Everyone is getting into video these days, if for no other reason than to hope that one of their videos goes viral. For small businesses, this can be a life-changing occurrence—if you can get it to work.
Just ask Michael Dubin.
Dubin, owner of Dollar Shave Club, started his company in 2010, basically going broke when he created a website. Then in 2012 he created a video for his company as a promotional tool. The video is simple, straight to the point, and has no real bells and whistles.
So how did it go viral? Well, those that have seen the video know why. The video is hilarious. It features a large stuffed bear, cutting packaging tape with a machete, random background in-jokes, and a tagline with an expletive (literally…it’s bleeped out).
The video became so popular that he was given an investment of $10 million from a capital firm, sensing that Dubin’s little company had the potential to give giants like Gillette a run for their money.
In terms of the video going viral, Dubin is mostly modest and attributes his good fortune to luck. But looking at it in terms of trying to study it for viral tips, there are a few things to take note of.
First of all, there was the element of surprise; no one had ever heard of the company, making the video that much more powerful. If the video had have been created by a well-known company, it wouldn’t have had the same sort of appeal.
There is then Dubin’s personality. He comes across as an everyday sort of guy, working out of a warehouse (in actuality, he works out of his apartment). He also lets you know straight away that he can save you money and that you’re getting ripped off by paying so much for a simple item. The mastery of it comes in the humor and subtlety in which he delivers the information.
While these tips are certainly not a tried and true formula for how to make a video go viral, they certainly won’t hurt. Like Dubin claims, much of it is luck and timing.
Have you ever had a video go viral, even if only for a moment? What factors do you think helped you achieve viral status?
