We Are In The Midst Of The Online Video Revolution

Never has there been a better opportunity for businesses to tap into the online video world without a multi-million dollar budget, 15-person crew and other super expensive and annoying stuff.

And this isn’t fluff.

Here are some folks that rock at online video and will provide some inspiration for you.

Realize, some of the examples are “techy” meaning people that talk about technology (which makes sense because techy people often know what is coming next and jump on things early) but their techniques, style and more will hopefully provide a spark for you.

Most of these videos were done without huge budgets and big equipment. Some, like Geek Brief, are a bit on the higher end, but the idea is to show you a wide scope.

So without further ado and in no particular order, enjoy. Below are links so you can check everyone out.

Hubspot TV: Weekly marketing podcast featuring inbound marketing stories, tips and tricks (and they do it live…cool).

Scobleizer: Legendary tech blogger who interviews start ups and cool companies.

Mixergy: Andrew Warner interviews successful folks for his community.

NameTagTV: “The Nametag Guy” Scott Ginsberg offers advice to those looking to be more approachable (he is the king of approachability)

KT Tape: Thank you to Twitter friend Jenn_if_fer for letting me know about this one. A GREAT example of showing the uses for a product via video.

Geek Brief: Cali Lewis is one of the more innovative video producers and has a long running series on tech. She is always on the cutting (bleeding) edge.

CommandN: Amber Mac (who will be a guest in a couple of weeks) in another video show on tech-related goodies. The learning point is it is well-produced and simple.

Wine Library TV: We couldn’t have this list without Gary Vaynerchuk or Gary-Vay-Ner-Chuk who has proven time and time again it isn’t about the equipment, it is about the passion.

“Random”: Tim Ferriss (Four Hour Workweek) and Kevin Rose (Digg) chit-chat about various topics. Best part is you get to really know them as people and not just text.

Steve Garfield: The author of “Get Seen” knows a thing or two thousand about online video. His “one minute book reviews” are clever and effective. I bet they sell a bunch of books for the authors as well.

Chevrolet Volt’s Posterous: Even big brand Chevy is doing online video by being smarter, faster, cheaper. Check out their new collection of “underground feeling” authentic videos. Love it (and thanks to Steve Garfield for pointing them out) (Note: Johnny Londoff Chevrolet is a sponsor of RISE; however, that is separate from this site on the volt and the choice to include them in this list)

TWIT LIVE: The godfather of online video + audio. Or at least the innovator and the person making (pretty much) the most money from it. Leo Laporte is always streaming live. Literally 24/7 in one way or another as he continues to create the “online version of CNN”.

Lewis Howes: Lewis has simple tutorials and ideas on using LinkedIn better and he captures them through video. For visual learners (which studies show is 65% of us, it is a must watch).

Josh Shipp: It is simple. Youth speaker Josh Shipp. A camera. A couch. It is all about his message, not the set.

Tungle.Me. A great online scheduling service I talked about a couple months ago. And a great example of educating potential users right when they get to the site with a short easy-to-understand video which allows people to “get it” right away.

Chris Brogan: Chris is an unbelievable writer and now taps into sporadic video. I think you will agree it adds personality and spices things up.

TeuxDeux: Check out the intro video for this online to-do list. First of all it is really funny. Second it was easy to create and shows you exactly what their product is about AND personality. Love it.

Of course there are many more examples I missed. Make sure to leave them below as I’m sure we will ALL value from them.

This episode of RISE is brought to you by Johnny Londoff Chevrolet

Johnny is our local presenting sponsor getting super social and offering all kinds of unique deals on cars (and supplier pricing for anyone that mentions The Rise To The Top. You can check him out on Twitter for deals updated frequently (and NOT just for the St. Louis area).

And we are completely sold out for St. Louis RISE Lunch on March 31st featuring forward-thinkers, entrepreneurs, business owners and more coming together for lunch, schmoozing and short, powerful presentations.

If you missed out (because this one sold out in a HURRY…one week), mark your calendar for Wednesday, May 5th for the next event with the speaking lineup and details announced soon.

Unique Entrepreneur Interview:

I’m always looking to bring you unique interviews with entrepreneurs who are REALLY passionate and outside the box. Meaning they take what they love and turn it into a real business.

