Six tips on how to make a viral video

Videos can be a powerful tool in online marketing, and brands are increasingly using them in campaigns and websites. Not only can videos help your brand connect with audiences quickly, they also provide engaging content that people are more likely to respond to. That’s not all. If people like your content, it’s more likely that they will share it, opening up a whole new audience that you may not have reached previously. This could subsequently provide you with an increase in website traffic, social media followers, and even new sales. To help you make the most out of your videos, our digital agency has put together six tips on how to make a viral video that people will want to watch, and share.

Invest in quality
If you are creating a viral video for your brand, make sure it is produced to a high quality.  People don’t share videos that are grainy, poorly edited, or contain problems with sound, no matter how good they may be. That being said, videos do not need to have a high budget in order to achieve high quality results. These days HD digital cameras and editing software are an affordable option for companies that cannot hire professional videographers.

People only share content they like…
…so give them a reason to!  The key is knowing your audience and understanding what they like, dislike, and share with friends. If you don’t know your audience and you’re giving them video content they’re not interested in, you won’t stand a chance.

For example, if sports are your audiences’ social motivation, then that could be your bait.  If your company sponsors a sports team, then share some footage of the team practicing or interview some players. Even brands that don’t have a direct link to sports can create a video for their sports fans. For example, a pizzeria could release a video for a Pizzathalon—using events like tossing the dough, and running a race to deliver the pizza to add that sports feeling to the video. By giving your audience the entertainment they like, they’ll be much more keen to share it with their friends.

Expand your social platforms
YouTube and Facebook are not the be-all and end-all of video marketing. If your aim is to get more shares, then look into other video platforms that your audience uses, including Vimeo, Vine and Instagram. Depending on the video and it’s length, we would recommend putting it on multiple social networks, and your website, in order to maximise the number of people who see it and potentially share it.

Get emotional
People prefer sharing videos that contain opinions or emotions over pure facts, so this is an important consideration before creating your video.  Videos that elicit an emotional response, especially joy, laughter, or that heart-melting feeling, are three times more likely to be shared than those that don’t.  That being said, videos that induce sadness or relaxation are not shared as much, so we recommend creating videos that contain positive content.

Humour is great, but it’s not always the answer
Humourous videos tend to be shared more often but it’s a tough genre to crack because the standards are set very high. If humour isn’t done right, your video could end up a dud and your entire campaign could suffer. If you want your video to stand out and you don’t have the right humour to make it really funny, it may be better to focus on a unique storyline or editing technique. That way, your video will have a better chance of being memorable and stand out to your audience.

Midweek launch
The launch day for a video can actually influence how much it is shared. Often brands think Monday is the most appropriate day, as it’s the first day of the week, but according to recent research, almost 50% of shares taking place between Wednesday and Friday. With 100 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, launching your video at the end of the week could improve its chances of being seen and shared.

The influence a viral video can have on a brand’s marketing can surpass any other activities in the campaign, so it’s no wonder brands are increasingly trying to get people to share their video content. There are now even Viral Video Awards that recognise the success of highly shared videos. These tips on how to make a viral video should help improve the shareability of your videos and get your brand noticed by more people.

Have you got another tip to share? Let us know in the comments below.

For more information about our social media services, please contact our digital agency today.