Up here in Canada, we’re hockey freaks.  Simply put.  Before going any further, I want to acknowledge that finally (and I mean finally!) I can bridge my passion for hockey with online marketing… sort of.  I’ve long wondered if I would ever get the chance to talk hockey in an e-Commerce blog and today, it’s now a reality.

Which leads me to a question: Do you know who Mark Gullet is?  No?  Alright, how about Mark Gullet from Tampa, Florida?  Still nothing?  That’s okay.  I didn’t know of him either, until 24 hours ago – thanks YouTube.

Regrettably, Mark is one of millions who’ve recently lost his job due to economic woes and organizational restructuring.  The only reason I even know his name is because he worked as VP of Marketing for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning – yes, this is the hockey tie-in – and because it’s the latest viral YouTube phenomenon made by Ben Gullet, Mark’s son.

A viral job search missing the mark? You tell me.

Upon being laid off after more than 9 years of service for the Lightning hockey club, Ben created a video tribute highlighting his father’s professional strengths and experience with large cue cards and sappy music to help his father find employment.  Ben’s video hit YouTube on March 12th and two weeks later, the video has been seen more than 100,000 times and resulted in numerous job interviews (apparently).

This 14 year old wiz may have a future in internet marketing too (although I’m not convinced his father didn’t have a larger hand in this).  The video’s call to action is engaging and convicting: visit a micro-site featuring his dad’s resume.  I already feel for the guy, so OK, you got me.  I’ll click on the site.  Before you worry about being replaced by the up-and-coming-internet-genius, Ben Gullet, I’ve got good news for you: The plan isn’t flawless and stumbles in the same ways many websites and landing pages do.  If you agree with me, I’ll see to it that you keep your job.  Scouts honor.

MarkbyBen.com features the infamous video, filling the entire front page and then some.  Scrolling below the video reveals a tiny link to Mark’s resume.

But wasn’t the goal of the site to display the resume for anyone and everyone?  Why create any unnecessary barriers by hiding it below the video at the bottom of the page?  And normally, I wouldn’t make a nit-picky comment like “this site doesn’t even have any analytics” – but wouldn’t 100,000+ YouTube plays in two weeks merit it?  Finally, I’m surprised there’s no visible email address or way to connect with Mark.  Sure, you can leave a message through YouTube, but why make it difficult for potential recruiters, contacts and hiring managers to contact you?

The battle certainly doesn’t end once the visitor gets to your site – something I think we see too often in online marketing.  I fully believe that’s when the battle begins and in this case, where the viral job search falls short.  Driving traffic is great, but what happens when visitors arrive to your site?  MarkbyBen.com serves as a great example of time, effort and money invested, yet falls short of the most important aspect: creating a connection with the visitor and getting something out of their visit.  One of the keys to sucess on this site and any other: reduce any and all barriers that block the original goal of the website.  MarkbyBen.com should have Mark’s resume front and center, clear call-to-actions and a visible email address/LinkedIn profile link.  The site should have additional information about him that his resume and large cue-cards don’t speak to.  Much like any online marketer, Mark’s got one shot at a first impression and may be his only shot at converting the visitor.  Removing those barriers should be the first step towards a better site experience and ultimately, make Mark’s job search successful… or not missing the Mark.   But if Mark were a company, the next step should be web personalizaiton to better engage his vistiors.