Today is no exception. Entrepreneur Cheni Yerushalmi – Co-founder of Sunshine Suites in New York City is a fascinating entrepreneur with a unique story to tell that I’m sure will relate to your business in one way or another.

So sit back and enjoy as we talk about everything from real life community building to having an Internet celebrity as a spokesperson (Hint: It is a former guest on the show).

This episode of RISE is proudly sponsored by:

Johnny is our local presenting sponsor getting super social and offering all kinds of unique deals on cars (and supplier pricing for anyone that mentions The Rise To The Top. You can check him out on Twitter for deals updated frequently (and NOT just for the St. Louis area).

Miso Lounge in Clayton home of the quickly-becoming-famous Twitter Roll. You can hunt them down on Twitter for more info. Cool idea.

This chat is one I gave from February’s St. Louis RISE Lunch which combines short presentations, forward-thinkers, schmoozing, networking and lunch.

I had a blast speaking along with Mark Sawyier (Off Campus Media) who discussed how to reach college students and an interview with Brad Beracha (Beracha Concepts) on the art of the restaurant business. One of Brad’s establishments, Miso Lounge, has the buzzworthy “Twitter Roll” going on right now which is a really fun marketing idea.

The next St. Louis RISE Lunch is on March 31st and features a quartet of forward-thinking presentations (move over Ted. Just kidding. Or am I?)

As of today, there are only TEN tickets remaining for the next event. So if you want to come out and join in on the fun, networking and inspiration…I would nab yours right here.

This really is an incredible time to pitch your tent and stake your ground in the amazing world of online video. Whether you put it on your site, host ‘em elsewhere or whatever you decide to do, the incredible opportunity is NOW.

March’s St. Louis RISE Lunch is presented by The Rise To The Top and the Social Media Club STL and sponsored by:

Araka Restaurant: Our amazing host. The food and service speak for itself. You can check them out on Twitter for all kinds of specials.

Shoeboxed.com: They take your receipts and business cards and digitize them for you. And it is click-able and search-able. Bye-bye worthless clutter. You can try it for free on us.

tSunela: Search engine marketing specialists and “media designers” (cool phrase) which takes your media plus search engines and creates a match made in heaven. You can get a free analysis of your website when you check ‘em out.

Rangency Labs: (note: I’m an investor/partner in Rangency Labs) St. Louis’ un-agency. From social media to video production, Rangency is your consultant and helping hand to make sure you find the right team at the right price for your project. Why? Because Rangency has put their money where their mouth is and has spent their own money to form a dream team of recommendations.

David Vs. Goliath

Every entrepreneur knows the ole David Vs. Goliath story. A triumph of little over big.

The NHL in many respects is David. Often dwarfed by the other bigger sports in America (MLB, NBA and NFL).

However, the NHL has passionate fans. They might be outnumbered, but only in size.

Social media is an incredible leveling of the playing field for the underdog. Why? Because little can compete with big. Creativity and passion can out duel a massive budget.

And the NHL is out dueling EVERY other major sport. The fans come out in droves on Twitter and Facebook. They are engaged. Spreading the word.

Want some numbers?

The NHL Twitter account has quickly risen to (to date) with over 350,000 followers.

The NHL Facebook account has over 250,000 fans plus tons of unique media (photos, videos and more).

What have been the keys to success?

It all starts with the woman behind the NHL men. Stephanie Bagley is a project manager for Vaynermedia (a unique consulting company created by former RISE guest Gary Vaynerchuk and his brother AJ) and writer for ESPN the Magazine. She has spearheaded an incredible effort based on creativity, media and getting the fans involved.

In this interview she shares the keys to success and hopefully it will spark your creative social media mind for your business as well.

Best part about all of this is you can do it without a huge budget. You have to be smarter, faster, cheaper than the competition even if your client/fan/customer base is 2 or 200,000.

This episode of RISE Is Sponsored By:

Johnny Londoff Chevrolet where you get supplier pricing (no BS haggling) for being a friend of The Rise To The Top. Johnny Londoff is a great business owner who focuses on relationships first (which is HUGE). You can check out my interview with him talking customer service.

