Tag Archives: David Meerman Scott

Guest Post

No guarantees, but here are tips to “Go Viral”

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Synang ChanThe great thing about the Viral Video Phenomenon is that you don’t need a professional film crew. Let your imagination be Director and your “sense of fun” do the scripting.

Although it is virtually impossible to create a Web marketing program that is guaranteed to go viral, according to David Meerman Scott and other pundits, you can stack the deck in your favor by (a) following some guidelines and (b) avoiding the pitfalls.

PR student Synang Chhan wrote this guest post on “Helpful Tips for Going Viral on YouTube” as a result of her classroom research:

Give People Something To Talk About

by Synang Chhan

The whole point of going viral on YouTube is to create a piece of content that goes beyond mediocre videos. The focus is to get people talking about and sharing the content. Here are some Do’s and Don’ts to make that happen:

The Nine DO’s

1) Define the audience: Think about the types of viewers that your video is trying to reach and give them something to talk about with their friends, family, and peers. Keep in mind their thoughts and feelings to create positive feedback. Top Ten Videos  list

2) Generate a viral trigger: Pick and  choose an element that will “hit the spot.” Start with something  shocking and/or hilarious and/or completely unique to get the buzz going. Manhattan Bridge sways with subway traffic

3) Stay homemade: Make sure to be yourself. The best way to gain the audience’s trust is to show a natural and organic personality, so the audience sees a real person, not a robot. Fellow student Christine Ferraris promotes “‘new” company

4) Mimic a public figure: Involving a celeb-inspired imitation may lead to viral success. People take pleasure in getting a kick out of their favorite stars goofing off antics; better yet, people enjoy watching celebrity imposters because there is the added element of checking out how close the copier can get. Also, the high publicity value of public figures makes them especially easy to search for. Who can forget Tina Fey as Sarah Palin

5) Take it to the Max: With more than a million videos uploaded worldwide, you have to give yours something extra to even get noticed. Yours needs to be TEN TIMES BETTER — 10 x Funnier — 10 x More Exhilarating — 10 x More Original — 10 x More Inspirational! The Law of Attraction

6) Bring the exposure to your audience: The purpose of the viral video is to share the content. On the other hand, DO NOT WAIT for people to find your content. Even the most creative videos on YouTube can go unnoticed as a result of lack of exposure. Seeking a platform approach to viral sharing is a good idea. some suggestions are Digg, StumbleUpon, HeySpread, Facebook, Twitvid, and TubeMogul in additiaon to YouTube. Viral Video Blog

7) Make it portable: Allowing the video to be shared easily is to make it portable, downloadable, and obtainable. Moreover, allocating friendly links to your video will make it simple for people to spread it effectively. A site for the funniest videos

8- Timing is necessary: Keep in mind that luck and timing is essential because most videos are often “stumbledupon” by someone who then passes it on to another person who passes it on, and so on. Basically, you will need to be in the right place at the right time in order to have the potential for that viral spread. In the meantime, you can acquire lots of views to happen fast after upload by making the front page of Digg or as a YouTube Video of the Week. Top rated videos on Digg

9) Track the viral activity: Since your video has hit the web, you may want to track where all the downloading activities are coming from. many sites such as Unruly Media, Google, or YouTube Insights can tell which keywords people use to find your video, which then helps you effectively advertise it. Unruly Media and YouTube Insight

And NOW what you should NOT do if you really want to go viral

1) DON’T create a fake campaign: Being REAL is essential. If you act insincerely, people can tell. You will be misrepresented in a way that will hurt, not help. Be who you are, not someone you are not.

2) DON’T be a commercial: While a few companies have been able to produce viral commercial videos, most do not make it. Audiences are looking for something to talk about, not something to buy.

3) DON’T post bad quality: While your videos don’t have to be professional, if the quality is too poor, that can be a big turn-off. Keep the style of America’s Funniest Home Videos as a model, not The Blair Witch Project.

4) DON’T make the video too long: When videos play more than five minutes, viewers will stop watching and look elsewhere — in most cases, but not all. Susan Boyle and the Battle at Kruger both went on for more than 7 minutes but were so great that viewers keep coming back.

5) DON’T mislead the content with an SEO title: Keywords in a title will not guarantee viral success and may backfire by misleading the viewer. No one wants to waste time clicking on a video for one reason and then seeing something totally different. You will lose credibility and earn a bad reputation.

6) DON’T pick an unappealing background: If your background is all plain, it will give your video a plain vibe. If you film in a home office with a messy desk, most people will think you are lazy and unorganized. First impressions do count.

