.
The thing is, you can’t actually force virality, and trying to do so can lead to creative burnout and wasted marketing budgets.
How to Build Sustainable Social Growth
Instead of obsessing over the virality craze, here’s how you can actually build a network of customers who are genuine buyers:
Content Strategy
The foundation of any successful social media presence is the content itself. A sustainable content strategy prioritises quality over quantity and ensures every post serves a purpose. This is something a digital agency in Sydney can help with by crafting a strategy tailored to your business needs.
One of the most effective ways to do this is by creating evergreen content, that is, content that remains relevant long after it’s published. In-depth guides, how-to videos, and industry insights all fall into this category. Unlike those trendy posts that fade quickly, evergreen content continues to attract engagement over time.
This is what platforms like Netflix do so well. Their social media team deeply understands their audience, and they only craft content that speaks directly to their interests rather than hopping on every trending meme.
And then there’s consistency. Posting regularly and predictably helps build trust. Audiences need to know when and where to find new content, which is why structured content calendars are just as important for every brand.
Must Read: What’s the Difference Between Content Marketing and Social Media Marketing
Audience Engagement
It’s easy to focus on the number of followers, likes, and views, but what really matters is engagement. A solid Liverpool NSW business community understands that engagement turns passive viewers into active supporters, and this starts with treating social media as a two-way conversation.
Brands that succeed in social media engagement build strong relationships with their followers, whether they are located in Sydney or anywhere else in the world.
When you take the time to reply to comments and DMs, your audience feels valued. This encourages them to interact more, which, in turn, improves your visibility thanks to platform algorithms that favour engagement. Most business owners hire agencies that specialise in social media services to take on their accounts on different platforms.
User-generated content (UGC) is another powerful tool. Instead of creating everything yourself, let your audience contribute. When people see their own photos and videos featured, they feel a stronger connection to the brand, and this encourages others to participate too. It’s free marketing that builds trust and authenticity.
Interactive content is also one of the best social media engagement strategies. Polls, Q&A sessions, and live videos create direct participation and make your followers feel involved rather than just spectators. The more engaged your audience is, the more visibility your content gets.
Social media algorithms prioritise content that generates discussions, so the more comments, shares, and interactions you receive, the better your reach will be.
Content Distribution
Creating great content is only half the battle; getting it in front of the right people is just as important. Businesses in New South Wales have found success by strategically distributing content across multiple platforms. A single blog post can be repurposed into an Instagram carousel, a LinkedIn article, or even a short-form video for TikTok.
This way, you extend the lifespan of your content without constantly creating new material from scratch.
An agency offering social media services can also help you create a strong content distribution strategy that ensures that your message reaches the right audience, whether you’re operating locally or targeting customers across Australia.
The strategic use of SEO and hashtags is another key factor. People find content in two ways: through search or discovery. By optimising your content with relevant keywords and using trending but brand-relevant hashtags, you make it easier for new audiences to discover you organically.
A well-placed hashtag on Instagram or TikTok can introduce your brand to thousands of potential followers who are already interested in your niche.
The idea is to be everywhere without stretching resources thin. Successful businesses don’t just rely on one channel. They distribute content across multiple platforms such as email, social media, SEO, and ads to stay visible in different spaces. This omnipresence ensures that, even if engagement dips on one platform, the overall brand presence remains strong.
Data-Driven Growth
When you create content hoping to drive conversions, your primary focus should be on metrics such as shares, saves, and comments. These are indicators of how valuable your content is to your audience. Do not go crazy over vanity metrics like likes and views; these do not matter.
For example, Instacart, the 1-hour grocery delivery service, didn’t just focus on getting people to visit their site. Instead, they tracked how many visitors actually placed an order. By analysing user behaviour and optimising their process, they’ve consistently increased sales and expanded into new markets since their inception in 2012.
Testing different types of content helps determine what resonates most. Maybe your audience prefers video content over text posts, or maybe they engage more with behind-the-scenes content than polished product shots.
You should try experimenting with different formats, captions, and posting times. With the data you get from this, you can refine your approach based on what actually works. A reliable digital agency in Sydney can help businesses leverage data insights to adjust their content strategy for better reach and higher engagement.
Conclusion
Going viral might feel like hitting the jackpot, but the real prize is building a brand that people trust and engage with over time.
A single post blowing up can bring in a flood of new followers, but without a long-term strategy, they’ll disappear just as fast as they arrived.
At Netplanet Digital, we don’t believe in shortcuts or overnight success stories that fizzle out. We believe in building a brand presence that lasts. One that keeps growing, keeps engaging and keeps driving real results long after any and every viral craze has passed on.
Are you ready to make real, sustainable growth in Western Sydney or Liverpool NSW? Trust our social media marketing agency Sydney to help you achieve results with the right social media services. Book a free 30-minute strategy call with our social media agency Sydney today. We’ll help you craft a growth plan that’s authentic, effective, and built to last even longer after any social media craze.
