Can a 2 Minute Video Change your eCommerce Business?

by Chloë Thomas

Yes, if you’re Michael Dubin CEO of DollarShaveClub.com.

Back in March this startup created a funny video about it’s product – a $1 per month men’s razor subscription service. Not the most exciting product in the world – and they use this fact well in the video. The video is fantastic content – it reflects the brand, it explains the product, it shows off the company and it’s ethos. Plus it’s funny, which always helps when you’re trying to get something to go viral online.

How did they create it?

The video is set in their own warehouse, and stars their own staff and the CEO himself. It was filmed over 2 days.

What did the video lead to?

Within 48 hours of going live:

  • 2 million views on YouTube
  • Crashed the website
  • Bought in 12,000 subscriptions

Overall (so far):

  • over 5 million views on YouTube
  • $1 million dollars of VC funding
  • Page 1 ranking on Google for “shave”
  • Tens of Thousands of interactions on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter

So it’s basically built the customer base, search engine base, social media base and financial base on which the company’s going to grow!

(great investigation of the marketing value of the video by Kevin Gibbons on Search Engine Watch)

Watch the video:

How can you do this?

First you need the idea – so take some time to really think about what your business is and does, what makes it great? what problem does it solve? Then work up the script for the content – what Michael Dubin says in the video isn’t that funny, but it gets to the point of the business very simply.

Second, think of how you’re going to make that video something people are going to want to share. This video does it through the staging and the actions, but you could do a parody, and song and dance piece, or anything at all! Get creative. Then create it.

Thirdly, put it on YouTube – and tell some people about it. You have to start the ball rolling on getting it seen.