Small Business Video Marketing - Best Practice

There are still debates going on about how business owners can use social media marketing, however the actual number of CEOs engaging in social media is surprisingly low.

In 2010 it seems that businesses have either grown comfortable, or have been forced to accept sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare.. For instance, there are many impressive CEOs using Twitter to reach out to consumers by creating a personalized touch to their business. Tweeting CEOs like Tony Hsieh of Zappos and Guy Kawasaki of Alltop are well-known for their successful social presences and large followings as a result.

There is more to the buzz than just Twitter and Facebook, and you can see this in action by watching how business owners are using video marketing. If we take a look around the internet we can see how these CEOs and owners are taking advantage of web video to engage and educate consumers.

Once again, we found that the number of executives active in the web video space, as in the social media space, is quite small. For the small number of businesses taking a lead role in video marketing, their success is easily noticeable. This is a collection of 9 CEOs and founders using video marketing to boost their companies.

1. Tom Dickson, Founder & CEO, BlendTec

Tom Dickson, Founder and CEO of BlendTec, a commercial and residential appliance production company specializing in blenders, is the host of popular the YouTube series Will It Blend? In the series, Dickson tests his blenders on everyday items to see if they will blend. Some recent items put to the blending test included the iPhone 4, a vuvuzela, and an iPad.

Dickson’s YouTube series is a huge accomplishment. With just over 100 videos submitted, total video views currently total practically 131 million. We would be amazed if that level of visibility wasn’t impacting the bottom line.

2. Gary Vaynerchuk, Founder, Winelibrary TV

Gary Vaynerchuk is the founder and host of Winelibrary TV, where he video blogs about wine reviews, updates and news to interested viewers. Vaynerchuk utilizes Viddler to post his daily video posts, and he also maintains an effective personal account on Viddler, where he uploads videos on social media, technology, and branding, among a assortment of other topics.

Business owners with large personalities should pay attention Vaynerchuk’s openness to be straightforward. He’s a straight shooter with an honest mouth. This is why his fan base always comes back for more.

3. Mitchell Harper, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, BigCommerce

BigCommerce is an e-commerce platform that helps businesses launch professional online stores. Mitchell Harper, co-founder and co-CEO of BigCommerce, posts videos to BigCommerce’s YouTube channel at least once a week, making it a point to speak on topics of interest to his core audience, e-commerce gurus. His videos take an educational point of view while maintaining a down-to-earth, yet professional tone. He says:

“I think it’s important to use a whiteboard to explain concepts, and it’s kind of become my trademark in the videos. I could use a proper studio but I want the videos coming off as genuine and not professionally made. Even when I make a mistake, I don’t edit it out, because I feel it takes away from the authenticity of the message.”

Harper appears to be adding value to his business and web community. Ever since starting the channel about six months ago, they have garnered nearly 420,000 video views.

4. Tim O’Reilly, CEO, O’Reilly Media

O’Reilly Media, a media company that publishes books, magazines, websites, and produces conferences on technology topics. With 1,000 videos and 2.5 million video views, the O’Reilly Media YouTube channel is a well-updated source for the organization.

The channel frequently incorporates messages by and interviews with O’Reilly. We applaud O’Reilly Media for repurposing useful content that would have otherwise been lost in time.

5. Kevin Rose, Founder & CEO, Digg

Kevin Rose, founder and newly appointed CEO of Digg (Digg), a social news website, co-hosts a weekly video podcast named Diggnation, together with Actor Alex Albrecht, where by they talk about the best stories from Digg. Diggnation currently has over 3.3 million video views, proving that advertising your small business can be as simple as putting together a video series where you discuss the latest news from within your community.

Rose keeps his YouTube and Vimeo sites up-to-date as well with information that explores technology, travel, food, and hosts The Random Show with Tim Ferriss, creator of The 4-Hour Work Week.

6. Aaron Patzer, Founder & CEO, Mint.com

Aaron Patzer is the founder and CEO of Mint.com, and at present the vice president & general manager of Intuit’s Personal Finance Group, since Mint.com was recently acquired by Intuit (makers of the popular personal finance apps Quicken and TurboTax). One of the best contributions that a company can make to an online community is educating its users on how to use its products. That doesn’t mean you have to create hundreds of videos, keep it simple and to the point while providing value.

Mint.com’s YouTube channel delivers powerful information on how to use the products and services that Mint provides. With just over 20 videos uploaded, many of which Patzer appears in, Mint.com has garnered nearly 700,000 video views. Kudos to the Mint.com team for attempting to keep it minimalist while still increasing video views. Their videos are a prime example of how quality means more than quantity.


7. Pam Liebman, CEO, Corcoran Group
Real estate pros are jumping on the social media bandwagon, and Corcoran Group, the biggest residential real estate firm in New York City, is ahead of the competition. Corcoran has an extensive social media presence, and their video presence covers to YouTube, Vimeo and blip.tv.

The videos highlight CEO Pam Liebman answering issues posted by Facebook and Twitter followers concerning the state of the housing market and New York living suggestions. For example, in the video above, Liebman answers a question posted by Inman News’ Rob Hahn via Twitter. These types of videos allow the Corcoran team to truly engage with potential customers, as well as showcase their expertise in New York City real estate.

8. Rob Banks (Co-Founder), BuildDirect

Rob Banks, Co-Founder of BuildDirect, a manufacturer and wholesaler of flooring and building materials, takes a pro-active role in marketing the company. He is in hundreds of videos on BuildDirect’s YouTube channel, speaking about a variety of flooring and building materials. The videos often also feature Jeff Booth, President and CEO of BuildDirect.

BuildDirect’s mission for the YouTube channel is clearly stated: “We want to educate, to entertain, and to let you know who we are as a group of people.” The occasional Pancake Day video certainly gives us a glance into their lively company culture.