4 Content Marketing Lessons from Chuck Testa

I bet you thought this blog post would teach you four content marketing lessons from Chuck Testa – you are absolutely right. It will.

We can make all the jokes we want.  The ad for Chuck Testa and Ojai Valley Taxidermy is hilarious and has spawned hundreds of equally hilarious memes. Whether or not Testa knew he was making viral gold, he has taught us several content marketing lessons along the way.

1. It doesn’t take a lot of resources

Looking past the infamous video, Testa regularly posts taxidermy tips on YouTube.  I don’t know much about taxidermy, but he appears to be a thought leader in the industry and has a lot of advice to give.  Testa repurposes the video content into blog posts on his basic Wordpress website and links posts back to a gallery of his work and an online store selling a “NOPE!” shirt (If you haven’t by now, watch the video).

Even though all the elements are basic, they come together in a cohesive strategy.

2. It’s not about production value

Testa’s taxidermy tips are about two minutes long, use absolutely no editing and are shot on Handycam with no external microphone. But they provide great value to his audience. I’ve seen several educational YouTube videos shot in HD quality with eccentric narrators. I’ve also watched a grainy, muffled smartphone video to remember how to tie a Full Windsor.

The production quality of educational content is low on a viewer’s priority list.  The first thing on the list: quality of content.

3. It’s focused on the audience

If you are not a hunter or aspiring taxidermist, please do not watch Chuck Testa’s other videos. If you are a vegetarian or animal lover, I implore, PLEASE do not watch his other videos.  They are somewhat graphic and are not targeted at you.

I’m an animal lover, but I’m also from a small town in central Ohio where the first day of deer-hunting season is considered an excused absence from school. These are the people who make up Testa’s audience.  I can picture several friends back home on the edge of the seat while watching Testa’s tips for mounting an antler rack.

4. It’s all about seizing a fleeting opportunity

We may never know if Testa recognized the treasure he possessed when uploading that video to YouTube. One thing we do know, he embraced it.  Testa still regularly retweets people using his signature catch phrase. My personal favorite, “Homework finished? NOPE #ChuckTesta.”

He also held a contest to find the best Chuck Testa memes and posted the winners on his website. Viral video stardom is fleeting to say the least. Testa immediately used the video to draw traffic to his website, Twitter and Facebook page. When your name comes up and your website traffic spikes, you have to act to ensure the spike lasts as long as possible.

Making do with a simple Wordpress site, he blogs, syndicates his social media feeds and regularly updates and repurposes site content.  You might think he uses a digital marketing agency. Nope – it’s just Chuck Testa with a well-executed content marketing strategy.