October 14, 2009 | Category: Success Stories | Tags: Small Business Success Stories

Is it possible to build a brand using social networking? Our latest YouTube marketing success story proves it is! Sometimes, in fact, it is actually possible to build an entire business! If you don’t believe me, consider the case of Chris Badynee, the owner of Bogdon Box Bass, who built a mini musical instrument empire on Youtube.com.

Badynee had one key problem that ended up becoming the impetus to his success: he couldn’t afford an upright bass, a musical instrument that he had always wanted. He did the research and discovered that the cheapest working upright basses were somewhere around eight hundred dollars. Although he tried to save to fulfill this longtime dream, his family and household obligations kept him from achieving his goals. After receiving a bathroom cabinet mailed in a box that was approximately the size and shape of an upright bass, Badynee had the idea of his lifetime. He used that box to make a cardboard upright bass with weed whacker twine as strings and scrap wood as a base. He then posted video of himself playing his makeshift instrument on the popular video site youtube.com.

Chris Badynee didn’t realize it, but he was setting himself up for an unbelievably successful business venture. His video was interesting and amusing enough that it received national coverage on Good Morning America as well as being featured in several magazines and even receiving music awards. He knew he was onto something, and asked his uncle to help him perfect his new instrument. Together with a veteran entrepreneur uncle and several engineers, the Bogdon Box Bass was born. Over one thousand product requests immediately followed the national television coverage.

Badynee had accidentally fallen upon several successful business strategies. First, he was offering a low cost alternative to a very expensive item. While a used upright bass in barely useable condition starts at $800, Badynee’s cardboard bass can be bought brand new for around $100. Another successful strategy that Badynee inadvertently used was catering to a niche market. Even owners of traditional upright basses are interested in the novelty of a cardboard bass. While the sound is different from the original instrument, it is nonetheless a high quality, enjoyable sound that can be enjoyed by amateur dabblers and experienced musicians alike. Last, the Bogdon Box Bass is easy to assemble. In a nation of do-it-yourselfers, there is inherent joy in being able to put together a playable music instrument—and therefore a huge market that was until Badynee’s bright idea completely untapped.

What can we all learn from Chris Badynee and his Bogdon Box Bass? The number one lesson is to find a niche and fill it. Second, as with so many other social marketing success stories, that nontraditional marketing is not necessarily less effective. In the beginning, Bogdon Box Bass was discovered and marketed exclusively on the internet. If your idea is original enough, you just might get your own share of the national attention being focused on winning youtube.com ideas every day.