In the late 1990s, the Internet Dancing Baby came into our lives and the viral video was born. Back then, the video was passed around via email, but ever since, marketers have been on the warpath to produce the next viral sensation. Today, with YouTube and Facebook as well-known platforms where videos can connect with huge audiences and deliver brand messages, marketers still want to go for the gold and proclaim their project a viral success.

But can it really be done in today’s online culture?

To find out, I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Pat Carew, CMD’s social media video expert and a member of the agency’s film and video department, and ask some questions about what viral video means and how achievable it is as part of a larger campaign. The big question, however, was can you plan a viral video?

“By definition, something viral happens on its own,” said Carew. “The bottom line is you just don’t know if your plans will succeed. They are incredibly hard to do. While you can say you want to produce a viral video, ultimately it’s up to the audience to decide if you have succeeded.”

If you do attempt to make a go at producing a viral video to reach your audience on YouTube or Facebook, Carew suggests a few tips to include in your strategic planning:

Go with humor: Most popular videos contain sex, violence or humor. Since brands tend to stay away from the first two, humor is left as the most-used theme. But, according to Carew, humor is the most difficult to pull off. The most popular videos on YouTube, like this one, simply make people laugh. Be sure to work with professionals on this task to represent your brand well and be tasteful.

Ditch the call to action: A viral video must have a cool factor; it should not be an advertisement. That means no call to action, such as a phone number or email address. This can be the most difficult thing for marketers to pull away from, since it’s a traditional part of video advertising, but remember the goal is entertainment and eyeballs, not direct leads. This Old Spice video is a good example. Notice there’s no call to action. It just entertains while delivering its message in a humorous way.

Monitor for production trends: Stay on top of production trends by researching top videos. Whether they’re stop-frame animation, tilt photography or auto-tuning vocals, there are always interesting production trends that sweep though social media videos that can make them more eye-catching. Don’t worry about the technique being a fad, either. Your goal is to get as many positive impressions as fast as you can. As you can see from this search, auto-tuning is particularly popular right now.

Provide the unexpected: Like the Old Spice commercial, and this video that was produced for Microsoft, the best chance of a video becoming viral is when you provide something unexpected. The viewer doesn’t really know what’s going to happen next in the Old Spice commercial, and although the stunt in the Microsoft video is not real, it provides a “no way” response when viewed. Making the impossible seem real is a big trend now in the most popular online videos.

Be transparent: Above all, be honest in your video distribution. Refrain from posting a video from a personal account or trying to promote it without identifying yourself. This is risky in today’s social media world and can potentially be a big problem.

Finally, remember a video can be successful without being labeled as viral. A video with the right message, like this one produced by CMD, seen by the right people, might be more effective than a wide-reaching clip viewed by the masses.

What are your favorite online videos? Would you label them as viral? Share your thoughts and links with us, and we’ll revisit viral videos in future posts. If you have any questions about video best practices, contact Pat Carew at pcarew@cmdagency.com.

Did you collect enough eggs from your chicken farm? When was the last time you sent your friend a virtual cupcake? If you participate in two of Facebook’s popular external applications, then you are aware of what I’m talking about.

Now with more than 400 million users and 500,000 active applications that users can connect with, it’s obvious that most of us are jumping on Facebook for reasons other than finding out what our best friend from 8th grade did this past weekend.

For many companies, having a simple fan/company page is no longer enough to communicate with its target audience about client information or recent news. Such interactive entertainment applications like Farmville, Birthday Cards, iLike, Top Friends, and Mafia Wars demonstrate that millions of consumers on this social platform are interested in playing games, interacting with their friends, sharing personal interests and forming teams for a great cause—key traits that any marketer can and should easily incorporate into real-life interactive campaigns.

With 70 percent of Facebook users engaging with some of these interactive applications every month, it’s time to find out more about this strategy. Consider the following for effective application implementation:

1. Allow team building to be a factor for success: participants enjoy coming together for a greater cause and making a large difference all together. On Facebook, sharing is very much caring. Example: Best Buy has online “Best Buy Communities” that help answer customer questions and assist in finding the best price possible for products.

2. Make it easy to interact with your company: one-click downloads, photo uploads, donations, and “forward to a friend” buttons will help spread your message quickly. Example: T-Mobile Blackberry has simple “download now” buttons for wallpapers, applications, and tips of the week.

3. Have a variety of communication tools available for use: Captivate people’s attention by offering videos, photos, music, ability to make wall posts, and direct chat. Example: American Red Cross posts live video updates from natural disasters.

4. Make your page visually appealing: Colors, shapes, fonts, and placement of accomplishments on personal profiles will spark the interests of consumers. Example: Target allows fans to flip through an online magazine and mix and match new product lines.

5. Offer a “game mentality”: It always feels good to reach a set goal. Set goals for participants and they will thrive on the instant gratification. Example: Chase Community Giving encourages its Facebook fans to vote for their favorite charity to receive money, then Chase makes the donation on their behalf.

Are you a fan of any interactive applications? If so, are they missing from my list? We want to hear about what you do on Facebook and what makes you choose to participate.

How to evaluate a social media partner

What’s the biggest bandwagon for marketing/communications firms in 2010, covering the span of Web developers, creative and advertising agencies and PR firms alike? No shocker here: it’s social media.

