Rule No. 5: Learn YouTube best practices

YouTube has 490 million users worldwide (unique visitors per month), boasting a demographic of 18-54 years old. It generates an estimated 92 billion page views each month. This equates to a lot of advertising opportunity for big and small brands alike.

The average YouTube user visits the site 14 times per month and spends an average of 25 minutes on the site each time they visit. Why? Because the content is there.

Over 4 million people on YouTube are connected and are “auto-sharing” videos to at least one social network. An auto-shared tweet alone results in 6 new youtube.com sessions. With these figures, it is clear why brands aim to create videos in hopes that they go viral and propel the brand towards record-breaking sales.

Here’s a few key lessons to learn from successful video marketing campaigns:

1. Create purpose-built videos – A powerful and compelling story was key to Dove’s campaign, with the message kick-starting a lot of discussions. But what really made the video a success was how it was shot. The “behind-the-scenes” footage gave the video an air of authenticity that viewers responded to. The video would have had a very different reception had it aired as a television advert, with the key message diluted.

2. Make it simple and sustainable – Who knew that selling blenders could be so much fun? BlendTec’s videos showcased their product features in an unusual way. Their videos were entertaining (intriguing?) and the formula was replicable without being repetitive.

3. Take risks and be original – Tipp-ex was not afraid of being a little bit risqué. The video itself echoes Burger King’s subservient chicken but the interactive flash site ensured that the video would stand out from the crowd. The very nature of the campaign made it fun to share for viewers.

4. Integrate your campaign with social networking sites – Viral videos obviously go viral as people share them through email, word-of-mouth and various social networking sites. But why stop with YouTube’s auto-sharing feature? Old Spice Man’s video responses to tweets kept the brand very engaged with their audience as well as driving traffic to both social media accounts.

5. Publish multi-lingual content – It’s important to create content that would translate around the globe, especially if you are an international brand. Switzerland’s new tourism channel produces videos in 4 different languages to ensure worldwide appeal.

6. Use YouTube’s features – The annotation feature for videos has helped produce a lot of great interactive content. The best example I’ve seen is Hell Pizza’s zombie movie, which really pushes the boundaries of storytelling on YouTube.

7. Have a call to action – Take advantage of the attention generated by the video and try to increase engagement by having a call to action where appropriate. Bic’s video links to an online game that is in line with the video’s theme as well as a link to their Facebook page.

8. Know your market – Samsung’s viral video for a new HD phone was targeted at ‘geeks’ who were most likely to buy the handset. The video was a clever piece of advertising that appealed to their consumers’ inquisitive disposition.

There are still a lot of great video marketing campaigns that I’ve left out. Share your favourite viral video in the comments section and tell us why you think it works!