MB Consulting Group. An entrepreneur helping entrepreneurs with IT. As opposed to hiring a IT staff (expensive) you can have your own experts on call to take care of all that geeky stuff in your business. Trust me, this will save your butt a lot of time and energy. Here is founder Ryan Mortland talking about the keys to outsourcing your IT.

This is part of a new series of 101 short videos with entrepreneurs trying something new.

Something social.

Something interactive.

Something cool.

Something experimental.

Often times it will be something simple. Why? Because simplicity wins.

101 Marketing Strategies: The Twitter Roll

First one up is “The Twitter Roll” from Miso Lounge in beautiful (!) St. Louis, Missouri.

Disclosure: Miso Lounge and Araka Restaurant are sponsors of The Rise To The Top and we hold numerous events there. And it doesn’t make this story any less awesome-ly interesting.

Here is the deal. On Miso’s Twitter account Twitter.com/misolounge they are starting to chat up the “The Twitter Roll” (which by the way I ate last night and I’m not telling you what is in it. But it is good. REAL good). Follow them and you will hear about it.

And there is already buzz flying around town about it.

Why?

Because they are trying something different. And they are offering something cool for following them on Twitter (it isn’t free, but unique sort of like the secret codes at In & Out Burger).

Now as an entrepreneur think about this for a second:

-The only cost is creativity. No zillion dollar, boring ad campaigns. Yuck. That would ruin it.

-There is a spreadable factor. A conversation piece.

-It is interactive. Meaning it is fun to tell a friend about it.

-It takes folks from behind the computer into a restaurant.

-And while everything in social media doesn’t have to be measurable (you don’t measure ROI on your fax machine, do you?), this one certainly is.

The Lesson:

Time will of course tell how successful it is. But either way there are lessons here that apply to your business. How can you create something simple? Something valuable? Something worth talking about (and in this case eating?)

How do you reach college students?

They are glued to Facebook.

They click on stuff (what are they clicking on?)

Do they trust their friends?

Do they read the newspaper (haha)?

Can they all be pigeonholed or is every student really different?

Even though I’m only a few years removed from college, the world is changing so fast that I barely recognize today’s college students.

However, Mark Sawyier founder of Off Campus Media does recognize them. He studies them (non creepily). He talks with them. And he has real data (who would have thought?!). They also have a nice blog just building up some steam.

Enjoy the talk by Mark.

St. Louis RISE Lunch: Round Two Is March 31st – Tickets On Sale NOW

This talk took place during February’s St. Louis RISE Lunch. Sort of like the St. Louis version of TED…but really different. The event features passionate entrepreneurs, forward-thinkers, business folks in St. Louis and more coming together for a couple hours of networking, lunch, short action-packed presentations and more.

Tickets for the March 31st RISE Lunch are going fast and you can nab yours right here. There are only 50 slots and the event sold out over one week ahead last month.

Tickets for St. Louis RISE Lunch on March 31st are officially on sale. Featuring lunch, networking and the most unique speaker series in St. Louis with big ideas to help your business (fluff-free). Tickets are extremely limited and sold out WAY early last time. You can nab yours at the link below.

Daniel Pink Know What Motivates Us

His accomplishments are vast to say the least. It seems every book Daniel Pink writes becomes an instant best seller on literally every list. And I was lucky enough to nab him for all of us to pick his brain on motivation, entrepreneurship and more.

Must Read Books For Every Entrepreneur From Daniel Pink

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (Amazon Link)

A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future (Amazon Link)

Connect With Daniel:

On his blog

Via Twitter

What really motivates you?

Is it money?

Freedom?

Something else?

Why are you an entrepreneur?

Is what motivates you different than your business partner? Employee(s)? Friends?

And Always A Big Thanks To Our Local Presenting Sponsor Making RISE Possible: Johnny Londoff Chevrolet

Just for being a RISE viewer, you get haggle-free, supplier pricing whether you are from St. Louis or anywhere else at Johnny Londoff Chevrolet. A great guy really getting into online marketing and relationship building. Plus, make sure to check out my interview with Johnny (who is quite the character) and has some great advice for building your business.

It Is Referral Week:

There is a really cool thing going on this week called “Make A Referral Week” where folks are doing just that…making a referral or two. Thank you John Jantsch from Duct Tape Marketing for letting me know about it.

