Every content creator’s dream is to create a video that will go viral. It’s not as easy as it sounds though. Around 3.7 million new videos get uploaded to YouTube every day and there are more than 1 billion video views on the fastest-growing video content app, TikTok.
On Facebook, an average of 100 million hours are watched daily, globally. According to Twitter, there are 2 billion video views on the Twitter platform every day and tweets with video get 10 times more engagement than tweets that have only text.
If you aren’t creating video, you risk missing out on one of the most popular ways that people consume content.
If you’re new to the video creation scene, you should do your research before you create your video in order to ensure that your video is seen, shared and commented-on by as many people as possible.
Why Video?
Video content has proven to be an effective tool in helping users understand a service or a product. If you want people to buy your product you must convey what it does and how it will help them. The visual element of a video is not only engaging but is effective in helping a business explain how their product works.
Research shows that videos give businesses a good return on their investment. If the video is well organized, well-presented and, hopefully, entertaining, it draws the audience in so that the message is received. Good videos can be made today without a lot of time-consuming and expensive effort using basic video equipment and software solutions (VideoScribe and Doodly are two such examples).
Videos can be used in a variety of ways. They can be posted on any of several social media sites including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitch and Snapchat so you can choose the platform that best comports with your material.
For instance, Twitch is where people look to see gaming videos, YouTube is recommended for public-facing and monetizing video content, Vimeo for content marketing, Facebook for live streams, Livestorm for establishing yourself as an authority and JW Player for building OTT video experiences.
Videos are helpful for Search Engine Optimization with many searches featuring videos on the top of Page 1 of the Google Search Page.
Getting Started
Every marketer dreams of producing a video that goes viral but it doesn’t happen very often. It does, sometimes, happen so if you want to improve your chances of getting noticed, you need to plan your video out before you start shooting.
Some elements that can help your video get noticed include humor, personality, quality and connection. You want to make people laugh, teach them, inform them and persuade them, Just remember that your editing style, on-camera speaking or performance and message should be cohesive with your overall marketing strategy.
Having a video go viral is a dream but it shouldn’t be your goal. A viral video comes after you’ve created a quality video. Start your creation process by considering what is it that you want the video to accomplish. Are you promoting a product? Providing a tutorial? Giving general information? You have to create a video that will stand on its own…. If it goes viral, that’s a bonus.
Tips
At one time, a viral video meant something funny or goofy that was spread via social media but today, viral videos refer to any story or picture that spreads across the internet. That includes content that’s relatable, informative, myth-busting or plain old weird. If it connects people and spreads among an audience, there’s a chance that it will go viral. A “viral video” today refers to 5 million views and upward so that should help to keep things in perspective.
There’s no one right way to create a video that will go viral but there are some guidelines that can help it come true.
- Check out the various types of video formats before choosing the one that’s right for your message.
- Keep your video focused on the message.
- Create content that’s relatable to your intended audience.
- Keep the video as short as possible.
- Post the video on as many platforms as you can.
- Do your research – speak to influencers in your field to get their ideas about which type of content will be most widely viewed.
- Don’t put up your content once and then assume that that’s it……post on a regular basis to keep your name, or your brand, in the public eye.
- Don’t forget platforms like Reddit which, while not specifically video platforms, feature videos and have an engaged audience of active viewers.
Other tips include:
- Post how-to videos. How-tos are extremely popular on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Whatever it is that you’re trying to convey, think about how to turn it into a tutorial.
- Title your videos “Did you Know?” or “8 (or any other number) Things to Know About XXXX”. People like these bite-sized truth parcels and appreciate them because they feel that they’re learning something.
- Stay on top of trends. People like “trends” videos because they like the feeling that they’re staying on top of something.
- Pay attention to your captions, hashtags and descriptions. Use appropriate keywords (do keyword searches to find the right keywords to make sure that you get noticed).
- Make sure that your content is fresh, updated and reliable. There’s nothing that will prevent you from getting the attention that you want like getting a reputation for being outdated and unreliable.
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