If the right person has made your hammer or frying pan, its value increases dramatically. There are a number of YouTube celebrities who sell items they’ve crafted, often at very high prices. Done right, one could reverse the function: let the maker of the items become the celebrity, rather than the other way around.
Alec Steele, a well-known YouTuber in blacksmithing with over 2 million followers, sells his creations on alecsteeleshop.com. Today, you can buy a Damascus steel dagger for $4,950. The knife is excellent craftsmanship, but we can probably conclude that a certain premium is added to the price because of his celebrity status. Viewers have seen how that exact dagger was made, so it comes with a story.
Blacksmithing on YouTube is a fairly big thing, with lots of interest and many channels. In my eyes, there’s nothing stopping a company like Gränsfors from making a serious attempt. They have internationally recognized quality, plenty of local history, and forge axes by hand. I won’t claim they could charge 40,000 SEK for an axe, but if buyers got to know the smiths, saw an axe like theirs being forged, and received a detailed description of when, by whom, and how their specific axe was made, I’m certain it would command a higher price than today.
Does this just sound like a marketing channel?
You might argue that you’ve already tried appearing on YouTube. The idea isn’t to use YouTube for marketing; the idea is to create products for YouTube. Don’t think of it as a marketing channel—think of it as a main operation where you build a business.
The Gränsfors example shows this more clearly: don’t use YouTube just to advertise the axes. Create a YouTube channel that shows the forging process, where the smith explains the challenges, what goes wrong with the axe, when it goes right, and what makes a great axe. Let us see how the axe comes to life—with emotions, professionalism, joy in the craft, and pride. Then sell a premium series of axes aimed only at those who follow the channel. Number them, sign them, and present the smith properly in the shop. Charge three times as much. Instead of 1,500, charge 4,500.
Who else could do this?
I can imagine many areas where products would be especially suitable for YouTube. Here are a few examples:
- Food – Farmer, Butchering, Restaurant or Delicatessen
- All forms of pet breeding—why not let people get to know the puppies?
- Vehicles – Building a car is already a long journey, so why isn’t it signed?
- All kinds of tools – The number of craftsmen, both professionals and hobbyists, who appreciate items with a story is huge.
Can you think of more areas?
More business ideas
This article is part of our series on business ideas. Here we collect our funniest, smartest, and most interesting ideas that we or our readers simply don’t have time to pursue. The hope is that it will inspire you to get started or find renewed energy in your entrepreneurship.
Magnus Bråth
Consultant & Adviser
Magnus is one of the world's most prominent search marketing specialists and primarily works with management and strategy at his agency Brath AB.