The proliferation of smart phones and the widespread acceptance of YouTube suggest that if anything, video is only going to become more common and more important. Video viewing is enjoying double- and triple-digit growth, and there’s no sign of it slowing.

When we think “viral video,” we think about those funny moments like the Blendtec “will it blend” series or the wedding party entrance that spread around the globe.

Characteristically, these tend to be funny and short. Really, they’re the Super Bowl ads of viral video. Their goal is to be talk-worthy and share-worthy.

But what if that’s not what you need? If you’re the marketing director for a regional business-to-business company, viral video shouldn’t be on your radar screen – right?

Not so fast, my friend.

If “I want lots of eyes” viral video is the Super Bowl of the medium, then “I want to educate you” may be the high school social studies class film equivalent. You remember those films that were short on entertainment value but long on content. These are usually lower-budget and lower-quality productions, a bit longer and usually not going for the funny bone. Their purpose is very utilitarian – to teach.

Such videos are never going to be frantically shared on Facebook and via e-mail. But that doesn’t mean that they’re not effective.

Given a certain level of production quality, using video this way is an effective way to:

Educate your consumers.

Convey your product’s truths.

Establish you as an expert.

Think you have to go high-end or funny to gain a following? Check out www.CommonCraft.com and see if your opinion changes.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2010 Drew McLellan