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Earlier this month, America’s most creative minds ventured into Madison Avenue for the 8th annual Advertising Week, and with digital at the forefront of marketing, video marketing tips quickly became a hot topic at this year’s event. Ever since Wieden+Kenndy’s successful “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” Old Spice campaign, brands everywhere have been fighting for the coveted spot of today’s latest viral sensation, but AdWeek panelists made it clear that this is not an easy feat. After all, you don’t choose what goes viral, your audience does. So before delving into your next major video campaign, it may be wise to listen to the advice of today’s most successful advertisers, who believe that creating share-worthy content takes more than just smart creative. To them, success requires patience, risk-taking, and a diverse media plan.

Be Patient and Take Risks

Unlike the instant reach of many traditional media outlets, a successful video virus takes some time to pass-along and build up, so it’s important to be patient with your efforts. This lesson was made clear by George Smith during the panel discussion entitled, “The Viral Business: How Brands Can Create Online Video Machines.” Smith, a senior manager for PepsiCo.’s social media team, shared his experience working on a recent Pepsi Max video series made for Australia and the UK. The first video of the sequence generated less than 100,000 views, and although this is a relatively modest number for the brand, it didn’t stop the team in their tracks. Instead, each member took the time needed to learn about their audience and train their viewers with each launch. Eventually, due to their patience and diligence, they nearly doubled their audience by the tenth video of the series.

To further build on the conversation, VP of digital strategy of Taylor, Jackson Jeyanayagam, went on to explain the importance of risk-taking. He argued that a fear of failing is holding many brands back, and it’s frustrating as an agency to see managers give up on video marketing after one or two modest attempts. Like any other form of marketing, a great campaign takes some time to research, execute and build, so it’s essential to learn and improve upon each attempt. Virality is not guaranteed, but with the right strategy, businesses could still reach a considerable amount of their target audience.

Your Videos Should Be in All the Right Places

Nearly every AdWeek panelist speaking on the subject of video marketing stressed the necessary need for widespread distribution to achieve substantial numbers. In other words, to reach the eyes of your desired audience, it is incredibly important to invest in the media needed to have a steady presence. The internet is vast, so without the right coverage in all the right place, even the most brilliant video can easily be missed.

What kind of experiences have you had with video marketing?