The pressures of going viral online: Why SMEs are struggling behind the scenes

In the age of social media, going viral can instantly propel a business into the public eye. With recent success stories from The Hollie’s farm shop in Cheshire and fish and chip shop, Binley Mega Chippy, it’s no surprise that searches for “how to go viral” have increased 27% YOY.

However, sudden exposure can bring both opportunities and risks. A sudden surge in customers can strain resources, overwhelm staff, and risk long-term business stability if not managed properly.

Hiscox has spoken to small business owners who experienced virality as a small business to share the experience, how they handled it and what they learned.

Business experts James Dooley and David Horne, along with psychotherapist Eloise Skinner, share key strategies for navigating and leveraging viral success, giving small businesses the guidance they need to manage increased demand effectively. Hiscox insurance lead Nick Thornhill also advises on the importance of business insurance for long-term protection during viral periods.

See the research here: https://www.hiscox.co.uk/business-blog/small-business-guide-handling-viral-success

The immediate impact of virality: why short-win tactics attract short-lived customers

While going viral may seem like the catalyst to a thriving business, it is often short-lived and can be difficult to sustain. Some businesses may see immediate effects such as increased app downloads and class signups, but they shouldn’t assume this will be long lasting.

Samantha Hornsby’s company, ERIC, saw one of its TikTok videos about a BBC career initiative go viral, leading to a dramatic increase in app downloads. Samantha says, “The immediate impact on the business was that app downloads quadrupled that month. We normally get between 5,000 to 10,000 downloads a month organically, but we had nearly 40,000 downloads that month.”

However, Samantha quickly realised that many of these downloads were short-lived. She found that viral success didn’t equate to long-term business growth, and consistent high download numbers.

She reflects, “It lulled us into a false sense of security in the way we had lots of downloads very quickly, which is our main metric for success. Not all stayed because they were downloading the app to access that one opportunity with the BBC and then deleted it after. We learned quickly that going viral doesn’t necessarily mean stability for a business, and that high download numbers alone aren’t enough to count on.”

Similarly, Nana Crawford’s dance business, Jiggle Fiit, experienced a surge in popularity after a few of her videos went viral. “This resulted in a 118% increase in website traffic and a 30% boost in class sign-ups” she shares. But the numbers soon dropped off when the viral video lost momentum.

Behind the viral moment: the mental toll of social media

The thrill of going viral can be exhilarating for business owners, but the pressure and mental toll that follow are often overlooked. Samantha and Nana experienced first-hand the challenges that come with viral moments, from online criticism to the constant pressure to maintain attention.

Samantha encountered the challenging side of virality when a BBC-related TikTok drew in a wave of critical comments, she says “There’s definitely a dark side to TikTok and going viral meant that we unfortunately got an insight into this. While 99% of those comments weren’t about me, it was absolutely terrifying to see how vicious people can be online and how vocal they are about something they dislike”.

Likewise, Nana found that the pressure to keep sharing posts to maintain viral attention was affecting her mental health. She adds, “The pressure to maintain the attention took a toll on my mental health. I’ve realised that my mental health is more important than chasing virality. Ironically, once I started putting less pressure on myself, I found that my videos continued to perform well.”

Detrimental queues: managing the surge of virality

The newfound attention and spike in customers can be exciting, but an overnight demand for your product/service can also overwhelm small businesses if not handled properly.

When Chatsworth Bakehouse went viral, owners Sian and Tom faced the challenge of maintaining quality customer service amid a surge of new customers. Sian says “People say there is always a queue, but actually a queue can be detrimental. We really want you to be able to walk in.”

Small businesses often pride themselves on the quality and experience that people have with them. A quick viral video can have the potential to unravel the positive experiences that regulars have built- particularly if the busyness sacrifices the experience customers know and love.

To maintain customers’ positive experience, Sian hired someone specifically to manage the line and satisfy pastry lovers’ appetites. “They’ll tell everyone what’s going on, what’s selling and what’s not selling, and give them tasters. It’s really helped us.”

Three tips for business owners who go viral

1. Stay grounded and look after mental health during busy periods

Navigating the pressures of a viral moment can be intense. Eloise Skinner, Psychotherapist advises business owners to pace themselves and seek support during high-stress periods. “Remember that viral moments do often subside, and calmer periods are likely to return. Try to get as much support as you can during the viral period- including support for your personal life as well as your professional life.”

To stay grounded, Eloise suggests making notes of comments you want to follow up on later, adding “In the midst of a viral experience, things can easily get lost or overlooked- if there’s some important feedback you want to action, or a comment you’d like to respond to, make a note of it, and return to it later.”

2. Consider hiring temporary staff to relieve busyness

Business growth expert and founder of Add Then Multiply, David explains how helpful hiring temporary staff can be when it comes to keeping up with demand. “Expanding the team with temporary staff or freelancers provides immediate support, allowing the core team to stay focused without risking burnout. It’s all about splitting the work smartly so nobody gets buried.”

James Dooley, entrepreneur and SEO expert adds “I’ve seen companies use partnerships to scale their logistics quickly, whether it’s by outsourcing fulfilment to third-party services or temporarily hiring additional staff to help manage orders. The trick is to ensure that your operations don’t buckle under the strain, which could lead to negative reviews or harm your brand. Building relationships with flexible suppliers ahead of time will help ramp up production fast.”

3. Work on retention tactics for any new customers who find you after going viral

To help sustain customers and growth post-virality, David says, “Offer special deals to keep interest high. Once things settle down, analyse what happened. Look at your metrics and see what they are telling you. You might find new customer segments you had previously ignored.”

David also advises owners not to lose their human touch. He suggests regular emails “go out to everyone who has newly registered/ordered/been captured in your system. These will go a long way to keeping people interested and staying around while you manage a backlog. Sustainable growth lies in cultivating a smaller, engaged, and targeted audience.”

Speaking on the importance of business insurance, Nick Thornhill, Direct and Partnerships Director at Hiscox says: “Having the right insurance in place, like employers’ liability and public liability cover, can help protect your business. These policies are there to support you if issues like workplace accidents or third-party claims come up, so you can focus on running your business with confidence.”