Monthly Archives: April 2013

Elements of a Viral Video

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Many companies nowadays are harnessing the social media to promote its products and services. Job vacancies have been opened to people who are keen on developing effective social marketing campaigns. Responsibilities of a social marketer includes (but not limited to) updating the company’s social networking profiles, creating contests using social media, and developing viral videos.

Some of the most successful viral videos that directly promote a product or service include the Old Spice commercials, which were shared many times on social networking sites because of the catchy copy and the off-the-field “I’m on a horse” scene that made people wonder how did that happen. Old Spice brought the viral popularity of this campaign further with its actor, Isaiah Mustafa, posting videos in response to questions asked by fans on Twitter.

The “Old Spice Guy” campaign continues a year later, with the actor giving one super fan an exclusive peek on his latest commercial as well as two tickets to the Super Bowl.

Almost every company would want to create a viral video that creates buzz swiftly and effectively. However, such videos cannot be considered viral until these are spread extensively within the social media, then it gets picked up by mainstream media. Otherwise, videos that are intended to be viral but only get a few hundred hits simply languish in obscurity along with other videos that attempted to go viral but failed.

So what makes a successful viral video? We need to take a look on its common elements.

Low in budget – Although the Old Spice Guy commercials appear to be highly budgeted, its creators claim it is not. Many viral videos do not rely on fancy special effects, A-list actors, and exotic locations. They can be recorded using a cell phone camera or other inexpensive recording device. What is most important is its content.

Humor – The most effective viral videos are humorous, whether intentional or not. It can be a parody of something current, a hilarious commentary, or something serious that went horribly wrong. Of course, there are those touching, emotional viral videos, but the funny ones tend to spread quicker.

Sticking to what’s current – Viral videos should be relevant by the moment it is spread. It would be easy to perform a parody of the current viral video, but once that video becomes a has-been, so is your parody video. One effective viral

It provokes you – Whether it is thought-provoking or downright inflammatory, effective viral videos catch the people’s attention and elicit reaction. The most common reaction to viral videos would be “Oh my God,” either in the good or bad way.

It surprises you – Whether it is a “planned” or unintentional private video, viral videos have an element of surprise. Who can forget Susan Boyle’s audition for Britain’s Got Talent? No one expected her to sing that good, which is a shame on our part yet definitely taught us a lesson or two.

Source: About.com
Careers – GuideTo.Com

The Good Stuff of Being a Manager

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You have worked hard for your company for so long and one day your employer told you that you deserve a promotion. You were suggested to become a supervisor or manager and you wonder whether a high position is for you. Here are some encouraging upsides of being a manager.

The money – Obviously, managers get paid higher than rank and file employees. There are companies, however, that pay workers based on their value to the organization rather than their title or position.

The power – Managers have more power than ordinary employees, even those who are deemed more valuable than the managers. A manager’s responsibility is to delegate tasks to his group members, but the most important task a manager can perform is to make sure his group performs successfully.

The status – In a society that values titles, being called a manager is worth something. Taking managerial work jazzes up your resume and generally impresses potential employers.

The sense of achievement – Being promoted as a manager sends a sense of validation and personal achievement. It brings proof that you are doing the right thing. Big-time CEOs began as managers themselves, so consider this promotion as a first step to get there.

Source: About.com
Careers – GuideTo.Com

Developing A Successful Career Plan

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Every successful professional follows a career plan. The career plan provides the map that a professional follows that will eventually help him or her accomplish some established goals at certain periods of one’s career. Developing a career plan may take some time and preparation. Here are also some things that many people seem to overlook when developing their own career plan.

Be true to yourself.

A career plan can only be accomplished successfully if one has developed it with all sincerity. This would include that the professional is in the right career path. By saying the right career path, this means that the professional is following a career that he or she loves and enjoys.

Before ever trying to develop a career plan, one should first try to be true to oneself, especially in choosing the right career. It should be a career that one would be happy with and enjoy doing. This alone would help provide the necessary motivation for one to stay the course and get to the finish line. Following a career not after one’s own heart can usually result in a failed or, if not, an unhappy and unfulfilled career path.

Develop patience and slow down a bit.

The world is now going by so fast. Everything seems to work at fast forward, now that technology and those devices make everything readily available at the speed of thought, so to speak. And because of this, people have increasingly been living a fast-paced life. They want everything now and fast. The same seems to happen to one’s career path.

Many people make the mistake of trying to take the faster route to their career path. Although this may seem ideal, it is not always possible. Some people jump from one job to another, thinking that the next job would help them go up the career ladder faster. But what happens is that people lose having that long-term vision and take short-term goals that lead to nowhere. Some people may need to slow down a bit and try to develop a career path over time instead of trying to steamroll through it without regard of what may happen next.

Develop some focus.

A career plan is composed of different goals that one should achieve at certain periods. Trying to achieve them all takes great focus. This is an important trait that those people who wish to be successful in their careers should develop. Applying the proper focus can help one find and then hit the right target. This is also the same when trying to follow a career plan towards its end.
Careers – GuideTo.Com