Ashley's Tip of the Week: Creating Viral Content

Hey, guys. Welcome back to this week's quick tip on the podcast in between seasons on the Boutique Chat. This week's quick tip is a question about how to make viral content. And what is viral content? And I have a lot of answers to this question, because I think sometimes we create content for our stores and spin our wheels, thinking, is this going to work or not? Or why did someone go viral on TikTok or on Instagram or whatever the case may be. And so I want to give you this week's quick tip about viral content to help you spruce up every piece of content you're making, whether it's a photo or a video or a quote, and no matter what channel you're posting it on. To me, the definition of viral doesn't mean it's just something that people share thousands of times, right? To me, viral starts with the very fabric of creating the content, and it starts with asking the question, is this something I would actually share? And when you answer that question, the next question becomes, why would I share it? And so, with everything you can create, you can start by asking, why would I share this content? Why is this important to me? It's going to force you into creating something more valuable to share. So let's talk about this. What are a couple reasons why people share content? The first is it's authentic. It's authentic. It's real. If I think about quotes that people love to save on Instagram or share to their stories, quotes are powerful and can go viral because they say the things that you want to say or you wish you could say, or maybe you don't know how to say without you having to say them. So maybe it's sassy, maybe it's snarky, maybe it's inspirational. Maybe it's motivational. Whatever it might be, it's allowing your customers to feel like you're speaking for them in a way that maybe they couldn't speak for themselves. So when you are planning out quotes and content that you want to share, stay away from the fluffy ones. Like, it's a great day to be alive. You know, just something totally boring that no one cares about. And they can just go, okay, yawn, scroll. Nobody cares. To me, if I'm creating quotes like, I want stuff about spanx and tampons or something mildly inappropriate. That's just how I operate. And so I think stuff like that's hilarious or something totally inspirational or rah, rah, something that I want to share that maybe is on my heart or maybe it's going to make me laugh or maybe it's going to re motivate people in my community. I'm going to reshare someone else's content if it sparks that authenticity that I know we can all latch onto. Another reason content goes viral is besides being authentic, it offers value. So when I think about my 9 year old, my daughter's not 9, what am I even talking about? She's 11. When I think about my 11 year old daughter and her monitored use of TikTok because I am very like anti 11 year old having phone. So when she gets to watch my TikTok monitored, the thing that she loves the most is life hacks and cooking videos and like all the random stuff that you find on TikTok that you had no idea even existed or like that you could do that with a milk jug and a knife. Like where do these people even come from? That's the kind of thing that to me is valuable. So when you have a boutique, you have products in your store that when you went to market, someone explained to you why this product is as fantastic as it is, right? It can do this wonderful thing and then you take it back to your store and you put it on the shelf or you put it on the website from the warehouse. But then do you really ever demonstrate that? Do you really tell people like this is why this product is amazing and why it does what it does? Or did we just buy it and then let it sit there? And we had the knowledge but we didn't necessarily pass the knowledge on. So when you're creating content, what is the value that comes from the content? Are you selling a scarf or are you selling how to tie a scarf? Are you selling bootcut jeans or are you selling how to wear and style bootcut jeans and why they make your butt look so good. So remember, add value in what you're creating. Another reason content goes viral is it's aspirational. It helps us see the future. Best version of ourself in the content. So when you're doing photo shoots and styling products, is your photo shoot really aspirational or you just snap in some clothes on a hanger? Or did you just put a shirt on a model that is not fully merchandised? It's not layered, it maybe doesn't look very like it's not hanging right on her? Maybe there's no jewelry, maybe there's no accessory. Or are you taking a flat lay that just has like a top, a bottom and a shoe in it and you haven't fully accessorized that Flat layer. Remember, photos have to be aspirational. They have to help us feel like we're going up a level in our style. Because if that didn't matter to us, frankly, we would just shop at Walmart. Because anymore you can buy a lot of the things that look like they came from a boutique in Walmart. It frightens me every time I enter that store. As much as I try to avoid it, I end up there sometimes and I hate it. So if we don't start being aspirational, our customer can just go to Walmart. So how create better branded, better styled and better merchandise photos. All right. And the last reason that pieces go viral, that content goes viral is it's you. It's you. It is wildly you. And no one else can replicate who you are. So many times today I talked about this on our our last tip of the week and that is that what is the secret to success? Is it copying someone else? Is it trying to be like some other boutique down the street? Absolutely not. Being successful has everything to do with being uniquely you. Because people don't remember what they bought, the products they purchased. They remember how you made them feel. And so with the content you're creating, remember this is all about you being uniquely you. No imposter syndrome, sister sis, this I can't even talk. No imposter syndrome, no trying to copy or be like anyone else out there. It is simply about being you. So the next time you're creating content, if you are wondering how do I make this content more viral, hopefully today you got a couple of quick tips. Thanks guys for tuning in to this week's quick tip. Can't wait to be back with a new season on the podcast with a whole new group of guests very soon. So in the meantime, reach out to me on Instagram at the Boutique Hub or, or AJ Alderson, my personal Instagram. You're going to see some ponies and some cats and some kids probably, and some other behind the scenes things. So join me there or be square. We'll see you next week, guys. Thanks.