How Local Businesses Go Viral

Going viral does sound pretty incredible. There are so many local businesses out there trying to build up digital authority, and just by chance, something you made goes viral, instantly making locals pay a visit to your business. What more could you ask for? But there’s something so funny about local businesses going viral, because it’s never the ones desperately trying to get attention; it’s just by chance. Well, most people who go viral do so by chance; it’s like luck (in a way).

But yeah, it’s always the little places minding their own business, doing their normal little routines, and then boom, everyone in town is talking about them like they’ve discovered treasure. And the funniest part is that it always starts with something tiny. Yeah, it’s wild, but it really doesn’t start with some massive marketing push or anything like that. It was just a real moment, it was organic, natural, just your business being a business, that’s it.

Basically, when it comes to going viral locally, it really isn’t about reaching the whole internet; it’s about catching the people who literally live around the corner, and those people share things in a whole different way.

Going Viral Starts with Little Moments

So, what makes a local business go viral is usually something so small you’d almost miss it. For example, it might be a handwritten sign that’s a bit funny, or a staff member being way too wholesome (this one is super common). And a major one that goes viral for a lot of small businesses is something that’s a weirdly satisfying video of something being made. 

But you can count on a customer posting it, and then someone else shares it in the neighborhood Facebook group, Nextdoor app, IG hashtags, and whatever else, and then another person tags their friend, and it’s this endless cycle.  And just like that, everyone knows about it. 

Word of Mouth Goes Wild When it’s Local 

Alright, this goes with what was said above: local word of mouth is chaotic in the best way. Once something picks up even a tiny bit of interest, the whole area acts like it’s a community mission to tell everyone, and it kind of is. You’ll hear people in line at the grocery store talking about that new video from the bakery, or someone mentioning that café that “everyone’s talking about right now”. But again, as already stated, it becomes this whole snowball effect. 

Viral Moments Don’t Mean Much if People Can’t Find You

But you’re viral, how wouldn’t they be able to find you, though? Well, it can happen. But yeah, this is the part businesses forget every single time. The second a local business gets even a little hype, people pull out their phones and search for it. What if you can’t be found? That’s why you need to be findable in advance, be it getting SEO help from https://armoryseo.com/, setting up a website, setting up social media (in case someone tags you and their post goes viral), getting up Googly My Business, well, setting up everything, and making sure everything is up to date. 

Local Viral Moments Can Turn into Long-Term Hype

Well, it doesn’t really do you too much good if you’re viral from everyone around the globe, but the locals are the ones who are going to keep your business alive. You can use virality to keep your brand up and find your local audience (the goal is to have regulars who “take care of it”).