Sometime last year, the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board came out with a site called Cheese & Burger Society that successfully promoted America’s own Wisconsin’s cheese (yum!).

Below are some screenshots of the site:

As soon as this site launched and people got word of it, it was an instant success. Talk about viral, I personally tweeted the link several times not to mentioned I posted a short blog about it when it launched. The site is just so well done; you can’t help but want other people to experience it.

The entire campaign was an obvious success. The site was immediately picked up by almost every popular site that showcases stunning websites (including the favorite website awards in which it won for site of the day). It ranks pretty well for popular phrases like “Cheese Burger” and “Cheeseburger” among others and their facebook fan page is growing daily.

So why is the site so successful? Well for obvious reasons, the design is killer. But the other thing that makes this site win is the content. Together, the great design and amazing content ultimately is what makes this site a complete winner in my opinion with sustainability. Yes, there have been other sites that have generated just as much buzz simply based on design alone. But this site has what it takes to remain at the top within its category. Why? Because it’s filled with amazing content – over 30 delicious cheeseburger recipes and visuals with hilarious audio commentary for each cheese selection. Also, the information and content they continue to provide through their facebook fan page makes you want to order some Wisconsin cheese and throw a cookout for all your friends and family every time. Very well done.

The Takeaways

So what can we learn from the success of this site. Simply put, great design and good content makes for a winning recipe for any website. A great design and presentation always gets people excited. First impressions are everything and a killer design will definitely get you a few oohs and ahhs. But just as important as your design, the content you provide and continue to provide is what will make your visitors stick (which increases your brand awareness within the community). Focusing on content, leveraging social tools like facebook, twitter to keep your community engaged, and presenting it in GQ fashion, you’ll win every time.