HOST: How can I make my video go viral?
MAURY: You want to make a video go viral? Everybody wants their video to go viral. So there's two ways - two big ways. First, there's the “make your video go viral globally” and then there's “make your video go viral within your market space.” We actually work in the second so we know a whole lot about that.
So making a video go viral within your market doesn't mean that everybody's grandma and niece and cousin are gonna be talking about it, but within your market space, your customers are talking about it. That's a really really good thing so that way you can sell more things. This is more of a b2c, b2b kind of conversation. Same things work for both going wide globally and within your market space.
- One, the topic that you bring up has to be topical, has to be timely. So you have to talk about something that's happening right now. It's in the news, it's happening. Maybe it's a hurricane, maybe it's the Chewbacca mass that came out, maybe it's a new product, but it's related to something that's happening right now. That's a big key; that it's topical.
- The second point is you have to use emotion in the video story itself. So you can generate these in terms that you hear me talk about all the time. It’s our acronym called the STUFF, and that is your video must be S sexy or sizzle in some way; it must be T touching or bring out nostalgia, touch the heart; U it's got to be unique. You can't be a copycat. Your video can go viral if you're copying a viral video but it's never gonna get to be bigger. It's not gonna be the original version. The original always does better than the copycat versions. Funny is the best way to go viral, so F funny; and the last F is fear. If you can deliver fear into the hearts and minds.
I can give some examples of each of these that we've done and other companies have done that have created virality in the videos and the hundreds of thousands of millions or even billions of views.
One more thing before we go, and this is beyond the marketing minute that you wanted here, but boosting the videos via ads. Now back three, five, seven, ten years ago videos were going viral on their own. But now if you have a product attached to it you've got to boost it. And some of these companies are boosting with five hundred thousand, seven hundred thousand dollars worth of ad spend so that's another way today to really get a video to take off. You don't have to do that but that's really what's happening in today's market. Whether you think they were boosted or not if you're seeing millions and millions of views very likely there's a lot of money behind it getting it in front of your eyeballs.
You’ve caught the bug! Viral videos keep our attention locked to the screen, daring us to TRY to tear ourselves away from the screen. Even viral videos made by companies can have this effect – not just videos from today’s most popular TikTok or Youtube star.
Many companies have successfully used viral videos in their video marketing to increase their market share. So, in addition to a short discussion of how you can make your marketing video go viral, we’ve gathered up our favorite viral corporate videos for you to learn from.
what is considered a viral video?
Viral videos are typically thought of as videos that receive millions of views in a matter of hours.
That definition, to us, is wrong. The concept of virality, in general, has changed so much that we think it’s irresponsible to think about viral videos in such a simple way. In our eyes, a viral video is a viral video when it has saturated its target market.
That means you can go viral for a general audience, or you can go viral for a very specific audience. So long as your video uses one of the five emotions that sell, you stand a good chance of reaching a massive audience with your explainer video.
Here are several examples of that in action.
Viral Videos Intended for Everyone
The following three videos emphasize one thing – relatability.
In many cases, relatability (and a spritz of humor) is all a video needs to go viral. Let’s look at a couple of great examples of explainer videos that became massive viral hits.
Girls Don't Poop - PooPourri
PooPourri’s marketing team took a fun spin on a typically taboo subject. By embracing their product for what it is and, more importantly, how it makes people feel, PooPourri created a cult following at first and then massive mainstream brand recognition. That’s the power of well-made video marketing going viral.
ASL Ice Bucket Challenge - Bill Gates
Bill Gates is a cultural superstar. Regardless of whether you like him or not, his name has become synonymous with charity and generosity. That’s why, when Bill Gates did the Ice Bucket challenge, no one was surprised, and everyone loved to watch it happen.
This video is an excellent example of a viral video marketing campaign. Despite the charitable causes that Gates was donating to, he received plenty of social capital from this ALS Ice Bucket Challenge video.
Bill Gates used the power of viral videos to market the personality behind his company, not his company itself.
Our Blades Are F***ing Great - Dollar Shave Club
Everyone knows about Dollar Shave Club. Sure, some of that popularity comes from running influencer promotions and well-placed banner ads, but their popularity all began with this corporate video. Dollar shave club created this viral video to introduce themselves as a company in a sarcastically charming way.
You can think of this video as a combination of PooPourri’s humor and Gate’s evident personality.
Viral Videos Tailored to Specific Audiences
The following two videos are all about understanding a target audience and relating to them on their level.
Videos intended for more specific audiences can use more complex data and industry-specific jargon.
Commercial Bank Explainer Video - Commercial Bank
Commercial Bank hired us to create this viral video specifically to go viral in the banking industry. Commercial Bank knew their audience, and they knew what they wanted to accomplish. So, when Commercial Bank hired us to create an explainer video for them, they were okay with attempting to go viral in a particular space.
We used humor and an eye-catching walk and talk style to draw and keep attention.
Office Turtle Transformation - Rip Media Group
The Office Turtle Transformation video we made for one of our clients was a special type of viral video. Our client didn’t intend to go viral with their customers. They wanted to go viral with their employees.
This video uses humor to encourage employees to work out and stay healthy, ensuring that no one felt attacked and that employees would play the video over and over again.
Want use to make you your next viral video? Reach out and schedule a consultation!