1. Brainstorm with your customers or friends. Tell them you want a video that goes viral on YouTube to promote your business. Ask what they’d do that both promotes your business and would rivet people’s attention. Offer a prize or reward for anyone who submits a video that promotes you, and a bigger prize for the best video submitted. Let them know you’ll post their video to YouTube, giving them full credit.
2. When you do your own video, show your personality. Nobody expects – or wants – a Spielberg production. The purpose is to create a strong bond between you and your audience (or prospects). So as you make your point in the video, be 100% sincere AND show your personality. Do a Google search for “videos that have gone viral” or “popular videos”, etc., and watch them. Those are perfect models. What does that person onscreen do that especially endears them to you? How do they capture your attention? How do they get you excited? What do they do that arouses your curiousity, makes you keep watching? How do they astonish you? Make notes.
3. Attention spans are short. Make your point and get out. Videos that go viral are almost always pretty short – under 2 minutes, for greatest effect. If you have a lot to say, break it up into a video series – all under 2 minutes.
4. If you want your viewer to do something (e.g., go to some url), use Windows Movie Maker (in your Program Files; it came with your system) or other editing software to put that instruction in writing on the screen in the last few seconds of your video. Movie Maker also gives you special effects you can choose from, but keep it very simple. If you get carried away creating effects, you’ll wind up with a mess that nobody will watch.
5. Write down a dozen or more possible titles. This is a critical step. A great title gets you a lot of viewers. A bad title (anything less than great), and you’re dead in the water. You want your title short, punchy, to-the-point. If you can hit their curiousity, great. Don’t try to be clever – most “clever” titles just sound dopey and turn people off. Search online for “free headline swipe file” to give you models for your titles.
6. Upload your video and start planning your next one. You need practice and experience to get really good at this. And you’ll probably need to post several videos on YouTube before you get much of an audience. Meanwhile, include a link to your videos in every piece of promotion you send out. Always encourage people to go to YouTube, watch your videos, and give you feedback.
7. Make a list of bloggers who are read by your target market. Send them a short description with a link to your video. This is another reason you need a REALLY good title! If the right bloggers promote your video, then you have a real chance of that viral effect.
Repeat Steps 1 through 7 again and again. Watch your stats closely to see what works and what doesn’t. You’ll get better every time, and you’ll have a better chance of creating that viral video.
