But these catchy films also let people see the humanity of your brand. Video content can make people feel good about you, your company and your products. And those positive vibes are priceless.

Here are some examples I like.

Dancing Inmates Promote Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’
Sony is banking on hundreds of prison inmates performing a dance routine inspired by the Michael Jackson documentary “This Is It” to sell copies of the film’s DVD.

156 Countries Sing Together for the Starbucks Love Project
On Dec. 7, Starbucks posted this feel good video of people around the world singing “All You Need Is Love.” They also launched Starbucksloveproject.com, where visitors can upload webcam videos of themselves belting out the song. Brew up some good feelings and, hopefully, lattes will sell.

Coca-Cola Smiles Thanks to ‘Happiness Machine’
This video captures the unscripted reactions of college students as a Coke machine doles out free soda, pizza, flowers, balloon animals and more. You can’t help but feel good watching this.

Piano Stairs Take Volkswagen to the Top
The Fun Theory inspires the audience, encouraging people to come up with fun ways to do the right thing. Watch all the videos at TheFunTheory.com, and you’ll learn how the amusing campaign earned Volkswagen a fun new ethos.

Sony Celebrates JK Wedding Dance
Sony could have laid down the law, demanding that this couple strip out Chris Brown’s song “Forever” from their wedding video. Instead, Sony saw the millions of viral views as a chance to sell more Chris Brown music. Smart move, Sony.

Share Your Favorite
Which one of these do you like best? Do you have other examples of viral videos that are helping brands? Leave me a comment and share your thoughts.

Kristina Halvorson talks content strategy from Andy Santamaria on Vimeo.

If you want to create usable, relevant content for your Web site, then Kristina Halvorson has a book for you.

A brisk read, Halvorson’s “Content Strategy for the Web” lays out:

- The business value of a content strategy.
- How to audit and analyze your content.
- How to make smarter decisions about content.
- How to keep your content current.
- How to structure your content team.

Content creation can be messy. But in 172 pages, Halvorson shows you why content strategy’s time has come.

You’ll learn the ins-and-outs of making informed, achievable content decisions. And why “creating useful, usable content requires… people. With experience. And insights. And judgment. It requires planning. And input. And time. And money.”

So, go ahead, download the free sample chapter, buy the book and you’ll soon see why you need to hire one of us.

After all, isn’t content your brand’s biggest asset?

Why is content king? Because it’s the reason people come to your site: to get information.

But way too often, content is almost an afterthought in creating a Web site. The content creators are brought in after information architects, designers, developers and site owners create and approve a shell that needs to be filled.

By letting the content strategist be part of the team from the start, you ensure the site meets the needs of visitors and site owners. You’re also able to set editorial standards early on in the project, which allows your writers, producers and editors to create content that reflects your brand’s voice and tone.

Effective content strategy is simply good communication.