Monday, November 14th, 2011
written by Jen J
Viral Is So 2005 and Other Notes from November’s Social Commerce Exchange
As you may recall, last month I attended an event in our area called the Social Commerce Exchange (Conversations About Social Commerce). The founders and sponsors of this group are looking to make this event a regular happening, and this month’s gathering focused on video, particularly the viral kind. Here is a quick review of the take-aways.
Viral Video in Brief
Based on the concept of word-of-mouth marketing, where the most spectacular, funny, and/or outrageous become rapidly shared in a community, viral video (though it existed before) was really impacted by the creation of YouTube in 2005 and other social networking sites. There have been soooooo many analytical case studies trying to determine exactly what makes a viral video, and the verdict is an answer in the “Who knows?” sphere. No matter how much you study virality, as Ricky Ray Butler from Plaid Social Labs had to say last night, the outcome is never quite what you think it will be. (He is also the culprit responsible for the “Viral is so 2005” comment.) Here are a few other things the experts had to say.
Commerce and Video
From Zagg, the creators of device accessories of all kinds, the videos you make may not be a hit. It could, in fact, be hated—but that’s not always a bad thing. Zagg made a video called Real iPhone 5 Unboxing? tapping into the hype surrounding Apple’s October announcement. The video was so virulently hated that it attracted a lot of viewers, some of which watched a few of Zagg’s other videos and made some purchases.
From Plaid Social Labs, Butler touted the campaigns his company coordinated for a number of clients by wining and dining YouTube celebrities. Partnering with these celebs allowed the clients to tap into the celeb followers who in turn would promote the clients’ products as well in their own reviews or videos (having to buy the product first, of course, before reviewing it).
From Orabrush, maker of the tongue-cleaning device:
“What kind of party are you throwing with your channel?” —Austin Craig
Are you targeting a certain audience? What are you encouraging your viewers to do? Orabrush works to post videos consistently sometimes employing parodies of icons or getting unusual characters involved (giant tongue anyone?) and has also spread their message with the help of YouTube ads. Use your YouTube or other video channel strategically and know your objective before creating your videos.
Guidelines for Video Marketing Success
- Be consistent in your postings.
- Court YouTube celebrities and partner with them in your video marketing campaign.
- Make a controversial statement in your video.
- Focus on either building a community or generating sales, don’t do both.
- Know your medium and your demographic (if you are going to post on YouTube, devote your personal TV/media time to YouTube).
- Strategize about where you want to lead your viewer: to a social share, a Facebook application or maybe offline to a product purchase.
- Tap into a hot trend.
- Consider platforms other than YouTube.
As you can see, the evening was rich in ideas thanks to the representatives from Zagg, Orabrush, Plaid Social Labs, Blendtec and BlueGlass Interactive. Video marketing is a must-have for all businesses today because it resonates so well with audiences of all ages and persuasions. So, do you think the concept of viral video is out of date? Let us know, and continue the Social Commerce Exchange conversation.
