Going viral & zucchini boats

Your video went viral, let’s go! Now what do you do?

How do you turn views into followers and conversions for your business?

If you’re not doing these key things after viral content, you’re missing out BIG time. Remember— social media isn’t just about posting. There’s a lot that goes in behind-the-scenes to drive growth.

When your content goes viral, you have a lot of eyes on your profile, so you have to take advantage of that!

Before we jump in…

Welcome back to Macaroni & Marketing— where you’ll find delish recipes and marketing tips all in one place.

Today we’ll be sharing:

• Marketing tip— what to do after going viral

• Recipe— tofu parm zucchini boats

Happy you’re here 💗

BTW- I work with startups, VCs and entrepreneurs to build their audiences online. Learn more about my work with my portfolio!

What does “viral” mean on social media? ✨

Every brand might have a different definition of “viral” based on their follower count, engagement rate, average views etc.

But for the startups I work with, I generally define viral as 10K+ views or impressions.

10,000 people viewed your content, but that’s not all they did. Think about what YOU do after you watch a video you really like. Do you keep scrolling? Click on the creator’s profile? Look for similar videos? View the creator’s links to other social platforms?

The user journey doesn’t stop at viewing. So your social strategy can’t stop at posting. Let’s walk through what your strategy SHOULD look like.

7 things to do after you go viral

Here’s how you can make the most of your viral moment:

1. Respond to every comment: Engaging with your audience is key during virality. You want to keep people talking! When you respond to a comment, that person gets a notification about your response. They’re now more likely to click back to your post to see the comment, adding more views, and they might even comment back, adding more engagement. This is also a great time to flex your brand voice and let people see your personality in the comments.

2. DM commenters: People who comment on the post have a higher intent to connect with your brand. Send each commenter a personal DM to continue the conversation and work up to a conversion. After chatting for a bit, send the link to your website, and help them see what value your product can offer for them.

3. Make sure your bio is up to date: Ideally you do this before you go viral, but no worries if not. Your bio is people’s first introduction to your brand, so make sure it captures not just what you are, but what value you offer for your target audience.

4. Make sure your link is up to date: The link in your bio is your main conversion driver on social media. If more people are viewing your profile, you’re going to organically get more clicks on that link. Make sure it’s either the most important link (ex. your website) or a linktree/stan store that captures multiple important links for your business.

5. Pin similar content: If people liked the viral content, they’re going to look to see if your profile has more content like that before they follow you. Make it easy for them to find it by pinning it to the top of your profile.

6. Post again…soon: Ride the viral wave by posting again. This will also keep your new followers engaged. You don’t have to post exactly the same content as your viral video, but make it something similar enough so new followers get what they followed for.

7. Repost on your story and ask a question: Another way to keep people talking is to repost the content on your story with a poll, quiz or question sticker. Ask people to respond to the content in another way, then share their responses.

There you have it! Now go pull off a successful viral moment for your business.

Want to chat 1:1 about crafting a unique brand voice for your startup or business?

Tofu parm zucchini boats

A spin on chicken parm, stuffed into a zucchini boat, this vegetarian meal is anything but boring.

I love stuffing veggies because it’s a low-carb way to get your protein in. I used tofu, but you can easily sub in ground chicken, turkey or beef.

This is a cheesy, saucy and healthy take on an Italian classic, seasoned to perfection.

I hope you love it!

Ingredients

• 3 large zucchinis

• 9 oz tofu

• Tomato or marina sauce

• Mozzarella cheese (you can use low fat)

• Parmesan cheese (optional topping)

• Italian seasoning

• Salt, pepper, garlic

• Onion

Directions

1. Scoop out your zucchini centers to form “boats”. Be careful not to scrape away too much of the sides, or else your boats will overflow!

2. Place zucchinis face up on a non-stick or aluminum pan, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

3. While your zucchinis roast, heat oil in a skillet or pan and saute garlic and onion.

4. Press your tofu to get all of the water out. Crumble the tofu into a bowl and season with salt, pepper, garlic and Italian seasoning. Place onto hot pan and cook until slightly brown/crispy (7-10 minutes).

5. Remove zucchinis from oven and fill with tomato or marinara sauce. Then layer with tofu and mozzarella cheese. I’m not sure exactly how much cheese I used, but just eyeball it.

6. Gently press the filling down in each boat with a spoon, top with Italian seasoning, and place back into the oven.

7. Once cheese melts and starts to brown (~7-8 minutes), remove from oven. Note- if you want browner cheese, you can turn on the broiler in your oven. Top with Parmesan cheese & serve!

See u next time for more recipes & marketing tips 👋 ✨ 

Don’t forget to subscribe so you get these delivered to your inbox weekly!