subject: How To Create A Successful Viral Video [print this page] Sharing information and ideas through online videos is an interesting way to grab the attention of your audience and encourage them to share it with their friends.
Who doesnt like watching videos of babies giggling away to glory or a group of college boys doing something funky with their skateboards? In fact, statistics show that approximately 4 billion videos are viewed on a daily basis on websites such as YouTube, and 60 hours worth of videos are streamed on this website every minute. The chances of these viewers not being your target audience are minimal and this is why a number of brands today are considering the option of creating videos with a prospect of them becoming viral for the benefit of internet marketing and high SEO rankings.
While one can seldom guarantee the success of making a video viral, a general analysis of those that go popular suggest a particular trend or set of common qualities -
1. Length of the Video
Statistics show that the average attention span of viewers is about 60 seconds. This means that the shorter your video, the more likely it is to keep the peoples attention and which will consequently result in social sharing. Try to communicate the point of the video within the first few seconds, and make sure that you dont compromise on its entertainment value.
2. Effective Branding
The entire point of creating a viral video as a brand is to have your audience members immediately relate to you when they view an individual or object that is presented through the video. Make sure that your video clearly demonstrates your brand. To be able to execute this effectively you need to have a clear idea on the public image of your brand, and your objective with respect to creating a particular brand perception.
3. Seeing is Believing
The easiest way to grab audience attention is by creating a video with extraordinary content. Do something creative, and make your audience members ask, Is that real? Creating the wow factor is a great way to encourage social shares and increasing viewer-ships. A number of brands are opting to rope in street magicians, stuntmen, and stand up comedians who have the power to wow the audience with their own skills.
4. Tickling the Funny Bone
Speaking of stand up comics, if you are able to make people laugh with your video; it is more likely that your video will be shared and taken viral. It is important to create content which is not just funny but also entertaining to your audience members. Pet animals doing unique tricks, funny baby videos and wedding videos have been able to gain the popularity they receive only on the basis of these factors.
5. Subtlety in Promotions
Another important thing to remember is that while you are creating a viral video, you dont really have directly promote anything. As long as you are able to convey which brand this video represents, and are able to make interesting content, your job is done. Hardcore promotions of your product of brand would be equivalent of creating a TVC which many times, has the opposite effect on audience members.
There are a number of creative ways in which one can promote their brand through viral video marketing. For example, flash mobs have gained recent popularity. Along with this you can also optimize user generated content. For example, brands like Coke have been able to leverage viral marketing through the Mentos fountain art that a few college kids created on Youtube. The key is to get creative and have fun.
