Here we’re looking at some of the raw numbers behind the success of Blendtec’s Will It Blend series. Since launching the series in the fall of 2006, their videos have produced:
And that’s just the raw numbers. Other results from the series include leads: DVDs of Will It Blend videos are now the #1 door opener for corporate accounts. And that’s not even mentioning all the brand awareness they’ve received. This BtoB blender company has been featured on the Tonight Show, Today Show, History Channel, Food Network, and CNBC.
If you were looking for some final encouragement to launch your series or for some real numbers to sell your boss on creating sharable content, look no further than Blendtec.
P.S. Check out what Blendtec’s Total Blender can do to some glow sticks:
Here are 6 tips from Blendtec’s VP of Marketing and Sales, George Wright, on the fundamentals for viral success:
1. There has to be something worth sharing
Your videos can’t be just funny or goofy — you need an inspirational or educational element. There has to be real value within the content in order for people to continue to share it.
2. Focus on business objectives
The goal is not just to “go viral,” the goal is to help a business message spread. If a million people forward a meaningless video, it does no good. Before you create your video, decide what you want people to do when they see it.
3. Include a “sponsored by…”
Always include proper disclosure. Sometimes companies think they need to hide their involvement to help the video spread, but that only serves to hurt both your reputation and your business objectives (see point number 2).
4. It has to be real
It’s easier to be authentic than to pull off amazing acting. Most of us aren’t actors, so it’s pretty obvious when we pretend to be. A huge part of Will It Blend’s success is that Tom Dickson (the guy featured in all their videos) is Tom Dickson — the founder and CEO of the company.
5. Support interactivity
Get you fans involved by using their ideas to make your content better. When Blendtec requested ideas on what to blend next, thousands of fans asked them to destroy an iPhone. The payoffs of supporting interactivity is that it builds advanced demand for upcoming content and that it helps fans take a little ownership in the content they love so much.
6. Offer simple subscriptions
One of the best things about great viral content is that it gives you the chance to earn permission to send your stuff to fans again. Through simple YouTube subscriptions, Blendtec can now share their new videos with more than 200,000 subscribers on day 1.
P.S. Check out Tom blending an iPhone (this video alone has 7.5 million YouTube views):
This is GasPedal's blog about all things word of mouth marketing. We cover everything from the best word of mouth case studies to the latest research, focusing on the practical ideas you can use to get your fans talking about you.
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