Your business has a YouTube account, but you haven’t quite figured out what to use it for. You want to create a viral video, of course – ten million hits in ten minutes. If only it were that easy. Only the best videos go viral, so here are some tips to consider if you want to join the Viral Video Hall of Fame.

Don’t Go Pro

It’s tempting to hire a professional videographer in order to make sure your video is high quality, but there are so many reasons not to. Besides saving your business money, you’ll also be giving your video a better chance at going viral. The best viral videos are shot by amateurs. There’s something authentic and enticing about a homemade video that a professional video lacks.
Keep It Short

Don’t make your video more than two minutes long if you want lots of people to watch it in its entirety. With so many things to check out on the Internet, people just don’t have the attention span to give your video more time than that. If it’s so long that it takes time to load, they’ll probably skip it altogether. The best videos are often around 100 seconds long, but if you can accomplish it in less than that, even better.
Craft Your Description

Every video will have a short description that people can read before they view it (or as it’s playing). Don’t make the mistake of just writing whatever comes to mind. Carefully think about your description, and write something that will make people want to watch your video. Keep it short (don’t write paragraphs). If you’re not a great writer, you need to find someone who is.
Tell the World

Tell everyone you know about your video. Viral videos benefit from the snowball effect – as people watch the video, more people will watch it, and then more, and so on. Don’t just tell all your friends and customers; put links to the video on your website, blog, and all social media. Use your social media to promote the video as much as possible; even create a #hashtag for it on Twitter.
Get Promoted

Another way to spread the word about your video is to email bloggers in your industry and tell them about it. The best case scenario is that the video piques their interest, and they’ll tell their readers about it, too. Just a quick mention on a prominent blog can get you a lot of exposure and views, and it will help the snowball effect progress even more quickly.
Make It Great

Finally, the most important part about making your video go viral is that it’s a great video. You might not hire a professional to shoot it, but you could hire professionals to help you write and stage it. The content should appeal to people’s emotions in some way. Think of your favorite videos and try to discern what makes them so appealing. For example, it can’t hurt to include some super cute puppies and kittens, a stupid prank or stunt, or singing and dancing babies – better yet, include them all.

Charlie Adams is a marketing professional and technology entrepreneur who loves to write about digital and online marketing and how it is best utilized.

Photo Credit: ipodfan1