What Makes a Video Go Viral?

Creating and successfully marketing a viral video is the dream of every video producer, yet very few can achieve that status. While incorporating the following elements into your company’s next video won’t guarantee a viral smash, it will certainly improve your chances of getting noticed and make the video more effective for those who do watch it. Businesses must remember that video creation for online marketing is still in its infancy. YouTube and the general boom of the internet has only been in existence since the early 2000’s, so we are still very much in the pioneering stages of this marketing platform.

Video Elements to Consider

Whether your marketing team decides to pursue a full blown production or a simpler video, these elements add depth and likeability to your video.

• Humor. Most of the items shared online have some sense of humor about them. From memes to funny Facebook statuses, users love sharing humorous content with your friends. The team behind the Will It Blend? Series on YouTube certainly took advantage of the comical idea of putting anything in a blender.
• Quality. This refers to both the video quality and the quality of the content. More and more video is being shot in HD, and as audiences become accustomed to HD, anything less than quality video – especially from a business – is noticed. Even if you don’t shoot your video in HD, aim for video that will display with relatively decent resolution. As far as content is concerned, remember to trim out fluff and keep the video short enough to retain attention.
• Personality. The goal of every marketing campaign should include building a brand’s story. Part of this process, should your business decide to embark in video, includes showcasing personality. Whether it’s the way that on-camera talent talks or the editing style, the personality of the video should be cohesive with your overall marketing strategy.
• Connection. Videos go viral because they connect with their audience. They make people laugh, inform, teach, persuade. How does your video connect?
• Controversy. New headlines always grab our attention for a reason. They’re catchy and they’re controversial. While controversy is certainly not good for many brands, the attention that a video can earn is limitless. Lady Gaga is a prime example of controversial, yet successful branding.

Incorporating These Elements Into Your Brand

The goal of creating a video shouldn’t be to go viral. Going viral is a bonus. Something that comes after creating a quality video. Before beginning the video creation process, determine what it is you want the video to accomplish. Is it a tutorial? Will you explicitly promote a product? In other words, these elements cannot help the video unless the purpose of the video can stand on its own.

Since approximately 80 percent of the U.S. internet audience watches at least 1 YouTube video on a daily basis, consider uploading the video to YouTube and pursuing an established channel. Many businesses opt to upload to Vimeo or to their existing social profiles such as Facebook. Though these are wise decisions, businesses that ignore YouTube altogether miss out on potential free traffic.

Has your business gone viral?