Five Secrets of Viral Videos
Viral Video Marketing
We've all seen the online posts that take off - millions of views in mere hours. They're often videos of something surprising or shocking: A half court throw for the win in the final second of the basketball game; a cat dancing on his hind legs to country music; a soldier reuniting with his kids by jumping out of a giant birthday cake at a party. On the surface, these posts have nothing in common. But if you dig a little deeper, you will find that all viral videos follow the same rules. We want to share with you the five components that will make any video spread like wildfire online. Not every viral video will have all five of them - sometimes just two or three of these components is enough. But if you do have all five, you have the golden ticket - that video will go viral.
1. Narrative
Your video has to tell a story. People connect better with stories. They see the people in your video and think, "That could be me.” “That could be my kid." You need to make your videos personal and take your audience on a brief but memorable journey. This Proctor and Gamble video has more than four million views – it tells a story of triumph amidst a global crisis. It also hits the four points below – this is that golden ticket of viral video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZciNNbgXSIA
2. Emotion
Viral video nearly always elicits an emotion. What emotion do you want your video to draw out of the viewer and how will you use your video to tap into that emotion? Microsoft uses nostalgia in its “Child of the 90s” video to reintroduce Internet Explorer to millennials. It emotionally resonates with the target audience who “see” themselves on-screen, feel the connection and share the video. It has more than 50 million views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkM6RJf15cg
3. Authenticity
The internet is not designed to be presentational. It's designed for engagement. Your viewers want to feel as if they're in the room with you, seeing what you're seeing and feeling what you're feeling. If television has highly produced commercials, the internet has iPhone videos in their most raw form. And that's the way internet users like it. Online users want to see behind the curtain. Put the high-tech editing systems away and give them raw access inside your world. Check out the video below. It became the first video to ever reach 1 million views on YouTube. It was a Nike digital ad featuring a Brazilian soccer star. This would never fly as a commercial on television. But it defined the concept of a "viral video" on the internet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=i_JS1YG8H2c&feature=emb_logo
4. Community
Video needs to be shared for it to go viral, which means you need a community of people who will do the sharing. This community can be any group - moms, people in Kansas, student athletes, people who buy laundry detergent. As you create your video, you need to be focused on your audience and the community that will share your content.
5. Inundation
You are wasting an opportunity if you post your video once and walk away. With successful viral videos, posting the video is just the first step. You need to keep that content at the top of your audience’s social media feed by engaging with the commenters. Answer their questions. Like their pithy quotes and acknowledge their ideas. One survey found that as many as 80% of the comments on the average social media post are not about the post itself – they’re comments about other comments. This engagement not only breathes continued life into your post, it helps build the aforementioned community.
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