For marketing strategies intent on "going where the masses are," video is not to be overlooked. That's because each month some 75% of US Internet users view well over 13 million videos online, according to comScore's monthly Video Metrix report.

But while video viewing is way up, so are video postings (some estimate that over 200,000 videos are uploaded daily to YouTube alone), and these days it takes more than a dancing baby to attract eyeballs and gather viral momentum.

Celebrity Apprentice fans likely gained a little perspective on what not to do, thanks to a recent episode involving a viral-video competition to promote All Small & Mighty laundry detergent from Sun Products Corporation. One team's video was overrun with sexual innuendos related to "doing the laundry," while the opposing team's featured little people decked in All-themed spandex and scrubbing a grubby Jesse James clean before storming off in a fit of bleeped profanities.

Though blogger Perez Hilton said the Jesse James video, however off-target, certainly held viral potential, executives at Sun Products opted to nix both videos because, they said, neither was a strong representation for their brand. As a result, The Donald doubled his layoff quota for the week, dismissing one member from each team. Apparently, even the stars of traditional entertainment have a thing or two to learn when it comes to viral video.

Nonetheless, hidden among the moments of drama were a few best-practices. To provide you with a straightforward guide for netting your audience's attention, we've combined those best-practices with learnings from organizations that are working video to their advantage.

1. The Hook

The first trick is to figure out what will pull your audience in, what tease they won't be able to resist.

Like email marketing, first impressions are key, since the rest of your efforts won't matter a bit if viewers never press "play," so an intriguing title is pertinent to getting the ball rolling. "Jesse James Dirty With Midgets" was a solid attempt, aside from being politically incorrect. In another example, Serena software, was able to capture its audience's attention with a series of videos entitled "Just @#$% It!!"

Before a winning title can be concocted, however, there's the task of extracting just what it is your target market will consider riveting subject matter. Start by brainstorming what appeals to your audience and makes them tick (researching the most heavily searched keywords can help clue you in). Then, determine how your message should be presented to exploit your audience's fervor to your best advantage.

"The most successful virals make a deep-seated connection with viewers, who feel compelled to share and evangelize about the content," explains Sarah Wood, operations director at Unruly Media, which specializes in viral-video seeding.

Sheer humor tends to be an effective approach, so long as it matches your target audience's brand of comedy. Sun Products executives considered the two Celebrity Apprentice videos too vulgar to connect with its market, for instance. But a cute joke isn't going to cut it either.

"Extremity is the common denominator," continues Wood. "The most successful virals commit to an idea and are unafraid to push it to the limit." For example:

• 3M Canada's viral campaign targeting students for its Command Mounting Strips, for example, "punks" unknowing participants by decorating their homes with detestable art and filming their reactions.
• A video for the UK's Institution of Engineering and Technology engages potential scholars with a safari exposition gone terribly wrong when the monkey clan hijacks parts from the sightseers' vehicle to build its own getaway transport.
• Nonprofit JBooks.com appeals to donors with an arguably crass performance by Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky.

Humor isn't the only viral trigger, however, says Wood. "Successful virals are as likely to be extremely sexy, spectacular, surprising, or moving." Subjects wrought with controversy or related to current events can also stir response. And one need only quickly browse the supermarket check-out stands to realize the lure of celebrity revelations.

Ice.com, for example, was able to capitalize on both celebrity charm and the approaching Mother's Day holiday in 2007 to attract viewers, build hype for its sweepstakes, and ultimately generate more than $20,000 in sales via a video campaign in which Founder Pinny Gniwisch candidly interviews the likes of Three 6 Mafia and Kevin Sorbo (aka TV's Hercules) on their plans to honor mom.

2. The Line

An effective dissemination strategy is especially essential in the beginning, before the video has had a chance to catch on and spread virally on its own.

Posting the video on sites such as YouTube, Hulu, Vimeo, Revver, MySpace Video, and Facebook is a start, but in order to really start making waves it takes some promotional muscle, as well.

"It's not enough to stick your video on YouTube and hope that people will find it. There are over 300,000 videos a day uploaded to video-sharing sites. Without strategic viral planning, it's unlikely that anyone will find your clip, even if it is a gem," explains Wood.

Effective approaches for getting the word out include the following:

Schmoozing on the networks

Getting in with the "who's who" of YouTube can really increase your odds of reaching the site's 100 million+ unique viewers.