“I want to reach anyone, anywhere in the world, at any time with my marketing message, and I don’t want to pay for distribution.”  A few short years ago, this was an impossible client demand.

Now, with some clever thinking and the use of free online social networks, a private Arizona company is meeting the distribution demand. Forever Living Products (FLP), the world’s largest grower, manufacturer and distributor of aloe vera-based health and beauty products, is broadcasting its videos to more than nine million independent distributors worldwide for next to nothing, saving tens of thousands of dollars in the process.

The “AloePod Online Media Center,” provides FLP distributors instant access to product training, business building and marketing videos through iTunes. In its first week, nearly 14,000 videos were downloaded from AloePod.com. These downloads saved FLP approximately $69,000 in DVD replication costs alone. With labor and shipping costs factored in, total savings were in the neighborhood of $75,000.

Park&Co created FLP’s new online strategy in three steps, culminating in the launch of AloePod.com. The first step was to launch FLP’s channel on YouTube.com in May 2008. The channel quickly became one of YouTube’s fastest growing in its first month of operation, and currently features upwards of 60 international videos with more than 350 subscribers and over 25,000 views.

For the second step, FLP introduced commemorative iPods, nicknamed “AloePods,” with a laser-etched “Forever” eagle logo and the AloePod.com URL. All of the AloePods came fully loaded with the latest FLP videos. FLP distributors purchased more than 500 iPod Nanos, Classics and Touches prior to and during the company’s International Super Rally in early August.

The third and final step was the launch of the AloePod Online Media Center. The website allows FLP to upload and archive its entire audio and video library in the form of podcasts, which distributors can access and download through iTunes. The media center makes the flow of information seamless as subscribers receive new content either directly through AloePod.com downloads or automatically via RSS feeds.

FLP is the first company in its industry to leverage the power of social networks to affect its business model, communications capabilities, and environmental impact. The company’s AloePod Online initiative not only expands their global reach, but also immediately adds to the bottom line in cost savings. With the AloePod initiative, FLP has proven that you can reach anyone, anywhere, at any time, with your message.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 9:47 am by Joshua Feig and is filed under | Internet Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.