7) DON’T keep your videos to yourself: Distribute to EVERYONE you know and to all the social bookmarking sites.

8- DON’T be negative about competitors: Keep your videos classy and sophisticated by avoiding trash talk, which will only be viewed as rude, disrespectful, and in bad taste.

9) FINALLY, DON’T Stop Having Fun!: Although you may have serious messages to get across, adding fun can make all the difference.

Now Just Do It!

Next post: Future of Advertising AND YouTube

Blogging, Facebook, Twitter

Yes, Thomas, we do have to throw out those OLD RULES of PR

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Old Rules of PR - May they RIP
Old Rules of PR - May they RIP

When one of my new PR students read last week’s post listing David Meerman Scott’s NEW RULES for PR & Marketing, he suggested that the old rules were still useful.

Perhaps some “old rules” may be, but not the ones DMS pointed out. Here below is my response to Thomas’ comment:

Thomas, have you ever heard the old cliche, “Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater”? That expression was the first thing that came to mind when I read your comment. In other words, when you are “cleaning up,” make certain that you don’t throw out EVERYTHING.

So I thought I’d reexamine those OLD RULES and decide if any were really worth saving:

1. The only way to get ink was through the media.

Of course, with social media, we are all publishers and do not require the mainstream media to tell our stories.

2. Companies communicated to journalists via press releases.

Organizations of all types — profit, nonprofit, government, etc. — can bypass journalists by posting releases on their own sites as well as using many different platforms to communicate with buyers, employees, community members, shareholders, and any other stakeholders they wish to reach.

3. Nobody saw the actual press release except a handful of reporters and editors.

That’s just not true anymore. People searching for our companies and/or the products we carry and/or services we provide can find releases and news and information on our websites as well as more dynamic platforms like our blogs and Twitter accounts.

4. Companies had to have significant news before they were allowed to write a press release.

DMS tells us over and over that the more we communicate directly with our buyers, the better relationships we can build — and that means sharing lots of newsworthy items, not simply “significant events.”

5. Jargon was okay because the journalists all understood it.

Jargon doesn’t work. You want your audiences to understand everything — about your company and you. Jargon does not figure at all in an Authentic World where Transparency is Key.

6. You weren’t supposed to send a release unless it included quotes from third parties, such as customers, analysts, and experts.

Now these 3rd party quotes easily find their way to the people through tweets, blogs, and updates. People do want to hear from their friends — and social media makes those recommendations so easy.

7. The only way buyers would learn about the press release content was if the media wrote a story about it.

With the opportunity to publish your releases on your own internet platforms — as well as the availability of both free and fee-based wire services, you no longer need to depend entirely on the mainstream media. However, if your messages “go viral,” you can be guaranteed that the media will find you and reinforce your message even more.

8. The only way to measure the effectiveness of press releases was through “clip books,” which noted each time the media deigned to pick up a company’s release.

Measuring ROI has a host of new tools including Google Analytics as well as blog comments and social media update — all of which are easily accessible through tools and search. Of course, for many businesses the true measurement of effectiveness has nothing to do with “clips” and everything to do with sales.

9. PR and marketing were separate disciplines run by different people with separate goals, strategies, and measurement techniques.

It seems safe to conclude that marketing is going to have to be ALL about getting out the brand reputation and the brand message to various audiences — and that is what Public Relations has ALWAYS  been about.

So one remaining question could be: What OLD RULES do you think we ought to keep?

Next post: My new Road Map for becoming an ACE: Active Contributor & Engager

Twitter

Performance Social Media FACEBOOK PAGE is up and running

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Catch up. Become a FAN of Performance Social Media and start to Make Sense of Social Media/Internet Marketing

Grow your business with social media strategies
Grow your business with social media strategies, tactics, and tools,

Forget the OLD Rules of PR.

Read below for David Meerman Scott’s NEW RULES for Marketing AND PR:

1) Marketing is MORE than ads.

2) PR is MORE than mainstream media.

3) YOU are what you Publish.

4) People want AUTHENTICITY, not Spam.

5) Participation NOT propaganda.

6) “Interruption” be GONE; instead: Content when people want it.

7) Focus on Long Tail, not Mass Audience.

8) Forget TV and maximize online presence.

9) Forget awards, forcus on winning business.

10) Public is back in PUBLIC Relations.

11) Content drives Action.

12) All sorts of social media platforms communicate directly with buyers.

13) On the Web: Marketing and PR are ONE.

You can read David Meerman Scott’s blog posts at WebInkNow.com.

Next post: Here are the Old Rules . . . for your consideration, or . . . for disposal 🙂