In August of 2009, online video viewing broke records across America as people streamed away from their television sets and onto their favourite video portals for entertainment. Google (YouTube) continued to lead the pack as the top U.S. video content provider in August as it surpassed the 10 billion videos viewed threshold, representing 40 percent of all videos viewed online. On average, 161 million users viewed over 150 videos each month accounting for 10 hours of online viewing each month. (complete report via comscore)
I'm not suggesting that you run out and buy an HD video camera and all of the kit required to produce high-quality videos on your own, but the best part is that you don't need to. Effective online video is as much about the idea as it is about the quality, so low-res handicam videos have just as much opportunity to do well as the hi-def, high production video on the market.
If you have a good idea, run with it.
With billions of videos online and more being added daily there's a good chance that if you don't execute your idea quickly, someone else will. Go out to the garage, get that old camera and make it happen. Production value doesn't matter when it comes to 'what's viral?', though if you have something that's inherently interesting AND has high production values, you'll get better results. Reciprocally, if you create something that has amazing production, but isn't new or interesting to outsiders, you likely won't get far.
What makes for good video? If you want a video to go viral, you have to aim for the right audience. It's important to be aware that your demographic is not the same as your audience, unless your demographic is 13 to 25 years old.
To achieve viral status, you'll have to appeal to the younger audiences. They're the movers and shakers, the early adopters and the crowd that guides trends of what's hot and what's not. That means going outside of your comfort zone and doing something edgy. If you're not comfortable with that, or you think it may damage your brand, you should read up on BlendTec, the company behind one of the most successful online video campaigns of all time.
The BlendTec© “Will it Blend?” series of viral videos started when then-new Marketing Director George Wright found out that CEO Tom Dickson and the R&D team had a practice of blending up wooden boards to test product toughness. Wright had an idea to shoot video of the operation and post it online. He invested under $100 in supplies and convinced Dickson to blend up other things on camera. 186 videos later, BlendTec’s retail sales are up a reported 700 percent, its YouTube site has 200,000+ subscribers, and it has been featured on major mainstream media outlets like The Today Show, The Tonight Show, The History Channel, The Wall Street Journal and others. Among awards, BlendTec has won a bronze Clio in 2008 (Interactive category) for their interactive efforts. (excerpt from BlendTec Will It Blend? Viral Video Case Study)
The ROI here is unimaginable, a $100 spend for a 700% increase in sales of a luxury item, and it all started with a good idea.
Of course, your video doesn't have to be viral in nature, it could also be informative, educational, interactive or entirely visual and aesthetic. It depends on your objectives and your resources. As a regional contractor, there's little value in creating a viral video, but what about “How To” videos for your visitors? Share information on how to cut your corners for crown moulding, or better ways for doing drywall, or building on a budget. If you don't have the time, inclination or budget to create video, go ahead and scoop one from YouTube, or Expert Village, or Vimeo and post it on your site. It won't be unique, but it will still be a powerful tool for engaging your visitors.
If you want to create a video but don't know where to start, give us a call at Hosting Nation, we'll point you in the right direction.
Contact Sean at sean@hosting-nation.ca or phone 250-586-HOST (4678).
