Any marketing campaign needs to spread widely and reach a large audience. So how do you produce a viral video? What elements are needed for a video to attract viewers online and leave a lasting impression?
What is a viral video?
Viral video is a very common technical term in the PR and marketing industry. It refers to a type of video with concise, impactful content, a compelling storyline, and a wide range of emotions designed to attract viewers.
These videos have the potential to spread rapidly across social media platforms. Their purpose is to advertise services/products or increase brand awareness. The more people who watch a video, the higher its "viral" status, making it a crucial tool in marketing strategies.
The difference between viral videos and TV commercials.
Viral videos and TV commercials are two of the most effective and widely used forms of PR marketing today. Their goal is to advertise products/services, increase awareness, build brand recognition, and define a unique identity for the business.
But in essence, they are completely different. Differentiating them based on the following five fundamental factors will help marketing teams choose the appropriate communication method:
Level of spread
This is the biggest difference between these two forms. Specifically:
- Viral videos have the ability to spread and gain widespread coverage quickly across all media platforms. The hotter the video, the more interaction and rapid its spread through views, shares, likes, etc.
- TV commercials are heavily dependent on the broadcast channel (usually television) and are limited in broadcast time slots, so they cannot spread as quickly as viral videos.
Interoperability
This is the most noticeable difference between viral videos and TV commercials. When watching a viral clip online, viewers can interact by leaving comments, liking, sharing, and easily searching for it again if they want to watch it again… But with a TV commercial shown on television, you can't do any of that.
Presentation channel
- Viral videos: Appearing on internet platforms, spreading across social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, blogs, forums, etc.
- TV commercials are often released internally, shown at conferences and seminars, advertised in elevators, displayed on outdoor LED screens, etc. They can also be broadcast on social media platforms.
Duration
TV commercials typically have a very short runtime, only a few dozen seconds, due to time constraints on television programs. In contrast, viral videos have no time limit; as long as the content is engaging, the video can be from 1 to 10 minutes long.
Measurability
Television commercials are often limited in terms of measurement tools and search engine optimization. In contrast, for viral videos on the internet, businesses can utilize various tools to accurately track views, watch time, bounce rate, likes, shares, and more.
Using viral videos is an effective marketing strategy.
Viral videos are a powerful tool that contributes significantly to the success of communication campaigns, helping to promote products and services and increase brand value.
The nature of viral videos is that they easily leave a lasting impression on viewers the first time they see them, with clear storylines and messages that resonate with the audience's emotions such as anger, joy, sadness, excitement, and empathy.
A viral video that goes viral on the internet may or may not be loved. Therefore, the marketing team needs to have good thinking skills, be sensitive to trends, choose appropriate topics, avoid controversial issues, and especially seize the right moment to produce and release it.
A popular viral formula is to create content that revolves around real-life issues, creating relatable situations so that viewers feel connected, as if they see themselves in the story…
By effectively utilizing this tool, the marketing campaign is almost guaranteed to succeed. Additionally, it's crucial to combine it with other communication activities such as increasing reach across platforms, not just online, and optimizing SEO for search engines. This builds customer trust, increases conversion rates, and provides a competitive advantage.
Key factors to consider when creating viral videos.
Producing a successful viral video depends on many factors, requiring thorough research into the business, customer psychology, and a compelling script… Specifically, these include:
Feeling
For a video clip to go viral, it must touch the viewer's emotions, such as empathy, joy, sadness, excitement, and curiosity. This is a crucial element in ensuring viewers remember the video's content, leading them to think about and discuss it more.
Time
No matter how good the content is, if it's shown at the wrong time, it won't be effective for communication. Therefore, choosing the right time that matches the video's content is crucial to easily gain audience acceptance and create a strong impact on social media.
Target audience
Depending on the target audience, videos should be produced to be appropriate and of high quality. The content needs to adequately and accurately address all relevant elements for that audience.
For example, if you want to create a viral video for children, you should choose a script with wholesome, healthy content and eye-catching visuals. Absolutely avoid controversial elements such as sensitive images or violence.
Content
Only compelling ideas and storylines can evoke emotions in viewers and win the trust of the community. Compared to predictable and boring videos, viral videos need engaging content, mixed with a touch of curiosity and unpredictability, to easily go viral on social media.
Media platform
To go viral, a video needs the right format and optimization for social media platforms, especially mobile devices. Social media algorithms will help your video go viral and make it easy to measure the results of your campaign.
The main character in the viral video.
Not every video needs a character, but to make the content easier to convey, it's advisable to create a suitable character. The appearance of famous personalities with large fan bases and public appeal makes it easier for viewers to remember the video content, boosting sales and increasing the number of potential customers.
For this reason, most viral videos from brands now choose celebrities from various fields such as singers, actors, models, and MCs. Additionally, to create authenticity and relatability, they may choose characters who narrate the story or people who experience the product.
Viral video marketing is a popular trend.
Some trends in creating viral video content include:
- Humorous and entertaining content;
- Create a relatable story that evokes empathy, making it easy for viewers to see themselves in the video.
- Videos incorporating songs are more engaging for viewers than dry, monotonous lyrics.
- The video contains content related to national values, increasing national pride;
Viral videos are the perfect tool for effective marketing. To achieve success in a campaign, it's essential to grasp the core elements of content, visuals, trending topics, and timing. Hopefully, the information above will help you understand viral videos and do marketing effectively.
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