When considering viral content most associate it with videos of cats playing piano, policemen at dance-offs, and other social media staples. The majority of viral content is non-business related and created by individuals for their friends and other individuals.
However, there are a few businesses who started thinking outside of the box and developed ads/promotion which were so entertaining and so on-point that users gobbled them up, despite the fact that they were actually ads.
Think Super Bowl-type ads and you’ll be on the right track. The ads are so good and so entertaining that people purposefully watch, share and discuss them.
But I don’t have the budget for that caliber of advertising! And my business is super boring!
You need not a large budget or an exciting company/product to make Super Bowl-level viral ads/content.
Case and point: Dollar Shave Club. A company which sells razor blades online, and ships them to you. You can’t get any more mundane than that. They created a ‘company explanation’ video on Youtube to describe who they are and why they are different. It was filmed in their warehouse with just a few props. The video itself couldn’t have cost more than a couple hundred dollars. The video has over 20 million views. How is that even possible? Simply because it was very funny, well written, different, unpredictable and professional.
Watch here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI
Consider the ROI from creating that simple, cheap but very entertaining ad. It is for that reason that companies should consider creating clever, funny ads that people actually want to share.
What type of content?
The very very best and most viral type of content are two:
- Funny, hilarious, pure comedy. So funny/entertaining that you want to show it to others.
- Incredible, something hard to believe is even possible. “how did they do that”.
There are others… such as ’emotional’ etc, but the above two are the most potent.
All you need is a decent camera and a lot of creativity. It doesn’t matter what type of industry your company is, or what type of product.
Additionally you have to be willing to take risks, PR-wise, let your hair down and be able to take a flippant approach to your company and products. Not all companies are willing to ‘be funny’, but the ones that do, and do it right can start a wildfire of interest.
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