Not that long ago, marketing involved creating ads for print publications and maybe producing a television commercial or two. Now, with the popularity of the Internet, social media websites and YouTube, more and more business owners, hoping to take advantage of viral marketing, are using short videos to promote their companies.

Of course, not all videos are created equally—some are long and cumbersome and are ultimately not all that successful, while others achieve viral video status and go on to be viewed by millions of potential customers.

For business owners who wish to join the video revolution and create something that will be memorable—and most of all—viewed and shared with pretty much everyone on Earth, consider the following tips:

Keep the Quality Top-Notch

With videos essentially being a dime a dozen, it’s imperative that a business owner create a marketing video that not only has a great message, but is well-produced and looks really good. This is not the time for a grainy, poorly-lit video that is hastily shot on a smartphone. The video must be top quality from start to finish—this includes using an actual camera, microphone and a decent editing program to put it all together. Also, when adding effective mood makers like music, which can really add to a video when done properly, business owners don’t have to rely on extremely expensive soundtrack sources. Instead, they can visit a website like Shutterstock, where they can browse through a vast selection of music and select the stock content they want for a very affordable price.

Remember the Acronym STEPPS

Viral videos don’t just happen by chance. Instead, six key factors will inspire people to share videos with others. According to Forbes, these principles include social currency, triggers, emotion, public, practical value and stories, or STEPPS for short.

For example, the social currency concept revolves around the notion that forwarding a video to friends and family will make us look smart or current. With this in mind, business owners should try to create a video that will make viewers feel like they are “in” on something new and exciting and that they will feel smarter or more clever when they share it.

Make It Short and Sweet

In a world where people are accustomed to watching seven second videos on Vine and posting 140-word tweets on Twitter, super long marketing videos just aren’t going to fly. And by long, it doesn’t mean 20-minute mini-movies about how wonderful a company is; even something that is three minutes in length is pushing the average attention span. When creating a marketing video, make it as short and sweet as possible—around 45 seconds or so. This should give company owners and marketers plenty of time to say what they want to without running the risk of losing their audience.

Keep It Light

As Inc. notes, people are also more likely to forward a video if it creates a positive emotion. In general, videos that inspire happiness or laughter are especially popular and after that, clips that make people feel alert are also likely to go viral. Videos that focus on something sad or negative may still be forwarded too, but not as frequently as something that makes the viewer feel good.

In general, the least-forwarded videos are boring and monotonous. Business owners can keep this in mind when creating their scripts and focus on a funny work-related anecdote or other story that will make people laugh.

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This article is published by Will Sherwood | The Sherwood Group |Website Design | Graphic Design | Marketing Communications: The Sherwood Group has over 30 years of experience working with all sorts of companies, small and large. Our clients range from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms, in nearly every business sector, from across the street to around the world (and yes, even Europe, China, and South America). Our goal is to create advertising,  graphic design, website design, and marketing communication that still looks fresh and relevant 10-15 years later. Our mission is to stir your imagination and leave your competition shaken and wondering,  Now what do we do?”  We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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