How to Make Your Video Go Viral

One of the most common questions I get from my small business audiences is how to make their video go viral.

2011.3.23. YouTube Logo

This always makes me laugh because it reminds of another question that many people give a great deal of consideration to:  How can I quickly become a millionaire?

The easiest way is to find someone that will give you a million dollars.

The more common method is to work hard at creating something that people value highly, such that they are willing to gladly pay for it.

What happens after that is just marketing.

Making your video go viral works the same way.

The Easiest Way to Go Viral

Everyone smiles at the idea of finding someone to give them a million dollars, which is exactly why I laugh at how to make a video go viral. It is possible, and there is indeed an easy way to do it.

The easiest way to have your video go viral is to video someone doing something incredibly stupid and post it on YouTube. This is the one quality that most viral videos share. For most of us this is not a viable strategy for our businesses.

The other approach is to start with a content marketing strategy that effectively builds your social media community. It takes time to build your online audience.  Yet, if you have a successful business, this can be accomplished with consistent effort.

An Overnight Sensation

There is an expression that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago –  with the second best time being today. Your audience is that tree. So, unless you happen to be a celebrity, you have some growing to do, and now is the best time to get going with it.

The desire for having your video go viral is analogous to short-term get rich thinking. While getting rich quickly is possible, it is not a reliable path. In fact, fantasizing about it only distracts you from the real work that will help you to make it reality.

When I speak to small business audiences on social media and Internet marketing they are often pleased with my depth of understanding on these subjects.  That didn’t happen overnight. You could say it has taken me over 5 years of study, inquiry, and frustration to become an overnight sensation.

How This is Really Done

That’s really how you make your video go viral – and how you accomplish any of your other business objectives with social media.  You take your passion for what you are doing and pour that into understanding and caring for your market – your customers.

Then you create content that makes their lives easier or better in some way.  Then use the social networks to share that content with the audience you have today and let it grow.

The day will then arrive when making your videos go viral is as simple as posting them on your blog, or whatever network you use to attract a larger audience by sharing your content. Your community will take care of the rest for you. Why?

Because for years you have taken care of them.

They may not make you a millionaire, but at least you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you are making a difference for your community.

Leave a comment below or share this with your community with any of the share buttons below – or with those on the little red bar at the bottom of this page.  

Until next time,  Jeff

Photo Credit:  rego d4u.hu

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