By Brooke Curry,Content Creator
Leveraging A Laundry Engineer For Engaging Content
What do you do when you have a laundry machine company with highly engineered products and a general consumer audience that barely knows how to do their laundry? You find someone to help bridge the content gap. That’s what EPIC Creative and Speed Queen® found in Joel Morell. And after mic’ing him up for a few days of shooting, we had an entertaining, informative social media video series. But let’s go back to the beginning.
Joel, known as Joel the Engineer to any Instagram and TikTok fans in the house, is an innovation engineer for Alliance Laundry Systems (ALS), the parent company of Speed Queen. Unlike other washers and dryers, Speed Queen machines are built with commercial-grade parts and technology. Proudly home to the tagline Built To Last™, these units are tested for 10,400 cycles of laundry. On repeat. Non-stop.
Don’t believe me? I’ve seen it!
They also test button pushes, door slams, electricity outages, and so much more. Joel has walked audiences through every part of the lab because Speed Queen isn’t keeping these impressive testing standards a secret. They want to show the consumer that they are experts in laundry, and their products mean business.
How did it all start?
While recording a commercial for Speed Queen, the client noticed how comfortable Joel was on camera. They mentioned this to EPIC Creative and asked, “What can we do with this?”
Thus, a social media star was born. Inspired by everyone’s favorite zany scientist, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Joel became the face of Speed Queen on social media. He’s tackled topics like washer order of operations, cycle selections, lint filters, machine leveling… With over 375,000 views, he’s even collaborated with #laundrytok TikTok star Corey McMullan.
What’s the strategy?
Influencers are an all-important part of social media strategy right now. But finding the right influencer is no small task. It’s not just about the followers they have. If the voice doesn’t connect, it’s not worth the investment.
Look at it this way: You are the expert on you. Consider what only you can say. Don’t give away the secret sauce, but maybe let your audience in on a few main ingredients. Show them the mixer you use or the bottle cap with which you seal the bottle. This metaphor may have gone too far, but you get the idea.
Don’t give away the secret sauce, but maybe let your audience in on a few main ingredients.
You are the expert. Tell your audience things they can’t learn anywhere else. Give them a friendly face to recognize and answer their questions. The one-on-one connection they will build with your internal influencer will only strengthen as your strategy evolves.
What started as a list of about 15 topics expanded into three video shoots, loyal fans who ask questions in the comment section, collaborations with other influencers, and (while we can’t say too much) an upcoming international shoot for the brand.
Joel became the expert the brand was looking for and the audience needed. He became the bridge.
Can I do influencer marketing like this?
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yes, with a strategy, creativity, and an internal expert.
Connect with EPIC and we’ll help you get started!
