• Table of Contents

  • Stop Chasing Virality: Build a Brand That Outlives the Algorithm
  • The Cult of Virality: A Modern Marketing Mirage
  • Brand > Buzz: The Long Game Wins
  • So, how do you build a brand that outlives the algorithm?
  • Step 1: Define Your Brand DNA (No, “We’re Authentic” Doesn’t Count)
  • Step 2: Create Content That’s Useful, Not Just Viral-Bait
  • Step 3: Build Community, Not Just Followers
  • Step 4: Measure What Matters (Spoiler: It’s Not Views)
  • Real Talk: Brands That Did It Right

Stop Chasing Virality: Build a Brand That Outlives the Algorithm

Let’s get one thing straight: if your marketing strategy is “go viral,” you might as well be playing darts blindfolded in a hurricane. Sure, you might hit the bullseye once, but odds are you’ll end up with a dart in your foot and a bruised ego.

Virality is not a strategy. It’s a side effect. A symptom. Like sneezing when you look at the sun. You can’t plan for it, and you sure as hell can’t build a business on it.

The Cult of Virality: A Modern Marketing Mirage

Somewhere along the way, marketers started worshipping at the altar of the algorithm. “If we can just get this TikTok to blow up,” they say, “we’ll be set.”

Newsflash: TikTok fame is the new one-hit wonder. You might get 2 million views and 0 customers. That’s not marketing. That’s performance art.

Let’s look at the data:

• Only 1.6% of viral content leads to a measurable increase in brand recall (Source: HubSpot, 2023)
• Less than 0.5% of viral posts convert to direct sales (Source: Content Marketing Institute)
• 100% of CMOs who chase virality without strategy end up crying into their KPIs (Source: Me, watching it happen)

Brand > Buzz: The Long Game Wins

Here’s the truth bomb you didn’t know you needed:

“A brand is what people say about you when the algorithm forgets you exist.”

Virality is a sugar high. Brand is the protein shake. One gives you a spike, the other builds muscle. You want muscle. You want to be the Patagonia of your category, not the Harlem Shake of your industry.

So, how do you build a brand that outlives the algorithm?

Glad you asked. Let’s break it down like a 90s boy band reunion tour—step-by-step, slightly nostalgic, and surprisingly effective.

Step 1: Define Your Brand DNA (No, “We’re Authentic” Doesn’t Count)

Your brand isn’t your logo. It’s not your color palette. It’s not even your tagline (though if it’s “We’re passionate about solutions,” please fire your agency).

Your brand is your promise + your personality + your proof.

• Promise: What do you consistently deliver?
• Personality: How do you show up in the world?
• Proof: What backs up your big talk?

Example: Liquid Death. Their promise? Murder your thirst. Personality? Metal AF. Proof? $263 million in funding and a cult following that would drink water from a lava lamp if it had their logo on it.

Step 2: Create Content That’s Useful, Not Just Viral-Bait

Instead of chasing trends like a golden retriever on espresso, create content that solves real problems, answers real questions, and makes your audience say, “Damn, that was actually helpful.”

Use this simple framework:

• Teach: Share insights your audience can use today
• Entertain: Make them laugh, cry, or at least not yawn
• Convert: Give them a reason to take the next step

Pro tip: If your content could be replaced with a stock photo of a handshake and no one would notice, start over.

Step 3: Build Community, Not Just Followers

Followers are numbers. Community is leverage. When you build a brand people believe in, they don’t just like your posts—they defend you in comment sections like digital gladiators.

How to build community:

• Engage like a human, not a bot
• Reward loyalty (shoutouts, early access, memes—whatever fits your vibe)
• Listen more than you talk (yes, even if you’re a brand)

Remember: people don’t want to follow brands. They want to belong to movements. Be the movement.

Step 4: Measure What Matters (Spoiler: It’s Not Views)

Vanity metrics are like cotton candy—fluffy, colorful, and ultimately empty. Instead, track:

• Brand recall (run surveys, track mentions)
• Customer lifetime value (CLV > CTR any day)
• Referral rate (are people talking about you?)

If your content gets 100 views and 10 conversions, that’s better than 1 million views and zero action. Unless your goal is to impress your cousin at Thanksgiving. In that case, go viral, I guess.

Real Talk: Brands That Did It Right

Let’s look at a few brands that said “no thanks” to the virality hamster wheel and built something lasting:

• Basecamp: Built a cult following by being opinionated, useful, and allergic to BS.
• Oatly: Turned oat milk into a lifestyle with weird, wonderful packaging and unapologetic messaging.
• Mailchimp: Grew by educating small businesses, not chasing trends. Their content is a masterclass in brand voice.

None of them went viral overnight. But they all built brands