Viral videos are all the rage these days. Companies around the world are looking to create the next popular YouTube video that will take the world by storm and earn their company instant wealth. To that end, we present our five step process to creating the web’s next major viral video.
- Step 1: Come Up with a Ridiculous Idea – No one cares about your company. They want to see albino ferrets playing “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips on a harmonica while wearing rainbow leopard print leotards.
- Step 2: Complete The Video – Before you can make a video go viral, you need to create the video. Make sure you have well trained ferrets and a high quality digital camera.
- Step 3: Upload it Online – YouTube is your best choice, but don’t forget that there are plenty of other video sites and all of them present you with an opportunity to go viral.
- Step 4: Send it To Friends – You have friends and they like to watch awesome videos, so send it around and entertain your friends. Maybe even upload it onto Facebook and have your friends share it.
- Step 5: Pray to Your Deity of Choice – There is about a .1% chance of getting a successful viral video. It’s best to assume it’s not going to happen.
Viral videos are an interesting way to market your business. For a company like Old Spice that managed to create “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” and other brilliant marketing campaigns, there is the potential for a huge boost in business because of a video’s popularity. But YouTube is also home to some eleventy billion other videos, and now that Google offers profit sharing, getting your video to go viral has become even more difficult.
That doesn’t mean it cannot be done. But making your video viral is no longer just about the quality of the video. You also need to market it successfully, and reach an audience that will find your video entertaining. That takes time and effort, and of course a generous helping of luck.
Sadly, assuming something can become viral simply because it was interesting or funny and shot with a high budget won’t always pan out. Be creative, have fun and don’t give up, but at the same time don’t make assumptions. A viral video is in many cases spontaneous. When it happens, you’ll reap the rewards, but it’s impossible to know when it will happen.