The Zions Business Resource Center | April 5, 2007 

Social media guru Shahar Boyayan says the days of relying solely on traditional media to market your business and reach your customers are over. It used to be that you took your message to traditional media outlets like newspapers, TV, and radio stations and hoped to reach your target audience. But unless you had a Madison Avenue marketing budget, your reach was limited.

The new dynamic in marketing and branding is online social media," a term that loosely describes any kind of online media that connects people, invites participation, creates a sense of community and invites openness, says Boyayan.

The marketing efforts of Blendtec, a blender manufacturer based in Orem, is the perfect example of how a company can use online social media for dramatic results. Marketing Director George Wright says Blendtec has been around for 25 years (generally known by its parent company K-tec). “Most of our history has been with grain milling and grain grinders, but for the past 10 years we’ve had the best blender technology in the industry.”

The question (and challenge) for Blendtec was how to let the world know that a little company based in Orem, Utah had the best blenders money could buy. “I had seen what our blenders could do and knew we just needed to show the world,” Wright says.

Today, Blendtec’s online sales have quadrupled last year’s records and 30 million viewers are talking about blenders at the
dinner table, in boardrooms, online chat rooms, and everywhere else you can imagine. Blendtec employees have made appearances on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, the “Today Show,” and the “Food Network.” The company has been featured by Charles Osgood’s radio show, on the cover of magazines, and receives regular invitations for public speaking engagements.”

Blendtec blenders have taken the industry by storm. How? A small arsenal of comical videos on YouTube.com and Willitblend.com, showing that Blendtec blenders can make fodder of just about anything, from golf balls to iPods. “I tried to explain the potential of YouTube, but people just couldn’t put an arm around it,” says Wright. But they do now. “Our videos on YouTube alone have received 15.7 million views. Never before could we have received so much attention,” says Wright. “It’s been such a huge opportunity to break through the clutter and become something that people talk about.”

Blendtec’s social media campaign is all about brand awareness. The online videos and a Web blog have helped Blendtec establish its brand and given the company name recognition across the globe. “You will never get consideration in a sale unless people know who you are,” Wright says. “Social media allows small businesses to convey their own message,” says Boyayan. “Now you can self publish your message and it opens the door to traditional media.” Such has been the case for Blendtec. There are many tools in the social media revolution. As an example, Boyayan points to the success of a Web blog called “Kalyn’s Kitchen.” Blogger Kalyn Denny, of Salt Lake City, receives numerous invitations for speaking engagements and has built a community around her Web blog, according to Boyayan. So also has Bill Marriott, Chairman and CEO of Marriott International. You might ask why Bill Marriott needs a blog, considering the success of his hotel chain. The answer, according to Boyayan is simple: he’s building a community and further enhancing his brand.

Podcasts are another social media tool that can be used to help a business build its brand. Boyayan says she posts podcasts on her
business website, BuzzBoosters.com, to educate listeners about Internet marketing and growing small businesses. Most social media tools require little in the way of technology. “Blogs are very easy to do,” according to Boyayan, and with RSS (real simple syndication) subscribers can read your posts where and when they want. The same is true for podcasts, which can be downloaded and listened to at the convenience of the patron.

Whatever form of social media you choose, Boyayan offers this caution: “You have to create an online strategy and give your audience a call to action. Your online message needs to be connected to your business in some way, otherwise it has no value for you.” If you are interested in social media, how it might work for your company, or what tools are required, contacting Boyayan at Buzz Boosters is a great place to start.

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