July 10th, 2008
You’re 5 Seconds Away From 9.3 Million YouTube Video Views.
Sometimes we just overcomplicate things. You could spend hours, even days trying to come up with an idea for a video that has the potential to spread virally. This morning, I was searching around on YouTube looking for the shortest viral video I could find.
And wouldn’t you know… I found a video that has over 9,300,000 views over the last year, and it’s only 5 seconds long.
Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Y73sPHKxw
Sadly, the person who uploaded this video missed out on MASSIVE amounts of traffic to their website. Notice that the video isn’t watermarked with a website address. Also notice that there is no link to a website in the description area.
Ouch.
Even if just 5% of those who watched the video clicked on the link or went to the website, that would bring over 465,000 unique visitors to the website. Now let’s say that you had an offer for some $9 product or ebook on how to train a chipmunk. If the site converted at just 2%, that would be 9,300 sales, brining in $83,700.
Makes you think, doesn’t it? I once had a chipmunk that lived in the rock wall next to my driveway a few years ago. Every day for a few weeks I’d go out and leave a few nuts on the rocks and watch him stuff his cheeks. As time went on, I would stand closer and closer to the chipmunk until one day he became comfortable and he would eat right out of my hand - and did so from that point on throughout the summer.
Looking back, there was a lot of funny things he did - like stuffing his cheeks so much that he couldn’t fit one more nut in. It was hilarious. Looks like I missed out on making him a star and filling my pockets with $83,700!
TIP: Invest in a small digital camcorder to take with you wherever you go. A funny 5 or 10 second clip uploaded to YouTube could mean a new massive flow of new visitors to your website every month for months, even years!
Bonus Tip: Direct people to a landing page on your site that is somehow connected to the subject matter of the video. Get creative. For example, let’s say that you owned a consulting business and you’re the one that uploaded that crazy 5 second video clip. You could create a landing page with a headline saying, “Dramatic Free Report Reveals How The New Chipmunk Marketing Method Can Increase Your Website Traffic By 1,283% Or More!”
Now of course you’d need to get creative in your report, create your “Chipmunk Marketing Method”, and somehow tie it into a technique to drive more traffic to a website. But you get the idea…
Get creative with your marketing. Dare to stand out. Dare to be unique. Dare to do things that others in your industry aren’t doing. Sure, you’ll have your flops and yes, you may even get laughed at a few times. But it just takes one or two home runs to make all of the effort worth it.
Rob
The MarketingDoOver Team
Sue LaPointe
On July 10th, 2008 12:15 pm
Oh. My. Goodness.
Talk about working smarter instead of harder!
Know that feeling in your gut that happens when you read a REALLY good idea? The sound that goes with that feeling is the sound of the lid coming off a box. The next sound is the whirrrrrr of ideas rushing in!
This is huge! Thanks!
admin
On July 10th, 2008 1:04 pm
You’re welcome! Glad you liked the post and
hope that it spurred a TON of 5 second viral
video ideas!
Rob
Chris Johnson
On July 12th, 2008 11:42 pm
Such a great point Rob. What’s even crazier is the other videos that do spin offs on it are getting loads of hits too.
I have also realized that if you leave a video comment on one of those mass viewed videos you can get a lot of hits on your own videos. I’ve been trying to do that with my marketingdoover video.
Sue LaPointe
On July 16th, 2008 6:30 pm
Couldn’t get your chipmunk out of my mind! So when we were all laughing at my dog Woody when he did this weird licking, licking, licking thing after having some peanut butter… I knew I had to try something.
Check out the video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3-Yzl7DbRGA
The video has a link to my contest entry… and to an offer for a free report (”Woody Marketing Method…1238% or More!”) (yup - pretty much cut and pasted your title!).
The landing page has a picture of Woody near the subscription box… and of course, an offer for my book.
http://www.workingwriterhappywriter.com/publishing/Woody.html
And I wrote a special report, which you can check out - kind of cute, I’ve got to say! (And about time some of my pets start carrying their own weight around here!)
The report download page is:
http://www.workingwriterhappywriter.com/publishing/7158Woody.html
So, it seems like a fun experiment. Might be a bomb - but you never know!
See? We’re soaking up your ideas like little IM sponges : )
Sue