The whole marketing (and business) world is buzzing with the worlds \u2018viral marketing\u2019.\u00a0I don\u2019t know a major brand that hasn\u2019t tried to create a viral video, or isn\u2019t at least thinking about it.\u00a0And why not, it\u2019s essentially free promotion minus the production cost, and can potentially be something which gets passed around the Internet between thousands or even millions of people \u2014 all focusing on your brand completely voluntarily, and actively spreading it.<\/p>\n
Sure, everyone\u2019s trying it, but what are the key elements to getting it right?\u00a0There\u2019s no surefire formula, no right or wrong answer, but there\u2019s some basic guidelines you can follow to get on the right track:<\/p>\n
1)\u00a0Make your video exciting, unique, and something that really stands out:<\/strong> 2) Start some controversy:<\/strong> 3) Make something with overwhelming emotion:<\/strong> 4) Use humor:<\/strong> 5) Be the purple cow:<\/strong> Also,\u00a0here is\u00a0a really cool marketing lecture by Seth \u2014 if you\u2019ve never heard him speak, it\u2019s unmissable. He is both an inspiration and \u2018agent of change\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The whole marketing (and business) world is buzzing with the worlds \u2018viral marketing\u2019.\u00a0I don\u2019t know a major brand that hasn\u2019t … <\/p>\n
\nThe web is literally flooded with videos.\u00a0Around\u00a08 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube a minute, according to Jonathan Rosenberg, senior vice president of product management at Google.\u00a0With so much competition, your clip really needs to shine.<\/p>\n
\nTo make a viral video, and have it truly be viral, something controversial is always a good way to make some waves.\u00a0You\u2019ll get people talking, and then that will get people to forward the video to their friends.\u00a0Of course, you may not want something controversial associated with your brand, but if there\u2019s something that is already in pop-culture associated with what you do, there\u2019s no sense pretending it doesn\u2019t exist.\u00a0Capitalize on it.<\/p>\n
\nEvoking an emotional response in someone is a great way to make them want to share it with friends.\u00a0There\u2019s also great potential here to create something that is a kind of call-to-action.\u00a0If you\u2019re a non-profit and wanting to spread the word online, you\u2019ll definitely want to create something impactful and emotional.\u00a0Be genuine and real with it.\u00a0Use some music which either perfectly compliments or completely contrasts your piece to create a gripping accompaniment to the video.<\/p>\n
\nMany of the most successful viral videos are absolutely hilarious.\u00a0People love to share humor with friends, especially if its something really out there.\u00a0Tap into this space, and have fun with it.\u00a0Pull something funky out of pop-culture, use taboo situations and characters, use parody.\u00a0Tell the stories that will connect people with your brand in a positive light, and at the same time really tickle their funny-bone.\u00a0It\u2019s possible to connect the two.<\/p>\n
\nAs\u00a0Seth Godin\u00a0has stated, cows are a perfectly normal occurrence on the side of the road, you\u2019d never stop to see one.\u00a0But a purple cow isn\u2019t the norm, in fact, it would be quite astonishing.\u00a0You might pull over to have a look.\u00a0Your video needs to be the purple cow.\u00a0There are literally millions of videos online.\u00a0If you want people to spread yours around, it needs to be completely different, outrageous, and special.\u00a0To do anything otherwise would be blending in, and at best you will see mild results.\u00a0You need to be exceptional to succeed in this space.<\/p>\n