Sometimes even the biggest brands can provide lessons on what not to do. For proof, look to the latest advertising campaign from Velveeta. I stumbled across this campaign through a pay-per-click ad:

I’m always looking for easy dinner ideas, so I clicked, and was taken to a :15 YouTube video of a blacksmith forging iron over a skillet of macaroni.

Not really what I was expecting, but whatever. I looked for a link to a recipe page but found … nothing. Just the following video description: “A Blacksmith likes two things, and also, he likes fire.”

‘Cause that’s helpful.

Velveeta could have offered me some cooking tips, or directed me to a coupon, either of which would have piqued my interest and encouraged the likelihood of a sale. Neither would have required much effort – just a call to action or an embedded link. Instead, they abandoned this potential customer in the middle of the buying process.

Says Kenneth Smith of Wieden & Kennedy in The New York Times:  “There is a knowing wink with [this] character. We were not looking for a lothario-type guy here. This is genuinely a guy who you feel like wants to help you and is very sincere in that, so sincere that he almost feels a little awkward.”

Seems like this clever concept is getting in the way of sales.

Don’t let this happen to your business. Take a tour of your own website or social media marketing, and ask yourself:

•  If I was a customer, would I know where to go next?

•   If I wanted more information, would I know where to go?

•   Am I making it easy for people to buy?

If you can answer yes to these questions, give yourself a pat on the back – because you’re ahead of at least one major brand.