Viral Videos. They happen all the time but one simply does not go viral. Believe it or not, I hear, ‘we have a video coming out tomorrow, can you share it because we want it to go viral’. I do not laugh or shake my head, it is the new normal and they just may be taking orders from the higher ups. How can you blame them for wanting eyes on their video? Everyone wants that when they publish a it to Facebook or YouTube.
I believe that many videos that go viral, do so because of timing, current events and luck. With that said, the goal should never be to go viral. Too many marketers and brands go for the Hail Mary, rather than utilizing Google Analytics and social insights to drive more engagement. Usually, the video that is launched is not backed with the appropriate content strategy or fits within the current strategy. Brands, marketers and upper management are obsessed with the big view video that ultimately has a short lifespan.
The video that you create should tell the story that your data is providing you. Traditionally, about a year ago, you could post a video to YouTube and it would make an impact without you having to do too much. But, like everything in the internet world, things change pretty quickly, and it is no longer the case of just posting a video to YouTube and watch the magic work.
The goal is to deliver a message that guides consumers to your brand through strategic releases. In one aspect, the video could serve as the penultimate of the content strategy or could start the story-telling process.
With today’s Social Media world, there are a few things to remember. Facebook is and has been making videos more important in their algorithm, and they are competing with YouTube in the video area. I still see marketers / brands posting YouTube videos to Facebook. One easy way (which may seem basic) to increase views to your video is by uploading directly to Facebook and also to YouTube. The video can be easily shared on Facebook and will appear in the newsfeed of the people who like your page. You can then take the YouTube video and embed it on your website, blog, twitter feed, newsletter, pinterest, etc.
The video should also be working with your content strategy. When the video launches you should have blogs on your website that correlate with the content that is in the video. Your companies website should also have / feature the content that is in the video. This way, when consumers see the video they will hopefully go to your website and can find more information on peaked their interest. Now your video will have some legs as you have created evergreen content that can be sustained for several months.
But how does the video go viral and how will people see it? After answering that query, this question still arises. Even before you launch the video, during the planning stage, you want to create a list of ambassadors who will share your video, content, talk about your brand, and help you do the heavy lifting.
With the right content strategy, timing (from looking at your analytics), a group of ambassadors, your brand can launch a video that will be seen by thousands and will last longer than a few days. It will last a few months and generate leads and clicks to your website. When it’s all said and done, analyze the results, learn from them and try and again. You may not hit it on the first try but just might on the second or third.
That’s the secret. All about the right content.
