Video is a powerful marketing tool if you implement it as part of your personal branding action plan. Video content, when strategized the right way, can help scale your business to unprecedented heights. But what makes a video viral, and how can you create a system around it so you can replicate the format every time? The tips discussed here can help.
If you haven’t used video marketing in the past, here’s why you might want to consider it: it will help you humanize and personalize your brand. It will help you connect on a deeper level with your audience and build intense trust. If you are new to video marketing, here are some tactical tips learned from great brands that can get you started.
What are the tools you need to make a video viral?
Getting started with video marketing can be very simple. You don’t need expensive equipment. You can use the simplest of tools, such as a smartphone, and still achieve great results. Once you have a smartphone, you need three tools to make great videos:
- Good background
- Good audio
- Good lighting
How to make a video go viral: 7 ideas for your personal branding action plan
Several entrepreneurs and content creators suffer from the misconception that great videos require a studio. On the contrary, video on the go is powerful. You don’t need a studio and can do it from your phone: Interview Uber drivers, managers, and people in line with you. You can make videos everywhere. When you do a video on the go, it connects you to your audience, and they see you as you are in your everyday life. This helps you be more relatable and build a strong brand.
To master your personal branding action plan, consider how you want to be perceived at the next level, and set out to implement the necessary steps to achieve that. You owe it to yourself and those you wish to impact to be the best.
- Proper lighting is the key to great videos.
The lighting you use should highlight you and show you clearly. You want your audience to see you at your best.
- Good audio matters a great deal.
Good audio will make your voice clear and easy to hear. There’s ample research to point out that while viewers do tolerate average lighting and production quality, they can’t compromise on the audio quality, as that’s what makes the maximum impact. Use a good-quality microphone because it will make your voice stand out.
- Use your video background to improve the effectiveness of your message.
Your background and props make your brand and message stand out. However, you want to have a good background. Keep it simple so that you can stand out.
- Use video tools to improve the final video output.
Some of the most trustworthy video editing tools may be paid services. However, to scale your business, you need to invest in yourself as well as your business. Pivot when you need to and shift your mindset from scarcity to abundance. Wevideo.com is a way to edit your video.
Magisto is another great example, as it can compile pictures together and create a video. Adobe Premiere is another video editing program.
- Collaborate with other, more capable, creators.
Indeed, if you can create impactful videos and edit them on the fly, you can save money and may not need to hire someone else to help you in the beginning. However, when you want a more professional and polished video, or if it takes you too long to do it yourself, it is time to hire a video editor.
- Mind your thumbnails.
Use bold, descriptive thumbnails. Make sure that the intent is very clear. Thumbnails help draw your targeted audience in.
- Include captions to boost your video’s watch time.
Research shows that including subtitles in your videos is key. This way, people can still watch your videos with the sound off. If you don’t have the time to include captions in your videos, here’s a small hack: If you go to Instagram or Facebook and do a video story, the platform automatically adds captions. Then you can download the video with the ready-made captions. Another tool that can integrate captions into your video is rave.com.
What are some of the video formats to consider?
Short-form videos like reels are all the rage right now. Part of this is due to social media algorithms. How can you use the algorithm to work in your favor? If you haven’t made a video before, you could take what you are doing and maximize it. So, if you are someone who also creates other forms of content, you can quickly turn some of that into a short-form video that will help you reach an even greater audience.
Takeaway: what makes a video viral
Remember, there’s a learning curve in any new venture or undertaking, and not all might go as planned. Embrace failure as a badge of honor. We learn lessons from our failures, and it helps us to move forward and improve the areas we need to. Keep practicing over and over, and you will get it right. Don’t forget to include your uniqueness in every piece of content you create to make your brand shine.
When looking for ways to make your video viral, remember that:
- Having good lighting allows your audience to see you clearly.
- Your video thumbnails should be clear, bold, and descriptive.
- Play to your strengths to scale your business faster. Hire a video editor to help you out if the work is too much.
- There are several apps that can help you edit your own video.
- Quality matters, but so does quantity. You can either make videos in a studio or on the go.
