The Making of a Viral Campaign On The Web : Infographics

Lead image courtesy of iStockphoto, Kronick

In the past three weeks, almost 10,000 Facebook users have “liked”this brief clip of the world’s cutest dog playing with a chew toy. Coincidence? Or spot-on calculations leading to a viral sensation?

How videos get passed around the web — in other words, how they “go viral” like the latest strain of influenza — is more a science than an art. Certainly, creativity is a factor; but there are also tried-and-true formulas for online video success. And the most important factor of all is optimizing for shareability.

For example, on average, a 15-second clip will get passed around nearly 37% more than a slightly longer clip, and Facebook accounts for three-quarters of online shares of video clips — by far more than e-mail and Twitter combined. You’ll also have more luck if you aim your clip at 18- to 34-year-old adults and/or at women; both those groups share far more video content than their peers.

Given those factors, it’s not surprising that the above-linked video, a female-targeted Facebook clip, was so widely viewed and shared.(source: Mashable )