You’ve gotta see this!!!
Remember when you’d get an email or text with those words in the
subject line every couple of months or so? Then it became every week.
Now these must-see edicts come in so fast you can hardly keep track of
them. And they all contain links to the latest viral videos making the
rounds on YouTube.
It’s easy enough to shoot some footage and stick it on the net. But how do you make a YouTube flick good enough to click?
“The success of most YouTube videos is mainly due to a mix of timing,
talent and luck,” says Howard Wilmot, director of London based
All-Leo.com, a digital communications company specialising in social
media, public relations and branded online content. “But there are
things you can do to position your video so it stands the best chance of
exposure.”
According to Wilmot, production value isn’t really an issue. There’s
no point in hiring a professional film crew or paying for a sound
studio, because what people really connect with is authenticity. In
fact, using a basic video camera and your dad’s vegetable plot as a
backdrop might actually work better. A good example of this is a YouTube
video entitled Guitar 90. It’s just a guy in a baseball cap and a T-shirt playing a guitar in his bedroom. Yet it has received more than 76 million views.
“Before you begin, ask yourself who your audience is,” advises
Wilmot. “Think about why they’d want to spend five minutes of their day
watching your video and how it will add value and be relevant to their
lives — give people a reason to tune in and pass it on and you’ll
already have put yourself ahead of the pack.”
After you’ve uploaded your masterpiece, you’ll need to make sure your
intended viewers can find it. “Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a
critical first step. SEO is like sat nav — it tells the search engines
where your site is, what it’s about, which pages do what and how you can
be found,” says Sally Walker, a pioneer of social media management and
the director of Sally Walker Media Labs. “SEO is the foundation on which
your marketing plan is built.”
Keep in mind that the YouTube search platform is similar to Google in
that it relies on tagged keywords and descriptions to sort and deliver
content to users. The better your tags, the more easily your video will
be found, and the more traffic you’ll get. And take advantage of
YouTube’s subscription feature by encouraging people to subscribe to
your postings. Subscribers are automatically notified whenever you
upload a new video, which gives you the advantage of having a built-in
audience for your future productions. Plus, subscribers are more likely
to view new material, become fans and increase your overall number
of views.
But if you really want to get your creation out there, it’s going to
take some extra effort. The Internet is about collaboration, and a good
place to start is to look for a likeminded blogger who’d be open to
working with you. “Blogs rule the social media world at the moment, but
what they are also good for is showcasing and linking to your YouTube
videos,” adds Walker. “Attach their links to suitable forums, message
boards and all of your social media profiles (such as Twitter, Facebook,
Bebo and LinkedIn). And add links to your email signatures, to press
releases and to all your online and offline marketing strategies.”
It sounds like a lot of work, but the gamble can mean a big payoff.
Nevertheless, don’t worry if you haven’t ‘gone viral’ and the views
aren’t piling up by the millions in the first few days. Even for the
pros, getting eyeballs in front of screens can be a challenge. “In any
medium it’s very hard to create something that jumps right off the page
and attracts mass interest,” concludes Wilmot. “Consequently, I think
viral marketing is a myth. The best you can do is to be highly strategic
about your use of social media.”