The Power Of Words for your Brand
19 Million Hits On YouTube (and growing)…
What do you do when the world shows up on your doorstep? When your video goes viral you have the potential to broadcast your message to millions of people you’ve never met. Your unique brand becomes an overnight celebrity and suddenly everyone has an opinion of your work which is intoxicating and terrifying all at the same time.
In 2010, my husband Seth and I created a promotional video for my company Purplefeather, called The Power of Words. It’s the story of a blind man begging on the streets using a sign saying ‘I’m blind, please help.’ He’s not having a great deal of success until a thoughtful businesswoman comes along and decides the best way she can help is to give his sign more universal appeal. She changes the words to read ‘It’s a beautiful day and I can’t see it’ which elicits a rush of donations from passers-by. When the businesswoman comes back later to check how he’s doing, the blind man asks what she did to his sign. Her response: ‘I wrote the same but in different words’. The video closes on the message ‘Change Your Words, Change Your World.’
How Does It Affect Your Business?
Our video sat on YouTube for almost a year and received a couple of hundred views. It was only when we decided to ‘seed’ it on social media channels that things went a little crazy. Good Friday 2011 certainly lived up to its name. That was the day we sent The Power of Words to some influential bloggers, posted it out to our networks on Facebook and Twitter and promptly forgot about it. Three days later when we were travelling back from an internet-free break in deepest Bavaria, I spoke to our puzzled web developer. There was something odd going on with our website – it was receiving 48,000 hits a day and was about to bust its bandwidth. We came home to the news that the video had received 1 million views over the weekend…and there were 3,500 emails in my inbox!
Over the course of the next 18 months the video transformed our business and has become affectionately known as our 24-hour salesperson. Views have reached 15 million and we have received business opportunities from around the world. The video played a part in the Arab Spring, gave hope and inspiration to soldiers in Libya and was even picked up by Canadian politicians who were keen to align themselves with the message. It recently won an award from the North Atlantic Film Council of America and was shortlisted for the inaugural Lovie Awards alongside contenders such as U2 and The Huffington Post.
We have been asked to spearhead several campaigns – a world peace movement, international students’ rights campaign and Canadian cultural festival – and have been approached by businesses large and small, from a monumental aerospace company in Florida to a man making doormats from lobster trap rope! My favourite emails came from children who’d been shown it at school, or people who’d seen it as part of a training programme and been caused to think differently.
‘Change Your Words, Change Your World’ has become our company motto and the title of my first published book and there is a global waiting list for our ‘Change Your World’ seminars and workshops.
What’s The Secret Of Creating A Viral Video?
If anyone ever gives you a guarantee that your video will ‘go viral’ watch to see how long their nose grows! All sorts of factors will conspire with or against you on the global stage to determine how popular your content will be – worldwide events, weather patterns…even singing cats. Though you have limited control over the timeliness of the message, there are 5 steps you can take to increase the likelihood of your video being shared:-
Keep it brief
We’re all busy people. If you can keep it under two minutes your audience is much more likely to stay with you til the end.
Make an emotional connection
Universal themes and emotions such as humour and pathos seem to have the strongest effect.
Tell a story
Everyone loves a story. If people can identify with one of your characters and notice a distinct turning point they are much more likely to remember your message.
Keep language to a minimum
Non-verbal communication is universally recognised and enhances rather than detracts from an understanding of the story.
Use emotive sounds and music
Try watching a horror movie with the sound switched off – much less impact. Original soundtracks and effects can give you a distinct advantage on YouTube. And if you don’t use original music, expect copyright claims!
The Importance Of Brand Vitality
The most potent insight we’ve drawn from our viral experience has been the importance of brand vitality. People are attracted to brands on an emotional level and, rather than feel they are being sold something, prefer to connect through a narrative. If you can inject your brand with personality and deliver an authentic message, your online community will build itself and your business will have the potential to unlock millions of hearts. Read more here
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