August 8, 2024
Way back in 2013, I was a contractor working at the Health Recourses and Services Administration. I frequently interacted with the department’s SharePoint admin as part of our day-to-day operations. One day, we went out to lunch and he was telling be about his side-hustles. One of his hobbies was working with remote controlled cars. On a whim, he started filming his unpackaging of the cars and racing them around the parking lot near his house.
Great idea, I though. Probably makes a few bucks.
“Yeah, I couldn’t believe the money I made doing that. Each month I was making a couple hundred.”
My body did one of those shock-jolts. He wasn’t joking. The nice folks at YouTube were paying him several hundred dollars and he had thousands of subscribers .. from unpacking RC cars!
As an instructional designer, I had in interest in YouTube for other purposes – mainly as a way of replacing conventional training methods with on-demand video. But having watched the phenomena know as viral video manifest, I began to see another utility for this medium: marketing.
Yes, services like Instagram, TikTok YouTube and other steaming services offer are a unique on-demand targeted marketing. My friend wasn’t trying to sell RC cars but he very well could have. Many other YouTubers have gone this extra route, pitching everything from stocks, insurance products, movies and even kids toys. The beauty of this self-access video medium is that anyone can do it, and those who do it well can find fantastic success with barley any overhead.
It wasn’t long after seeing the RC car example that I embarked on my own trial. I created a video where I tried using removing cat urine from a hardwood floor using hydrogen peroxide. I made this illustrious production with my cell phone. Net cost:$0. Nearly 900K views. That was 9 years ago, and I still get a nice $100 check from Google every so often for my troubles. But forget the advertising revenue. The more important part is that me, a person with no celebrity status or financial backing, made content and got it to “stick” in this knowledge-based economy. I took advantage of the one thing that just bout everyone does now: Look for a quick answer to their problems.
That video wasn’t my only success. I made a video where I fixed an Ikea chair (15k views), Cleaned a watch band strap (9k), repaired my drier (10k), reviewed a backpack (7k), patched a hole in my wall (100K) and (yes, I’m not joking) cleaned my shower ( 317k).
The point of all this is that a message that is meaningful and answers questions that the public needs will always be in demand. One should ask then, as a business owner, if are you marketing your services and products that ANSWER IN-DEMAND QUESTIONS? Why not take advantage of the tools that are freely available to you? The largest feedback I get from clients: not enough time. That excuse is only part of the real answer. I’ll give you the real reasons:
· Inability to produce content due to a lack of skill
· Fear or Unwillingness to learn the technologies
· Limited time
· Lack of knowledge of digital marketing or social media
· General disinterest
My business of producing web sites began to morph after understanding this problem. Anyone with decent web skills can slap together a web presence for a business. What many of the website creators can’t do well is market your business well. While SEO is certainly important, getting traction in business outreach is absolutely essential. By using gorilla marketing tactics, business solutions can be packaged using existing web platforms to “answer” customer problems. A web site is not a business, it’s a solution that your audience navigates to. To get them there, a knowledge of customer needs and web resources has to be executed in a way that brings your knowledge-hungry clients to the answers. We are no longer in an era where static web pages bring business. Occasional social media blasts have become background noise in an overcrowded field. The pathway to solid customer engagement is the same as it’s always been: answer the need. The skill that many have yet to fill is accurately using the tools-on-hand to successfully transfer knowledge to potential customers.
If you own a business and need assistance elevating your digital marketing strategy, feel free to contact me. Consultations are always free.
Stacy Mizrahi
