Viral videos are videos that spread rapidly and widely on the internet, usually through social media platforms. They can generate a lot of attention, engagement, and awareness for your brand, as well as drive traffic and conversions to your website or product.
But how do you create a viral video for your brand? What are the key elements and strategies that make a video go viral? In this article, we will share some tips and examples to help you craft a viral video that showcases your brand's value proposition, personality, and message.
1. Know Your Audience and Their Pain Points
The first step to creating a viral video is to know who you are targeting and what they care about. You need to understand your audience's demographics, preferences, challenges, and goals, and how your brand can help them solve their problems or fulfill their desires.
A viral video should speak to your audience's emotions, whether it's humor, curiosity, anger, fear, or joy. It should also offer them some value, such as information, entertainment, inspiration, or education. By knowing your audience and their pain points, you can create a video that resonates with them and motivates them to share it with others.
For example, Dollar Shave Club, a subscription service that delivers razors and grooming products, created a viral video that addressed the common frustrations of men who buy expensive and ineffective razors from the store. The video used humor, sarcasm, and absurdity to showcase the benefits of their service and appeal to their target audience of young and savvy men.
2. Create a Catchy and Compelling Title and Thumbnail
The title and thumbnail of your video are the first things that your potential viewers will see when they encounter your video on social media, YouTube, or other platforms. They are also the main factors that influence whether they will click on your video or not.
Therefore, you need to create a catchy and compelling title and thumbnail that capture the attention and interest of your audience. Your title and thumbnail should be relevant, clear, and concise, and communicate the main idea or benefit of your video. They should also arouse curiosity, emotion, or intrigue, and make your audience want to watch more.
For example, Blendtec, a blender company, created a viral video series called "Will It Blend?", where they blended various objects, such as iPhones, golf balls, and glow sticks, to demonstrate the power and durability of their blenders. The title and thumbnail of each video were simple and straightforward, but also intriguing and enticing, as they made the viewers wonder what would happen when they blended those objects.
3. Hook Your Audience in the First Few Seconds
The average attention span of online users is very short, and they can easily get distracted or bored by other content. Therefore, you need to hook your audience in the first few seconds of your video and convince them to keep watching.
You can do this by starting your video with a strong statement, a surprising fact, a provocative question, a shocking image, or a funny joke. You can also use storytelling, suspense, or cliffhangers to create a narrative that engages your audience and makes them curious about the outcome.
For example, Old Spice, a men's grooming brand, created a viral video that started with a handsome and charismatic man saying, "Hello, ladies. Look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me." The video then proceeded to show the man in various scenarios, such as riding a horse, on a boat, and in a bathroom, while promoting the benefits of using Old Spice products. The video hooked the audience with its humor, absurdity, and fast pace, and kept them entertained throughout.
4. Keep Your Video Short and Simple
Another key element of a viral video is its length and complexity. Generally, shorter and simpler videos tend to perform better than longer and more complicated ones, as they are easier to consume, understand, and remember.
According to a study by Wistia, a video hosting platform, the optimal length for a video is between two and three minutes, as it balances the trade-off between engagement and reach. However, depending on your goal, audience, and platform, you may want to adjust your video length accordingly.
For example, if your goal is to educate your audience about a complex topic or product, you may need a longer video to explain it clearly and thoroughly. If your goal is to entertain your audience with a funny or emotional story, you may need a shorter video to deliver the punchline or the message effectively.
In any case, you should aim to keep your video as short and simple as possible, and avoid unnecessary details, jargon, or filler words. You should also use clear and concise language, visuals, and audio, and edit your video to remove any distractions or errors.
For example, Purple, a mattress company, created a viral video that explained the features and benefits of their product in a simple and humorous way. The video used a quirky character, a catchy song, and a clever analogy to demonstrate how their mattress was different from other mattresses. The video was only three minutes long, but it managed to convey the value proposition of their product in an engaging and memorable way.
5. Add a Call to Action and Encourage Sharing
The last step to creating a viral video is to add a call to action and encourage sharing. A call to action is a statement or a button that tells your viewers what you want them to do next, such as visit your website, subscribe to your channel, buy your product, or sign up for your newsletter.
A call to action should be clear, specific, and urgent, and it should align with your goal and your audience's needs. You should also place your call to action at the end of your video, or throughout your video if appropriate, and make it easy and convenient for your viewers to take action.
For example, Dove, a personal care brand, created a viral video that showed women describing themselves to a forensic sketch artist, and then comparing their sketches to those made by strangers who met them briefly. The video aimed to challenge the perception of beauty and inspire women to be more confident and positive about themselves. The video ended with a call to action that invited the viewers to join the conversation and share their thoughts on social media using the hashtag #DoveRealBeauty.
Encouraging sharing is another way to increase the virality of your video, as it can help you reach more people and generate more word-of-mouth. You can encourage sharing by asking your viewers to share your video with their friends, family, or followers, or by creating a contest, a challenge, or a giveaway that rewards them for sharing.
For example, ALS Association, a non-profit organization that fights against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, created a viral video campaign that challenged people to dump a bucket of ice water over their heads and donate to the cause, or nominate someone else to do the same. The campaign, known as the Ice Bucket Challenge, went viral as celebrities, influencers, and ordinary people participated and shared their videos on social media, raising awareness and funds for the disease.
Conclusion
Creating a viral video for your brand is not easy, but it is possible if you follow some best practices and learn from successful examples. By knowing your audience and their pain points, creating a catchy and compelling title and thumbnail, hooking your audience in the first few seconds, keeping your video short and simple, and adding a call to action and encouraging sharing, you can increase the chances of your video going viral and achieving your marketing goals.
Source:
(1) Viral Video Marketing: How to Do It (With Examples). https://quickframe.com/blog/viral-video-marketing-how-to-do-it-with-examples/.
(2) How to Make a YouTube Video Go Viral (with 8 Easy Tips). https://databox.com/how-to-make-viral-youtube-video.
