Grasshopper.com is the company behind the below videos.  They are entertaining, but they also subtly promote the company.  But why did they work?  Typically advertising would have spent 30 to 120 seconds pitching the company or a product and as is traditional would have been on TV or radio.  These shouldn’t be effective at marketing Grasshopper.

You might be asking, what the heck is Grasshopper?  Grasshopper.com is a virtual phone system for small businesses.  You promote one number and can have the calls going to anyone in your business or to any one of your phones–mobile, desk, home, or voicemail.

Being a virtual system, it makes sense to market to people who are online.  But instead of just doing some banner ads or Google AdWords, they put out these viral videos, which have gotten hundreds of thousands of views.  To buy that many clicks they would have spent at least a couple hundred thousand dollars.

Their videos connect with the entrepreneurial desires felt by their market, which has helped get the videos passed along over and over.  And here I share them with you because you can emulate them and do your own viral videos to brand your business.

Enjoy.

Go here to see a presentation by David Hauser of Grasshopper.com where he explains the marketing approach behind the “Entrepreneurs can change the world” video. http://b.lesseverything.com/2009/12/16/david-hauser-of-grasshopper-com-at-lessconf-2009

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If you can’t get big opportunities handed to you, then make your own.

Steve Nash, point guard for the Phoenix Suns, is a really good basketball player, but…

Nash wouldn’t get picked for a full-blown campaign as a superstar pitchman for a big shoe company. Names like LeBron and Kobe get put on shoes, clothes and hundreds of other products and commercials with big advertising budgets.

Instead of whining about not getting multi-million dollar sponsorship deals (Nash used to shun sponsorships), Steve Nash created his own deals. Mr. Nash is turning into a top-notch entrepreneur with some serious marketing chops. At 36, he is pushing the retirement envelope for professional basketball. If he stays healthy, he could probably make it to 40. But then what?

Steve’s answer: Steve Nash Enterprises, the umbrella to dozen business ventures such as Mission Skincare and Meathawk Productions. As to the sponsorship deals, Nash pitched NIKE on a web video campaign. For Vitaminwater, Nash has created a very successful viral video campaign online. Nash pokes a lot of fun at himself while pitching products.

NIKE Trash Talk

— Article continues below –
Vitaminwater

What does this have to do with you and your business? Plenty. First, look to the future. You probably won’t be playing the same game you’re playing now. Second, be fearless. Try new ventures. Create new marketing. Third, lighten up. Let people see that you’re human and that humans work in your company. Laugh at yourself. That way when others start laughing they’ll be laughing with you and not at you.

~ t

For great articles on Steve Nash from Fast Company and more video links: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/142/transition-game.html and http://www.fastcompany.com/article/baller-steve-nash-scores-web-video-three-pointer

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This is a quick video showing how fast a video can hit page one of Google. Online video is one of the best ways for a local small business to compete online–it gets rankings and builds your brand. In this video, I show how I repurposed a TV commercial for online marketing for an Arizona-based plumbing company.

Search engine optimization is a must for any business and mission critical for small local businesses. It gives one of the best returns on investment of any marketing medium. Online video marketing does SEO, but it also builds brands and attracts customers. Check it out…

Update: Video is ranked Number 1 on Google for Peoria Plumbing.
In less than 48 hours!

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In this quick episode (just under 5 min) I cover two important lessons for local businesses and I take my own medicine in the process.

I hope to have a new Flip video minoHD in a day or two so I can improve the quality of my Marketing Minis, which is part of today’s show.

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This is a quick video I made while presenting at the Human Capital Strategies educational seminar on non-traditional marketing.   It was held in Mesa, Arizona.

Local search marketing doesn’t have to be difficult.  A quick video–testimonials work great for this and some keyword research.  Then batta-bing, you’re ranking on Google.

Oh, can you spot any keywords in this post?

Local Search Marketing for Small Businesses

Thanks to Jason Knight for hosting this great event.  There were two other speakers, Jim McLure of Arizona Color who talked about the power of vehicle wraps and Jim Yockey of America On Hold who talked about increasing profits through on hold sales messages.

Anyone who lists keyword phrases in the comments section of this post will get emailed from me an awesome gift by my friend Joe Polish, the creator of Genius Network.  Make sure you register with your email address to get a killer interview of Sir Richard Branson, Rebel Billionaire and Founder of the Virgin Empire.

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