5 Tips to Improve Your Viral Video Marketing

Every business dreams of the day they’ll crack the code and manage to create a video that will go viral. However, doing that isn’t as simple as it seems. Here are 5 tips that’ll help you improve your viral video marketing.

Viral video marketing is an invaluable tool for any business. Studies show that 73% of all consumers are more likely to purchase a product or service after watching a video promoting it, and the more exposure that video gets, the better.

Did you know that around two out of every three marketing professionals and agencies in the US have plans to increase their video advertising spending in the coming year? This holds true for both desktop and video marketing efforts. Of course, not every video marketing campaign is created equal.Companies with massive marketing budgets behind them have an advantage here. Despite this, there are ways you can improve your video marketing efforts. Doing so can increase the likelihood of your video going viral. Here are 5 tips to improve your chances.

Viral Video Marketing Means Forging Emotional Connections

Going viral is more than just getting views – you’re also looking to promote a product or service. Increasing brand awareness will lead to more conversions, but to accomplish this you need to approach your video with a clear strategy in mind. Viral videos stand out because their content has an immediate emotional impact. Making an emotional connection with your target demographic increases your chance of success.

Keep Your Videos Short but Sweet

There are benefits to producing shorter videos versus longer ones. Make sure to start off energized, and get your message through, since your viewers will start to disappear over the length of your video. In fact, for a video of 4-5 minutes, fewer than 60% of your viewers will still be with you–against 75% for a 1-2 minute video. This can help bolster your video rating on platforms like YouTube. Also, with video production eating up so much of a marketer’s budget, one of the best ways to manage the costs of any marketing campaign is to keep your videos short.

Exercise Quality Control

Exercise quality control whenever possible. Invest in compelling storytelling and high production quality. Make sure to use social media videos in your campaign, and remember to make a strong impression through high production quality. This will lead to increased views and grow your audience.

Promote Your Video Effectively

Over one hundred hours of new video were added to YouTube every minute in 2013 alone. That’s a lot of content! Make sure your video is tagged appropriately, and ensure your title and video description are optimized for the platform. Also, cross-promoting to other social media platforms is a must. Facebook, with more than one billion active users, is an untapped resource that can turn any video into a viral sensation overnight.

Keep Your Expectations Realistic

Your expectations for your video’s success need to be realistic. In the end, there’s no guarantee your video will go viral. Can you increase your chances of your video marketing campaign being successful? Yes, but the innumerable variables of such an event make it impossible to create a foolproof formula for viral video marketing success.

So What Does a Great Viral Video Look Like?

If there’s one company that knows how to market their content in unique ways, it’s the Walt Disney Company. While Disney has an expansive marketing budget, their viral video from 2015 is rather simple.

Just over two minutes in length and featuring absolutely no dialogue, this video excels at forging an emotional bond between it and the viewer. It’s a great example of viral video making and was even selected as the second most-viral video of 2015 by AdWeek Magazine.

Video advertising is as far removed from the modern television commercial as TV ads are from prehistoric cave paintings, and it takes a revolutionary approach to chase success online. However, if you keep these tips in mind – and you have a little luck – your next video marketing campaign just might go viral after all.