Viral Video Marketing: What You Need to Know

Nothing directs more traffic to your website than online video.

But not all videos are created equal. Some go viral within hours of being posted while others silently languish on YouTube, fallen soldiers in the online war for attention.

The fact is that nobody can predict what will go viral and what won’t, but there are a few tips you can use to give your video a fighting chance.

Strategy: No video is an island! First consider what you want the video to do and if your video needs supporting materials like a white paper or case studies. If you’re going to spend money on a professional production, your video should be part of a comprehensive strategy to achieve a certain objective: Increase sales, raise awareness, etc.

Brevity: Technically, there’s no correct length for a video but shorter is always better. Remember that, when online, most of us have the attention span of gnats. Depending on the purpose of your video (e.g. an in-depth explanation of an issue vs. a corporate advertisement) a minute tends to be more than enough. Why say it in five minutes when you can say it one?

Headlines: A good headline will single-handedly send hits through the roof. There are two best practices for writing a killer headline:

1. Check Google’s keyword tool to determine popular search terms and use those keywords in your title. This will help people to find your video the good old-fashioned way – through search!
2. Incorporate as many of these five words as possible in your headline: You, money, save, new and results. According to Yale University, these are the five most persuasive words in marketing.

Entertain: The best advertisements are so entertaining, we forget they’re ads! Think of the videos you like to send to your friends. What do they have in common? Are they funny? Informative? Inspiring? Don’t be afraid to be off-beat or a little wacky. When it comes to videos, wacky works!

Promote: Take advantage of social media and bookmarking sites to get the ball rolling. Post it on twitter, facebook and every bookmarking site you can think of. Email it to your grandmother and your best friend! Don’t be shy! Now is the time to tap into every network you can. Remember, the more people who view your video, the more successful you’ll be at achieving your marketing objectives.