A viral video may be one of the most effective ways to get your small business noticed. It has the potential to be seen by thousands of people in a short period of time. When done properly, it can increase awareness of your company. It can also get people to follow your social media accounts or signup for your email list. But this begs the question, How do you get a video to go viral? Here are some strategies that you can use to create a video that has the best chance of going viral.
Keep Your Videos Relatively Short
Typically, the ideal video will be kept to less than 60 seconds in length. This is because most people don’t have the greatest online attention span. It’s hard to keep them focused on your content for much longer than that. A message that needs more than a minute to be heard should be broken into smaller pieces. Having good video editing tools is essential.
It is, however, important to do your own research before determining the ideal length of a video. If you think that your viewers will watch 10 minutes of content, go ahead and make a longer video. If you think that they want to watch a 60-minute presentation, feel free to create those too. Ultimately, you want to deliver your message in a manner that resonates with your audience.
Considering the attention span of your target audience is essential when using product video production for brands as it helps you to determine the optimal length for your brand’s product videos. For example, if you’re targeting millennials, you’ll want to keep your videos fairly short; if you’re targeting baby boomers, you can afford to be a little more flexible with your video length. Think about the format of your video. Is it an explainer video? A tutorial? An unboxing? The format will dictate how long your video should be. Keeping these factors in mind allows you to determine the optimal length for your brand’s product videos.
Tailor Your Message for the Site It’s Posted On
The easiest way to get your video shared is to tailor it for its destination site. Facebook generally allows videos of up to four hours. YouTube, however, will allow videos of up to 12 hours in length. Conversely, platforms such as Twitter and Snapchat will allow videos of anywhere from 60 seconds to two minutes. Some companies have built successful marketing campaigns that make use of video-sharing platforms like these, which demonstrates that it is worth the effort to look into.
As a general rule, it may be worthwhile to create longer posts for Facebook or YouTube while editing your content down to small clips for other sites. Remember, you want to make your content accessible on as many different channels as possible to increase the odds that it will be shared or commented on.
Ask for Likes, Shares, or Comments
There are a few rules about asking for likes, shares, and comments on your videos. In fact, many content creators will spend the last minute or two of a video asking that users like or share it, and they will also tell them exactly how to do so. It may be a good idea to ask a viewer to subscribe to the company’s YouTube channel or like their Facebook page.
This puts the idea in a person’s mind to do something with the content that he or she just watched. Remember, the number of interactions that people have with your content may determine its SEO value, which could help it rank higher in search results. Higher search rankings will typically result in more traffic without having to pay for it.
Never Forget That Content Is King
The best way to create content that goes viral is to create quality content that is both entertaining and informative. Don’t forget to tell your audience something that is worth sharing with their friends or family members. This could be a vital stat about global warming, an interview with an athlete involved in a historic moment in sports or a picture of a cute puppy that is too sweet to be ignored. Without good content, there is no reason for anyone to want to interact with it no matter how much you beg.
When a video goes viral, it may be seen in almost every country in the world. It may also lead to increased media attention for your company on a local and national level. Therefore, it is in your best interest to do quality work each time you create and upload a video.
I think a A viral video is a great idea to promote a product or business. It can really catch someone’s attention.
Thanks for the thought Maryann! You’re absolutely right. 🙂
I have seen videos make people a lot of money. The pet videos really have made some impact.
That’s true! I have definitely seen some good pet videos. 🙂 Incorporating pets into your business videos could be a good strategy depending on your target audience!