Which, I’m sure is something we could all do more of.

In the spirit of the week, here are my big referrals to websites/blogs/video shows that help you build your business.

Through marketing.

Through technology.

Through big ideas.

Through relationships.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but some of my favorites that I spend the most time online and encourage you to as well.

The Top 20 Entrepreneur-Friendly Forward-Thinking Blogs You Must Subscribe To

In no particular order…

Duct Tape Marketing Small Business Marketing Blog

Why? Practical tips, advice, technology for the little guy with big aspirations. Also, feel free to check out my interview with John Jantsch on his beginnings and building his brand.

Gary Vaynerchuk

Why? In-your-face inspiration. I know Gary is a busy guy but would LOVE to see more videos from him. Here is my interview with Gary Vaynerchuk at the famous Wine Library in New Jersey.

Blog Maverick

Why? Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban isn’t shy. And he mixes tech with the real world. Where else can you interact with a billionaire for free?

Geek Brief

Why? One of the original geeks, Cali Lewis, offers bite-sized technology tips and reviews daily. Well worth just a few minutes to keep up-to-date.

Chris Brogan

Why? Chris Brogan understands human relationships and how it relates social media more than anyone else I know. Plus his comments section is equally great with fantastic ideas from a passionate community. Chris and I sat down this past year for over 40 minutes discussing blogging, social media and more.

Hello, My Name Is Blog

Why? Scott Ginsberg is a master of writing, motivation and making you think. Enough said. And he is a repeat offender on The Rise To The Top.

Steve Rubel Lifestream

Why? Advertising meets technology. Steve offers great insights as to “what is really going on” out there plus where we are headed.

Quicksprout

Why? Entrepreneur Neil Patel doesn’t only walk the walk. He talks the talk. And his advice comes from real world experiences. He also stopped in last season on The Rise To The Top on ABC.

Hubspot’s Inbound Internet Marketing Blog

Why? How to bring in new business online. Hot topic. Hubspot has you covered with practical ways to utilize Internet Marketing and the data to back it up. Co-founder Brian Halligan sat down with me to discuss a couple of weeks ago.

Daniel Pink

Why? A brilliant author and thinker. He can literally take anything. I mean anything and make you think creatively about it.

Personal Branding Blog

Why? Dan Schawbel is a personal branding master and we all know having a face behind your company is critical. Dan’s blog leads the way (He also has a few personal branding tips for you right here).

Web Ink Now

Why? David Meerman Scott paints a big picture especially with the shifts in marketing and PR. Pay attention to him. Seriously. Some RISE viewers wrote pages of notes when he was on the show.

Keith Ferrazzi

Why? The master of relationships. Keith gives quick tips on his blog for humanizing your business and forming better relationships. Plus he has a really cool house.

Scobleizer

Why? Emerging technologies? You better bet they are freaking important. And Robert Scoble will break them down for you. It is then up to you whether you want to use them in your business.

Biz Sugar

Why? Biz Sugar is like your personal business DJ. They take the best small business/entrepreneurial topics and curate them onto one site where viewers vote on what they like. Neat.

Mashable

Why? This was called by Jason Keeth (SoFresh) as the TMZ of Social Media. Funny. Bottom line is Mashable usually breaks the social media and Web 2.0 news first.

Brian Solis

Why? Is PR still important in 2010? You better freakin’ believe it. But the game is changed. Brian helps you navigate the new PR world.

A Smart Bear

Why? Jason Cohen is A Smart Bear. He knows blogs. He knows start-ups. He knows marketing. And he is great with product placement tee shirts.

Seth’s Blog

Why? I couldn’t dare make this list without Seth Godin. Why? Because he makes you think. He doesn’t give you the road map, he sparks you. And he definitely knows the difference between an entrepreneur and freelancer when he was on the show.

Small Biz Trends

Why? Anita Campbell is a rock star. And her resource full of tips, news and more is a must-read for every entrepreneur. Plus she gave away some of her juiciest secrets on the show.

Thank you to our sponsor Johnny Londoff Chevrolet where you can get supplier pricing (no haggling BS) just by mentioning The Rise To The Top.