Business 2 CommunityHow to Make a Viral Video (Infographic)
A Little Extra Work Goes a Long Way
If you want your video to reach as many people as possible, you need to create something that will go viral. It isn’t just a matter of creating a video, posting it on YouTube, and hoping it gets viewed. Nothing is ever that simple.
Viral video has become more than just the usual funny cat or baby video. Companies have turned to creating viral videos as a way to advertise clothes without creating an expensive commercial. Movies have put out short YouTube videos as a viral marketing technique. Jimmy Kimmel released several videos that brought attention to his show once viewers realized who created them.
If you are looking to promote yourself or a product or service, there are ways to ensure your video goes viral.
Time is on Your Side
The most important thing is to consider time when creating your video. Keep the mantra “KISS” in mind: Keep It Simple Stupid. Your video should be no more than three minutes. You don’t want to overload the viewer with too much information. There should be no problem compressing your message to ensure it keeps the viewer’s attention.
Another way to ensure you hook the audience is to put the biggest punch in the first 30 seconds of the video. A lot of people will move on to another video if their interest isn’t piqued immediately. Use humor or attention grabbing phrases and images to pull them in so they stay to the end.
Personalize Your Video
This is supposed to be a video to promote your or something you sell, so you want to make sure it is personal. Speak to your desired audience by telling a story about how you came to feel about your message. Connect with the viewers by letting them capture a glimpse inside your head.
Once you’ve put your personal message into video form, end it with a call to action. Ask the viewer how they feel about what you had to say. Let them tell their own story in the comments. Give them a request to share it if they agree. These shares are really how a video goes viral. If your audience agrees with what you have put out there, they will share it with a personal comment about how it touched them.
Be Unorthodox
Don’t be afraid to use humor, even if it is slightly offensive. However, you want to make sure to test the video with a wide audience so you don’t alienate your potential customers. Don’t skimp on the time you take to test it. You don’t want to fall flat before you even get started by going too far over the line.
People have the ability to see humor in even the most serious of situations, so use it to your advantage. Humor is universal, so no matter what language or culture you are targeting, using comedy will result in the attention you are looking for.
You should also consider using controversial statements to grab attention, but be careful. Make sure those statements align with your company vision and isn’t stated just for shock value. If you say something that people won’t agree with, it will generate a conversation amongst your viewers. That conversation will lead to shares amongst their friends and followers requesting further discussion. All of this will help propel your video that much closer to viral status.
Don’t Forget the Small Details
You would think that by just having a creative script full of humor would be enough, but that just isn’t the case. To help capture the attention of the audience you also need to consider music, font, and graphics. Be smart with the background music you choose as YouTube is notorious for removing videos that have copyrighted music in it.
When it comes to font, you may be surprised that there are fonts out there that can turn off the viewer. If you plan on having font and graphics mixed in with your message, take time to research what is most appealing.
Now that you’ve taken the time to create the perfect video, get ready to put it out there. Don’t just put it on YouTube and hope people happen across it. Start out by promoting it within your own network. Request your existing followers watch and share, and thank them for doing so. Before you know it, your viral video will be plastered across the most popular social media networks the Internet has to offer.
photo credit: Viktor Hertz via photopincc
This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: How to Make a Viral Video (Infographic)
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