Social Video Marketing Vs. Viral Video Marketing

With video content online becoming more popular by the day, and people consuming video everywhere from their commute to work and home, video marketing has a crucial role in every marketing strategy. According to a recent study by Brightcove, 76% of consumers will purchase a product after watching a video. There are several approaches to create and execute a brilliant video strategy, but how to choose your focus? Two common terms in video marketing strategy are viral video and social video, which often get confused. Here at Vireo Video, it is our specialty, and we are here to explain the difference between the two so you can determine which one is more suitable for your goals.

Viral Video

The term “viral video” has been around a while longer than “social video” and it became a video marketing goal for most companies since video content started dominating social networks. But what makes a video viral?

The truth is, there is no formula for 100% virality. The virality of the video is based on shareability and it’s the ability to grab the attention of the viewer. Viral videos are designed to spread the message without having to spread it yourself alone, it is about getting the most viewers to see your video. However, the viral video scene is also changing – initially, viral videos were more of a surprise factor, any video could go viral overnight, but now, it also requires some planning and consideration of audience, content format and the message you convey.

There are several reasons to choose viral video strategy, such as increasing your reach, brand awareness and in the process raising the conversion rate for your product. However, note that viral video is not usually a long-term strategy as it is made to capture the attention short span, and a quality community will not necessarily grow around your brand based on a viral video.

Great examples:

Google Christmas ad (2018) – Home Alone – 22M views in 2 days (and countless reuploads from other brands):

https://www.facebook.com/Google/videos/2033465790082433/

RV Lifestyle – Living in a $2.5 Million RV (2.3M Views):

Bachelor on the Budget – Roasted Vegetables the Easy Way – 1.3M views:

Dollar Shave Club – Get Ready (2018) – 2.8M views:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEU-MAZRhJs

Social Video

Social video is a relatively new term in video marketing world and with a lot of marketers considering a viral video strategy unattainable, it has become a very important part of video marketing strategies across the world. Social video is carefully crafted digital video meant specifically to be shared on social media.

Social video is not completely different from a viral video as shareability and content message are still an important part of it, however, the main goal of social video that makes it different from viral is to encourage engagement in long-term. Social video is less about getting the views, and more about getting the right viewers. It’s about nurturing your leads not just grabbing their attention one time – it’s about making your brand involved.

When using social video content, you should also keep in mind, that it needs to be optimized for the platform, and it needs to have consistency and continuous content following the initial post. Once you have grabbed the attention and the initial engagement of your viewer, they will want to continue quality engagement with your brand.

Great examples:

Legend of Cambria series – 7 video series in the style of Game of Thrones/Last Kingdom to promote their brand which sells countertops. Note there is no mention of their product in the series, only the brand values, and content aimed at the audience rather than the product. This is an innovative and interesting approach to video marketing.

Results for this campaign are impressive with 110K visits to the Legend of Cambria website, 36K video views on site, 17K views of the episodes on social (YouTube and Facebook) – more now, 22.3MM digital paid impressions, 29.5MM social paid impressions and 110K social engagement on their ads.

https://www.facebook.com/CambriaSurfaces/videos/10156161905657162

John Lewis annual Christmas advert (with Elton John 2018) – 12.4M Views:

https://youtu.be/mNbSgMEZ_Tw

Viral Video vs. Social Video Summary

Viral Video

- Viral video is intended to grab attention short span and get the most viewership and shareability for a one-off video/project.

- Viral video does not necessarily mean that the brand or influencer wants to gain viewers trust or long-term engagement from this video exposure, but it can lead to that as well.

- Viral video does not need a very specific targeted viewer, or a clear aim to become viral. Viral videos are likely to be appealing to generic audiences to make it more shareable across platforms. Viral video is addressed to a large audience, more general to gain most views/shares.

- Viral videos do not require a lot of socialization if the content is relatable and has an interesting/shocking message, it will spread once the video gains more shares/views. Once the video is uploaded, it’s success measures in exposure – views and shares. However, it is important to plan a budget for the initial socialization and advertising, to ensure that people see it and start sharing.

- One of the biggest differences between the two is that viral video does not have to be genuine or trusted – it can be fake or more general and still gain all the intended traction.

If you want to know how RV Lifestyle and Bachelor on the Budget got their videos to go viral, and plan your own campaign, get our free video marketing canvas here.

Social Video

Social video is focused on earning a quality interest and trust of the viewer, which turns into a longer-term engagement.

Social video is more quality and it is important that the message and content are genuine. It is based around the intended audiences demand and building trust between the brand and the audience.

Social video is about the quality of the views, shares and other engagement. Social video is targeted to lead conversations and ultimately conversions. A social video is focused on more niche market, clearly addressing the needs of the target audience, more towards quality viewers.

Social videos are as mentioned before focused on longer-term engagement, so socialization for it would be more based on relatability and engagement around the video and further. Socialization of these videos requires planning, platform optimization, and audience research.

Same as viral videos, it is important to have a budget planned for advertising and socialization, especially as the platforms have now reduced organic brand content visibility to a minimum.

Conclusion

Now that we have explained the differences and similarities between the viral and social video, you should be able to match the goals of your campaign with the right strategy. Both of these video types are extremely valuable and can bring success to your company if used correctly.

Use viral video to put your brand on the map and gain traction to a specific video that you wish to spotlight or use social video for more specific, product and lead-based campaigns. Viral videos are a great way to launch a brand, set a high bar for content you will produce going forward. Ultimately, however, social video can address all goals of the strategy – awareness, consideration, and action – and will build your audience to be more loyal, engaged and overall quality, so if you are looking to grow your brand long term, this is the way to go!

If you are looking to develop an amazing video marketing strategy, get in touch and we will help you!