So we saw that Forbes had this killer article showcasing some of the best viral videos from 2012.  Check them out when you have a minute—some of them are hilarious.

Top 7 Viral Videos of 2012 – Forbes

Seriously, the one for the Dollar Shave Club is probably our favorite video ad EVER.  The video where the two-year-old boy hears his mom’s voice for the first time?  It brings tears to our eyes every time we watch it.

It made us think, these can teach a lot about how to make sure your video becomes an irresistible sharing magnet.The Draw Shop | Be Awesome

Here are our 4 best tips on how to make a viral video using whiteboard and cartoon animation videos:

1. Provoke strong emotion

When you create a video that makes people laugh, tugs on their heartstrings, or riles their anger, they’re much more likely to want to share it with their friends.

If you look at the list of top viral videos, you’ll see they provoke awe, humor, sympathy, and inspiration.  Other strong emotions that encourage people to share are nostalgia, warmth, “aww,” (think cuteness overload – everyone loves babies and small animals), outrage, and even horror.  Avoid creating a video that makes people sad, though, as they’re not as likely to share something that puts them in a downer mood.

 

2. Say something no one has said before

We are a living in a media-saturated society.  We see millions of ads for countless products and it all too often starts to sound like Charlie Brown’s Mom… blah-blah-blah-diddie-blah-blah.

But when your whiteboard and cartoon animation video says the unexpected or approaches a familiar topic from an unfamiliar angle, you can rattle the cage of complacency and really grab their attention.

Here’s a video we made for a client that does a great job of this.

 

3. Know your audience

One of the reasons why the Dollar Shave Club video is so successful is that it completely NAILS their target audience full of guys aged 18-35, and speaks to them in the language they use with their friends.

I have yet to show this video to one of my friends and NOT have them say, “Oh my god, I have to do that!”  This isn’t because they’re convinced of the blades’ quality or think they’re going to save a lot of money, but because they want to say they shave with Dollar Shave Club razor blades for the sheer coolness/hilarity factor.

michael-dubin-dollar-shave-club

Click to watch this basketful of Awesome

 

4. Keep it short & front-load the good stuff

Studies show that most people don’t watch more than 15-30 seconds of a video.  In order to capture your viewers’ attention and make sure they do watch your entire whiteboard and cartoon animation video, make sure you start off with a bang and include a hook that makes it impossible for them not to want to watch until the end.

Present an unbelievable statistic that demands further explanation.

Ask a provocative question in a way that makes them need to know the answer.

Shock them with the unexpected and then explain how that relates to a situation that’s familiar to them.

When you make them wonder where the heck you’re doing with that pink balloon in your manly-man marketing video, you’ll encourage them to engage more deeply and keep them glued to the screen until the very last frame.

 

To us, when you marry creative juices to proven marketing know-how, you knock it out of the park!  It’s all about emotion, being different, knowing who you are targeting and then banging the viewer over the head with your message.  Simple.

Now, we know this can also be a little overwhelming.

That’s why we are here to hook a brother (or sister) up!

Enter your name and email below for a certified, 20-minute, boredom eradicating Pow-Wow and one of our creative marketing Ninjas will respond tout suite.

You will NOT be sorry.