How to Create a Viral Video Smash Hit

Author: Nathan Chan / Source: Entrepreneur Is it possible to plan for and create a viral video, or does a video go viral spontaneously? Y

Author: Nathan Chan / Source: Entrepreneur

Is it possible to plan for and create a viral video, or does a video go viral spontaneously? Yes to both! Because the fact is, many user-generated videos are uploaded to YouTube and go viral thanks to the power of social media.

Brands should take note. They can leverage this same word-of-mouth marketing for their own video campaigns and plan for a viral event.

Sounds great, right? But, how do you do it?

HubSpot says that adding an element of humor, surprise or irony to a video greatly helps its viral potential. It also helps if your video evokes a positive emotion and shares either practical pieces of information or a good story.

To demonstrate the key elements of a viral video, here are three of the most popular video campaigns of all time.

Orabrush: Humor generates sales

Brands that use humor well are often rewarded with an increase in sales. This is because humor attracts attention, creates a positive sentiment and makes it easy to forget that we viewers are being marketed to.

However, while funny videos have great viral potential, going viral doesn’t always equate to sales.

Inc. reported on two cases illustrating the effects of funny videos put out by brands. In one instance, a startup called Orabrush created a funny promotional video about combatting bad breath. The result? There were 15 million video views and over 10,000 products sold during the first few weeks after the companpublished the video! Today, that video has attracted over 26 million views and Orabrush is a leading oral care brand.

In the second case, a company called EZ Grill quickly reached over 1 million views with its funny video in which it grilled up different brands of mobile phones. Unfortunately, the video didn’t translate into any meaningful sales.

Why did one funny video generate lots of new sales while the other video fizzled out?

The successful Orabrush video focused on the benefits of its core product in a funny way. While you’re laughing, you’re also thinking about your experience with bad breath (whether it’s your own or someone else’s) and how to combat it.

The EZ Grill video failed in this respect. While the video was entertaining, it didn’t show any of the benefits of the grill itself. Rather, the focus was on which phone could withstand the heat of the grill best.

The lesson? When brainstorming for your own funny video, be sure to keep your product front and center the way Orabrush did.