branded web videos: best practices

I want a viral video

“I want a viral video”…I’ve heard someoneeveryone say

“I want a viral video”But videos on the web aren’t

“made” viral

They “go” viral.

And to go viral, it needs to be cool sh#t people

want to share

…with Hundreds

Thousands

Millionsof people

“I want a viral video”It doesn’t have to be

a crap shoot

“I want a viral video”Here are some

fundamentalsto keep in mind:

Story

“I want a viral video”First and foremost, it needs to tell

a story

“I want a viral video”Be it a funny one

“I want a viral video”a sad one

“I want a viral video”

“I want a viral video”a crazy one

“I want a viral video”an inspiring one

Or just be purely

amazing

pose aquestion

or answer one

“I want a viral video”document an interesting

issue or person

“I want a viral video”go behind the scenes

“I want a viral video”reveal the secret of how something was created

“I want a viral video”invented

or tested

“I want a viral video”tap into a

subculture

“I want a viral video”

or comment from the latest

in pop culture

resurrect an

obscure celebrity

“I want a viral video”

or showcase a popular

web-lebrity

Voice

It’s important to transmit

a unique point-of-voice

a unique toneand personality

something that proves

you are human

relatable

and someone worth spending time with

and engagingin conversation

NEWS FLASH:

Don’t constantly talk about yourself.

no one wants to be

bored or sold

and don’t take yourself too seriously

(your brand) (no matter who you are)

Context

It’s not a commercial

in between scenes of their favorite show

People need to

find itwatch itshare it

Why would anyone

care?

Ask yourself:

that proves you’re in-the-know, reveals your interests and expresses your personality

Content is social currency

What (besides yourself)

can you talk aboutthat others might care about?

What topics, beliefs,

values, sense of humordo you have in common with your audience?

Hip Hop CultureFast Food

Hiking TrailsCelebrity Gossip

Nature PhotographyFantasy Football

OK.

So talk about that.

The brand can be:a Charactera Facilitatorthe Narratoran Inspiring Voiceor even the Hero

is notBut the brand

the story

Quality

high-qualitydoesn’t mean

high-views

in fact, lots of

crappy videoshave millions of views

but resist the flip

don’t let poor production quality

distract from your story(or make your audience dizzy)

HD is a mustthese days

and a

good soundtrackis timeless

TRT

there’s no magic number for

how longyour video should be

be glad it doesn’t matter but be careful you

don’t loseyour audience

on the web,

5 minutes is considered

“long-form”

but no matter how

long or short

don’t wait all the way till the end to reveal yourlogo or what you’re selling