Don't you?  Have you ever heard a client say they wanted a viral video?  Have you ever told someone to make you a viral video? 

There's just one problem; you can't make a viral video.

I was reminded of this earlier this week in this post from Tim Jackson.  Tim explains how to create a video that has a good chance of going viral:
 

you have to know your audience and what they like or find entertaining/ interesting. Sounds familiar doesn't it? It's the same stuff we've all been preaching about blogging over the years. Easier said than done, I know. BUT... learning about your audience is very easy if you just participate in their worlds and simply... get this... ask some questions or answer a few from other folks. That's it. It's as "easy" as that.

This is a big reason why many videos never go viral.  They aren't created with the viewer's interests in mind.  Many companies and businesses want their marketing message to go viral. 

Good luck with that one.

The videos that have the best chance to go viral are the ones that contain content that we can quickly and easily find value in.  It could be something funny, or sad, or informative, or gut-wrenching.   But the content and message strikes a cord with us, and that's why we share it. 

In the comments section of that post, I mentioned Dove's Evolution video that's one of the best examples of a company-created video going viral in recent memory. 




Notice that Dove didn't use the video to promote itself, but rather a message. Also notice that the video is approaching 7 million views.

Many companies just love the idea of a viral video, because they see it as a way for their marketing message to quickly and easily be spread over the internet. But the problem is, people usually don't get too terribly excited about marketing messages, and the last thing they want to do is push marketing messages onto their friends.

So there's two takeaways here:

1 - You can't create a 'viral' video. A video goes viral IF it resonates with enough people.

2 - Videos that go viral do so because they contain content that people want to share with others. It can be a funny video, it can be an eye-opening video like Dove's evolution, but the odds are it's not going to be a commercial for your business.

But perhaps the biggest key to remember when creating a video that you hope will go viral is, know the 'rules of the road'. Make the video with your audience in mind and understand what they are looking for. While you may not be able to directly promote yourself, if you're smart, you can create a video that goes viral with a message that resonates with your audience, and also promotes you in the process.