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What The iPad Cat Can Teach You About Website Traffic Generation

  

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Not long after we published our Tweet&A on viral video marketing with Rebecca Corliss from HubSpot, it seems that brand new viral videos have been popping up left and right.

These past few weeks, I've been awe struck by the beauty and amusement of an octopus stealing an expensive camera (with it still running too!) and a college baseball player defying gravity to score a run. But nothing has put a smile on my face quite like a rather curious cat showing just how feline friendly Apple's new iPad really is. It turns out I'm not the only one as the video has surpassed 5 million views on YouTube now. 

While I know I'll never have a cat that would rather spend its time playing piano concertos on an iPad, I do know that there's plenty of lessons I can learn from the latest feline sensation, especially when it comes to website traffic generation.

The Most Important Lesson: Relevance Will Set You Apart

Before the iPad cat, YouTube was surely not experiencing any shortage of videos of cats and other pets doing funny things while their owners watch on with a camera. While many of these videos do reach breakout status, there are many times more that go unwatched. What made the iPad cat successful was that it was playing on the current collective consciousness of our society. It wasn't just a cat playing with a gadget. It was a cat playing with a worldwide obsession.

In the past few months, it has been impossible to escape a conversation about the iPad. From the big Oops! Apple had when naming their tablet PC to debates on whether or not the iPad is worth buying, people are talking nonstop about iPad. I'm sure you have been part of this phenomenon as well in some form or another.

Using videos to generate visits to your website works. The only problem is that the bulk of videos that are created don't know how to capture the interest of viewers. You need to get people talking in some way if you want them to take action and visit your site. You must keep one thing in mind though: Why try to use your videos to get people to talk about something when you can just jump in on a conversation that has the world in a frenzy?

The Mistake You Must Avoid: Getting Stuck In Your Infinite Loop

I spend a lot of my time thinking about, creating, and discussing content. The biggest block I see fledgling content creators coming across is that they are stuck in the infinite loop of thinking their business is one thing and all blog posts must be exactly about this topic.

The problem is, people may not be talking about what you want to talk about. It's just like walking into a party. If you go into the party with a laundry list of items that you want to talk about, you're going to be disappointed when you're surrounded by a group of people who have no desire to jump in on your conversation. You have to be flexible if you want to enjoy the party.

When you get stuck in this infinite loop of "I am this niche, I am this content" over and over again, you lose the opportunity to "Be Relevant, Then Relate" - meaning you can find ways to bring up what you're interested in as long as you establish common ground with what people are already talking about. The iPad cat video could have been used to promote a new pets blog that aims to compete with CuteOverload.com or maybe as a way for non-profit animal shelter to get more visitors to its cat adoptions page.

The CuteOverload.com competitor could have optimized their site for Pets Blog and implemented a link building strategy to boost its site rankings or the animal shelter could have focused on videos about "Cat Adoption + Regional Location". Neither of these would have had the power to cause a tidal wave of website visitors that they could have received if even a fraction of the over 5 million viewers had taken the call to action to visit the site.

What conversations is your business participating in? Have you transformed from being the one at the party with the laundry list of pre-approved topics to the one ready to jump in on what others can't stop talking about? Let us know in the comments!