So you want to create a video that everyone'll talk about. You want it to be shared globally and earn views, retweets and "likes." In other words, you want it to go viral,
like Dollar Shave Club's hilarious video, which earned the company a
whopping 12,000 new customers in the first two days it hit the internet.
How do you make that happen? There is no surefire formula. You can't conjure up viral;
you can't force it. But here's the thing: If you are looking to market
your business, you don't necessarily need a viral hit--you just need to
attract enough attention to draw customers. Here's how.
Focus on the story. Before trying to be clever,
consider the message. Why are you producing the video? What problems
does your company tackle, and in what unique ways does it do so?
"Most marketers have a tendency to focus on the product, but it's
more interesting to talk about what problem your product can solve,"
says Tim Washer, who creates video for Cisco as senior manager of social
media. Ideally, that problem is one shared by your prospects, so
they'll recognize their pain in your video.
Dollar Shave Club's clip
got attention because it was funny. But it earned buyers because at its
heart was a real story: Razor blades are excessively complicated and
expensive. ("Do you think your razor needs a vibrating handle, a
flashlight, a back-scratcher and 10 blades?")
Keep it tight. Think short and punchy--ideally, two
minutes or less, with something really compelling in the first 15 or 20
seconds. Effective online content demands participation, always driving
viewers to move forward. As Arianna Huffington noted in a keynote speech
for MarketingProfs: "If you are consuming old media, you are consuming
it on your couch. If you are consuming new media, you are consuming it
on your horse." Most important (and obvious): People won't share a video
they abandoned midway through because it was too long.
Of course, there are exceptions. Under Armour had a hilarious clip of
Tom Brady being mocked by an employee at a Los Angeles Dick's Sporting
Goods store--not because he's from the rival New England Patriots, but
because of Boston accents. I found myself watching all three minutes of
what was essentially a commercial.
Be unexpected. An element of surprise drives sharing
and enhances your company's personality. In a video shoot for Golf
Magazine, top instructor Charlie King filmed an off-the-cuff "tutorial,"
showing the proper way to angrily throw your club into the "watery
grave." The clip was a hit on Golf.com, and it provided an "aha" moment
for King, who realized that his dry humor could be a differentiator for
the content he produces for the Reynolds Golf Academy in Greensboro, Ga.
If you need help in the creativity department, contact a local
improvisational comedy theater to find an actor or writer who might
conceive a fun video for a modest fee. "Give them a few parameters, ask
them to keep it clean and politically correct, then see what they come
up with," says Washer, who is trained in improv.
But unexpected doesn't have to mean hilarious--it might simply mean
enjoyable. Tell an untold story, such as an innovative time in your
industry's history or the "eureka" moment that inspired your business.
Unexpected does mean avoiding boring talking heads and incorporating
visually arresting images and footage that dramatizes a larger point.
Don't forget the basics. An effective video includes
a few must-haves: a descriptive headline; keyword-optimized
descriptions and tags; a call to action (what do you want people who
view your video to do next?); and a promotion plan with posts that link
to your video on relevant social networks. Make sure your clip is easy
to share by hosting it on networks that offer social sharing (like
YouTube or Vimeo), and make certain the embedding or sharing options are
enabled.
If you have a mailing list, don't forget e-mail promotion, says
Andrew Follett, founder of Oak Park, Ill.-based Demo Duck, which helps
businesses create videos. Although you may not be able to easily embed
video in your e-mail, he says, "you can include a video thumbnail that
links directly to your video on your website, ideally on a custom
landing page."
Get lucky. Sorry, but it's true: Luck is the real
driver of online success. "Out of 10 videos, if one catches fire, I'm
happy," Washer admits. So keep putting out great content, and who knows?
You just may land on a happy accident.
