How Creativity Can Turn Your Social Media Post Go Viral

Content is still the king, but only when superior enough to stand out from the crowd. The one that rules them all is the one that is authentic, innovative and engaging. While high-quality remains its number one trait in terms of practical value, thus setting the bar high for all content creators out there, creativeness has become the differentiating factor that earns the popular vote. Without it, posts simply get buried in the blast.
Here’s how powerful creativity is, at least when it comes to trending social media content.

Interactive Ideas That Provoke and InspireYou’ve already been told that your content needs to be engaging, but what does it really mean? Trigger emotional identification? Provoke thoughts? Inspire action? – All three and more. This is a huge and quite a vital request, which is why you’ll need to put on your fastest thinking cap and arrange one lengthy brainstorming session.
Such was the one behind Honest Tea’s latest social media campaign, and a perfect example of what we’re trying to explain. The company’s all-natural brand promotes full transparency in the organic foods and beverages market, and it’s only natural that the “RefreshinglyHonest” hashtag was set up to commemorate the event, along with dozens of pop-up drink stands from which people could choose to take their tea for free or, in the true spirit of honesty, pay for the goods.
Recently, this little social experiment was voted the most creative campaign of 2016. By first intriguing, then exciting and, finally, provoking responses, Honest Tea became viral in only a few hours of live action. The hashtag worked perfectly, inspiring participants to post their own thoughts, pictures and videos of the whole charade. This is quite engaging indeed.

The Power of Compelling VisualsThen again, there is a type of content that’s simply too beautiful not to be shared. This category belongs to pure aesthetics, whether it comes with a suitable marketing message or not. Mostly picture-cantered and gorgeously rendered, such content doesn’t have to be interactive to inspire brand mentions, but does so through the power of art.
Compelling visuals and creative designs are everywhere around, but Pinterest and Instagram are their museum walls. We’ve seen many brands earning their share of the marketplace by posting, and letting their followers post awe-inspiring snaps throughout the years, but National Geographic, the Paris Opera Ballet and No Your City are absolute winners.
Another brilliant example comes from WeWork, a company providing office spaces for digital nomads across the world. Their ongoing Instagram campaign works under the enticing slogan “Do What You Love” and invites their cosmopolitan clients to share little snippets of paradise the company helped them find. If freelancing from the Thai beaches is all about finding beauty in life, then WeWork certainly provides that through marketing postcards and alluring work environments alike.

The Art of Leveraging BuzzStill, you don’t necessarily have to reinvent the wheel in order to appeal to the creative types. Some motifs, themes, characters and faces are eternal sources of audience delight in the online universe, and the only thing you need to do is to give them an innovative retouch. If your content is related to the fashion or food industry, reaching out to universal symbols of beauty and hedonism is enough.
But other industries can choose the same approach, and that’s when true creativity is put on display. GoPro did it a few years ago, and their campaign still resonates in the audience’s mind. More importantly, Didga the Skateboarding Cat video is still being shared across all channels! It promotes action cameras by being filmed with one, but that’s not what made it viral. The thing that caught the attention of so many and made it an internet classic was a cat with unusual skills.
Didga gave an important lesson on sharable content that we can still learn from – when in doubt about what to delight your audience with, give them what they already like. Silly, talented cats are only some of the all-time favorites, but there’s so much more you can choose from. Do your homework and get creative.

Conclusion

Whether you go for interactive ideas, a compelling design or trending topics, remember to stay consistent to your brand message. Let your posts spread a dash of that magic, a fragment of a story behind who you are, and if creative enough, they will go viral in a blink of an eye.