Having worked in social media for a few years now with a wide variety of clients, and hearing how different “gurus” sell themselves, there’s no doubt it pays to evaluate as well as ask the tough questions. Here are a few from our perspective that any skilled social media pro would not only be willing, but eager, to answer:

Do strategies and tactics always start with listening/monitoring?
Social media is the equivalent of joining a conversation at a cocktail party. You wouldn’t just burst in and start talking without first listening to know who is there, what topics of conversation are being discussed and what perspective you might be able to lend. Gauge your approach with these questions:
• What industry-leading share of conversation tools have they used, what do they recommend and why?
• How is monitoring information analyzed, shared, reported and utilized?
• Is it considered top priority before embarking on any effort?
• Are recommended strategies based on listening?

What’s the depth of experience?
Social media strategy is much more than deciding when to start a Twitter handle. Consider:
• The variety of brands, products, efforts, projects and the ability to spark word-of-mouth movements utilizing the right combination of solutions is a gauge.
• Determine how long social media has been an integrated core competency (beware if it’s just recently been tacked on).
• Find out what combination of experience the hiring manager prioritizes for the social media team.

How deep is the knowledge about your brand, tone, voice and priorities?
Social media gives voice to a brand. Does your partner understand what tone to take?
• What depth of experience is offered when it comes to knowing internal and external protocol, products and offerings?
• How integrated is your social media partner with the rest of your organization?
• Is there a willingness to team up, help educate and share best practices with internal partners who may be best suited to represent the company?

How are long-term plans/management realities considered?
It’s one thing to start a social media initiative, it’s quite another thing to keep it going.
• What is the game plan for not only building, but maintaining and partnering for the long run?
• What experience is there for not only starting, but fostering and building communities over time?
• Are ongoing costs in terms of time commitment/budget impact factored in up front?
• Does your partner think in terms of social media “campaign” spurts or long-term customer engagement?

Are PR best practices and principles integrated seamlessly?
At the heart, social media is simply a form of how your brand relates to and interacts with the public.
• What experience is offered for building communities, generating news and sparking word-of-mouth movements?
• Is top-level print and broadcast journalism expertise for content generation offered?
• What experience is there for handling online crises/issues?
• Are quality user-friendly ideas and content that compels and attracts audiences prioritized over developing tools, apps and channels?
• Is the philosophy to treat people like people, not marketing categories–tapping into audience passion points and interests vs. simply pushing marketing messages?

How are social media solutions weighted in terms of the overall marketing mix?
Social media should be part of an integrated marketing effort to best reinforce brands and to determine what the most effective communications solutions may be. Find out:
• Will social media be evaluated objectively and appropriately balanced as part of the larger, overall mix? How will this be accomplished?

What’s the biggest challenge/biggest success you’ve experienced?
Social media is a relatively new frontier, and it is evolving all the time. Anyone who tells you they have it all figured out isn’t being transparent (a must for social media, by the way).
• What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned when it comes to projects you’ve worked on?
• How do you set objectives and measure success?

Finally, does the approach follow overall marketing best principles?
Be wary of any social media plan that doesn’t start with research, strategy, objectives, audience identification, tactics, measurement.

Social media isn’t a bandwagon, it’s an increasingly important part of the mix and a great way to build relationships with audiences. We’re interested to hear your perspective on how you’ve vetted the right partners to help build your brand’s presence.

As communicators, we read and write a lot of content. In fact, I’ve heard that the average consumer takes in 30 GB of content per day, so I can only imagine how much more is read by professional marketers. (This is what I tell myself so I don’t feel so bad for not reading every “must read” book and white paper out there.) But, over the holidays, I got caught up on my booklist by reading one of the most talked about marketing books of the year–Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith.

The book focuses on the value of trust in online communities where transparency is king, communication tools are endless and efficient, and cynicism among consumers is at an all-time high. Through online research, the book states, “We are currently living in a communications environment where there is a trust deficit. As a society, we no longer have confidence in advertising. We are hostile to those who appear to have ulterior motives, even if they’re just selling themselves.”

So how do you break through the clutter and gain the trust of your key influencers and audience? The book’s authors outline six characteristics of Trust Agents, including:

1. Make Your Own Game: Be a game changer and stand out among the crowd.
2. One of Us: Belong to the communities where your audience belongs. Talk like they talk. Read what they read. Spend time where they spend time. Engage in conversation with them without selling something.
3. The Archimedes Effect: Leverage the Web to extend your power, reach and influence.
4. Agent Zero: Build and maintain your network to give you greater access and opportunities. We’re way beyond the point of creating relationships by passing out resumes and business cards.
5. Human Artist: It’s a consumer’s world and the buyer is always in control. The good ol’ Golden Rule has never been more important for online etiquette. This section also has an awesome quote–“In social media, human is the new black.” It’s not the tools–it’s the relationship that matters.
6. Build an Army: Use your relationships and built-upon trust to gather a mass movement. A collaborative group can always accomplish more than an individual alone.

The biggest takeaway I gained from this book affirmed the social media approach we take at CMD: listen to audiences before joining the conversation and defining the strategy. A conversation is a two-way street–you can’t shout your marketing messages and expect your audience to engage with you. Rather, you have to listen to what they’re saying and respond where you have the expertise to do so.

Have you read Trust Agents? I’d like to know your thoughts about the book, and if you have any other book suggestions to add to my ever-increasing list.