What if your firm became the number one hit on YouTube?  What if suddenly everyone was talking about your company and its great products?  It could happen faster than you think.

The power of the web is virtually limitless, and once a particular website, video or news story gains traction that attention can feed on itself and create a sensation.  This power has created many unlikely overnight wonders, and helped many smart companies make a great deal of money.

Creating a video that goes viral can be a huge marketing win for any company, no matter what industry that company is in.  From media companies to sellers of office supplies, every company can benefit from a smart marketing campaign.

Unfortunately there is no sure fire way to make your company video a viral video.  If there was everyone would be doing it and the whole thing would cease to have any meaning.  The good news is that most viral videos seem to have a number of things in common, and incorporating those elements into your own videos can boost the chances that your creation will become the next big thing.  Among the characteristics shared by many viral videos are:

1. Short duration – when it comes to the web attention spans are notoriously short.  If you don’t grab the attention of the viewer in those critical first seconds they may click away and never return.  Keep your video focused, engaging and entertaining.
2. Add music to your video – sound plays a big part in engaging viewers and getting them to pay attention.   When adding music it is a good idea to create your own tunes rather than use someone else’s.  YouTube and other providers take a dim view of copyright infringement.
3. Keep your music upbeat.  Music with a fast beat will be a good fit for your short, powerful and engaging video.
4. Parodies and spoofs are particularly prone to going viral. Viewers love videos that make fun of current events or a big name in the news.  Parodying a popular TV show, song or movie is a great way to get noticed.
5. Make your video both funny and accessible.  Funny videos are more likely to be passed around from person to person, and these funny videos can quickly spread around the web.  For greatest impact make sure the humor you use has a wide appeal.  Avoid attempts to be overly clever, and make sure you preview your video to a wide range of people to make sure the humor translates across various demographic groups.
6. Use fast edits and quick cuts in your video.  Attention spans are short on the web, and fast cutting makes that into an advantage.  Staying with the same scene too long can bore your viewers and cause them to click away.  Fast cutting and clever editing can make them stay.
7. Don’t play it safe. Safe videos rarely if ever go viral.  It is the outrageous and the offbeat that gets noticed, so don’t be afraid to get a little crazy.
8. Capture the viewer from the first second.  When it comes to video on the web it is vital to get the attention of your viewer right from the start.  If you don’t engage the viewer in the first 5 seconds you have lost them forever.  Try to put something outrageous – even shocking – in those first 5 seconds.
9. Your ideas are more important than your equipment. You can create the next YouTube sensation using a $100 webcam if you have the right ideas.  Some of the biggest video sensations have been shot using amateur technology.  Don’t fret if you can’t afford the latest and greatest video editing gear.
10. Resist the urge to make a commercial. If you are using your video to market your business it is understandable to want to use your logo and company taglines.  But if the finished product looks too much like a commercial it is unlikely to succeed.  When was the last time you eagerly forwarded an obvious advertisement to everyone on your mailing list?

Andrea Kalli
Certified Internet and Social Marketing VA

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MATERIAL CONNECTION DISCLOSURE: You should assume that I, Andrea Kalli, have an affiliate relationship and/or another material connection to the providers of goods and services mentioned in this page and may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

Tags and Categories: business, creating your own viral sensation, Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, video, video editing, viral, viral video that became a sensation hit on youtube, ways to make your podcast viral, youtube

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