Current viral affairs are an incomparable resource when it comes to content marketing. They basically serve on a silver platter the perfect foundations for content that has an immediate leg up; content that is guaranteed to resonate with a wide audience.
Having said that,
integrating current affairs into your digital strategy can be precarious ground. It is widely agreed that there is no tried and tested way to create viral content, and while current affairs afford the luxury of virally potent material to work with, it is hard to guarantee that your content will succeed.
Here are some key considerations to take into account when integrating viral current affairs into your content marketing strategy to help you get over this hurdle.
Expressing Your Emotions
Emotional fortitude plays a huge part in getting a response from your audience.
In content marketing, ‘arousal’ in your audience is what you need to aim for; this is the bread and butter of viral content.
The reason is actually quite scientific. It all comes down to psychology. While content that is positive tends to get shared far more than content that is negative, it goes so much deeper than this. What is paramount is the level of arousal a piece of content stirs in a reader, and this works on both ends of the spectrum.
Beige content is the least effect – something that inspires little emotional response in your audience. Meanwhile, content that evokes a positive reaction – amusement, joy, laughter – is shared more, as does content that elicits negative emotions – anger or anxiety.
Think about emotions as having an energy force. Those with a higher force – positive or negative – are far more virally potent. Those with a low energy force – sadness, hopelessness – will perform worse.
What does this mean for using viral current affairs in your content marketing strategy?
By opting to work with a topic that has proven viral potency, for example the current US political race, you are ensuring your content will resonate with a wide audience. The emotional stance you take however, will dictate just how much.
By simply sharing viral content, you are sure to get a small slice of the pie.
But by taking a viral affair like the US political race and repurposing it with your own emotional energy force reinvigorates the topic, adds to the conversation, and contributes to your piece’s viral potency a hundredfold.