It seems like there’s a new hot marketing trend people can’t wait to try every week. A decade ago everyone was talking about SEO, but now almost everyone knows how to get their website to rank well in Google.
Five years ago every business was setting up their own Facebook page. Now there are so many social networks to choose from. Snapchat, Instagram, and other visual platforms are dominating social media right now. If you want to find new customers, you need the right kind of video content.
The Benefits of Viral Video Marketing
It’s official, video marketing is hot in 2017. You’ve probably heard of something going viral before, but you may not have been told about the benefits of viral video marketing.
Want to know how powerful having the right kind of video content can be?
Think about the last time you were scrolling through your own social media news feeds. You probably scrolled past a lot of videos, and maybe even watched a few on your own. You know that video content can grab your attention, and it’s grabbing a lot of other people’s attention too.
Let the numbers do the talking.
According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index, it’s estimated that internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer internet traffic by 2019. The year 2019 isn’t that far away. If you want to stay on top of your market and appeal to new customers, you need your own viral video marketing strategy.
Making a video go viral isn’t as simple as shooting something on your phone and posting it on social. There are some things you can do that can help your video content have the potential to go viral. There isn’t a set formula that will guarantee that whatever you produce will go viral. There are some things you can do that can help your content’s chances of being spread.
Spread the Word
If you want your content to go viral, you need to make sure that enough people are able to see it.
Posting a video link on your social media platforms is a good start, but if you stick to your own profiles it won’t go very far. One of the keys to proper viral video marketing involves leaving your comfort zone and posting beyond your own profiles.
Leave the link as a comment on other popular pages to get more people to see it, and be sure to comment back if people start to react.
Once you’ve posted on social, it’s time to go even further and reach different people.Internet forums are an excellent way to share content and reach new potential customers. Websites like Reddit and Tumblr are great forums for posting video content.
Be Original
We’ve all witnessed it. All of the sudden something goes viral, and business, YouTubers, and bloggers are doing copycat videos in hopes of getting some views.
While it is a good idea to produce content that will be popular with other people, the idea here is to go viral, not just get views. People aren’t going to be eager to share videos of things they’ve already seen. You need to give them something they haven’t seen before.
Don’t feel pressured to ride off of someone else’s coattails. When it comes to viral video marketing, originality is your best asset.
Keep it Timely
Viewers are going to want to view content that’s interesting to them. Pick a theme or topic that appeals to a wide array of people. The easiest way to do that is to think about things that are current.
Sometimes the easiest way to stay on people’s minds is to created content that ties into something they’re already thinking about. Is there a popular holiday coming up that people are excited about? Do a holiday-themed video and properly tag it with the right keywords to ensure that enough people can see it. Did something big just happen in your town or city? Produce a video that ties into the event.
Grab People’s Attention
When you release a video, you’re adding your content to a social media channel or video sharing platform that has millions of other pieces of content on it.
One of the important rules of viral video marketing is to make sure that you create content that can catch people’s attention. A study from Microsoft has found that the average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds. If you want to grab people’s attention, you need to do it as fast as you can.
The key to producing viral video content is make something that’s short and easy to digest. Name your video something interesting, and clearly state what it’s going to be about up front. Some people have found that it’s helpful to start videos off with a short text description that can tell the audience what’s in store.
Pick a Theme and Build on It
When you’re doing viral video marketing, it can be easy to try to do too much at the same time. Don’t feel the need to do too much in your video. Focus on one idea or theme, and do your best to make it as interesting as possible.
Once you’ve picked your idea or theme, see how it resonates with your audience. You could discover that your viral videos can fill a niche. If you’re a tax attorney that did a successful one-minute video on filing advice for businesses, you could produce more videos that give tax and financial advice to business owners.
Viral video marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. If you feel like you’ve made content that your audience likes, make as much of it as possible!
Wrapping Up
The most important thing to remember throughout the video making process is that you’re making something that’s supposed to resonate with people. Focus on making something that’s interesting, informative, fun, or ideally a combination of all three. As long as your content is valuable to the viewer, your video can get shared.
Do you have any tips you’d like to share with readers about making videos go viral? Tell us about it in our comments section.