The Hidden Truth Behind Building a Viral Brand

Your Social Media Strategy
3 min readSep 5, 2024

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Photo by Owen Beard on Unsplash

Building a brand that sticks isn’t a walk in the park. I’ve been in the social media game for over 8 years, and let me tell you — it took me 2 whole months to get my first viral post. That’s right, 2 months of consistent effort before seeing any significant results.

The Reality of Brand Building

Let’s cut through the noise and get real about what it takes to build a brand that people actually care about.

The Trust Factor

Ever heard of the “Rule of 7”? It’s not just some made-up marketing fluff. It takes 5–7 touch points for people to start trusting your brand. Think about that for a second. You need to show up at least 5 times before someone even considers giving you the time of day.

The Success Stories We Don’t See

We love to celebrate success, but we often overlook the failures that paved the way. Take Stephen Curry, for instance. The guy’s missed over 8,500 shots in his career. But does anyone call him a failure? Hell no. He’s considered one of the best shooters in NBA history.

Or look at Cristiano Ronaldo. He scores a goal every 6 shots on average. That means he misses 5 out of every 6 attempts. Yet, he’s the all-time top goal scorer.

Meanwhile, you’re out here posting once and throwing in the towel when it doesn’t blow up. See the disconnect?

The Truth About “Overnight” Success

Here’s what you need to drill into your head:

  1. True success is a long-term game. There’s no shortcut, no magic pill, no secret formula.
  2. Behind every “overnight” success is a backstory. Years of hard work, failed attempts, and relentless persistence.

Making Your Brand Stick: The No-BS Approach

Want to build a brand that actually means something? Here’s what you need to do:

1. Consistency is King

Keep showing up. Every. Single. Day. Even when it feels like you’re shouting into the void. Because guess what? You probably are, at first. But that’s how you build momentum.

2. Engage Like You Mean It

Stop treating your audience like numbers. They’re real people. Talk to them. Respond to comments. Slide into DMs. Build real connections. That’s how you grow recognition.

3. Patience and Persistence Pay Off

This isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon. And sometimes, it feels like a marathon through quicksand. But keep pushing. The payoff is worth it.

The Hard Truth You Need to Hear

Let’s get one thing straight:

  • Your first post? It’s gonna suck.
  • Your first offering? Probably not great.
  • Your first sales pitch? Awkward as hell.

But here’s the kicker — that’s okay. In fact, it’s necessary. Growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It requires iteration. Persistence. Grit.

Are you ready to put in the work? Because that’s what it takes. No shortcuts. No hacks. Just consistent, relentless effort.

The Bottom Line

Remember this: every big name out there, every influencer with millions of followers, every brand that seems untouchable — they all started with zero. Zilch. Nada.

The difference between them and the countless others who gave up? They kept going. They pushed through the silence, the self-doubt, the crickets chirping on their posts.

So, what’s it gonna be? Are you in this for the long haul, or are you looking for a quick fix? Because I can tell you right now, there’s no such thing as an overnight success in this game.

💡 Hey, my name is Frank Velasquez. I’m a social media strategist and consultant.

→ Find me on LinkedIn.

→ Get a FREE GPT to build faster strategies HERE

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