How to Turn Viral Videos into Sales

Two interesting case studies of videos that went viral: one was followed by 1 million online product sales and the other translated into none. The difference? A call to action and a link.

November 1, 2011

What’s the Latest Development?

A video for a tongue cleaner, Orabrush, cost just $1,260 for YouTube Ads but in the past two years has been viewed more than 15 million times and the company has sold more than one million brushes online. Meanwhile an EZ Grill video was an instant viral hit, garnering 1.5 million views in three days, lots of Web buzz, and social media support, but didn’t translate into sales. Why?

What’s the Big Idea?

J.J. McCorvey says it’s probably because, unlike Orabrush, the EZ Grill video didn’t include a call to action and a link to an online store. The experts’ advice on how to make a YouTube campaign work: consider if the medium suits the product; make the video useful and entertaining; and, if your goal is to sell products, include a call to action and Web link.

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