Does a Viral Enhance Your ROI?

So-called social media consultants often suggest a viral campaign on YouTube. But does a viral clip really enhance your ROI? Yes and No.

If you’re hanging around the Internet you must have stumbled over the latest viral sensations.

One of them was Hi-Tec. With its video of liquid mountaineering – showing people running on water – it came to online fame. The fake video was featured by a local news station and by mistake titled as “real”. The video has been watched over 5.2 million times.

Another viral sensation was the “SupersexyCPR” – a video on how to do CPR with a slightly sexy touch. With over 3.4 million views on Vimeo and a half a million on YouTube the you lingerie company “Fortnight” scored big time.

But the question comes up, could these two companies really increase their turnover? I suggest a bold NO.

Why?

• No increase of Facebook Fans: When looking at the Facebook pages of the two companies, Hi-Tec only counts 1’085 Fans (but was founded in 1978). The picture is even worse if you look on Fortnight’s Facebook page. Their fanpage is suffering from severe anorexia. Only 153 fans – I have more friends. On the other side Hi-Tec set up a Facebook page for “Liquid Mountaineering” which counts three times more people than their official page.

• No online store: Both companies do not sell directly on the Internet. Now how should I go and buy my girlfriend that new sexy underwear if I’m not able to order it after I’ve seen that great clip. My attention span on the Internet is less than a minute (OK, fortnight sells at least on Esty.com and Hi-Tec has an official online store for the UK but both are hard to find) .

• Did it target the right audience? The Supersexy CPR is clearly a clip for guys. Or whoelse would want to see girls doing a mouth-to-mouth. Alos now that I know that I will not be able to walk on water, I’m probably not going to buy Hi-Tec shoes. I’m wondering who will.

Both companies have gained some online fame. But with the quick expiration date of online products, I doubt that the buzz could effectively enhance ROI in the long run.

So how do you do it?

A great example for leveraging the YouTube buzz and creating a community around your brand is Blendtec. Continuously destroying iPads, iPhones and other nice gadgets the Blendtec community counts over 45’000 Facebook Fans. “Add to your cart” appears on the frontpage of the Blendtec website and an order is placed without having to search the website for that hidden online shop.

Conclusion

Creating awareness trough a YouTube clip can enhance your ROI but you have to have a plan. YouTube virals are forgotten to fast, so be sure to get the viewers to connect with your brand and have them become loyal customers.