The Marketing Millennials: Episode 308 - How to Start A YouTube Channel for Your Brand with Avi Shenkar

Release Date: February 5, 2025
Host: Daniel Murray
Guest: Avi Shenkar, CMO of Luxury Bazaar

Introduction

In Episode 308 of The Marketing Millennials, host Daniel Murray engages in an insightful conversation with Avi Shenkar, the Chief Marketing Officer of Luxury Bazaar, a leading platform in the luxury watch and jewelry secondary market. The episode delves deep into the intricacies of building a successful YouTube channel from the ground up, especially when starting with zero subscribers. Avi shares valuable strategies, lessons learned, and actionable insights that can help brands navigate the challenging landscape of digital marketing.

1. Overcoming Traditional Marketing Challenges

Starting Point:
Avi begins by outlining the hurdles Luxury Bazaar faced with conventional marketing channels. Operating in the gray market for high-end watches, the company struggled with restrictions from authorized brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe, which led to bans on platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and limitations on Google Ads.

Avi Shenkar [07:07]: "Our meta account has been banned for probably about four years... we were left with, what can we do that's kind of organic? What can we do that won't violate any trademark issues?"

Choosing YouTube as a Solution:
Faced with these constraints, Luxury Bazaar pivoted to YouTube, recognizing its potential as a robust alternative for organic growth. YouTube offered a platform where they could showcase their unique position in the market without infringing on trademark restrictions.

Avi Shenkar [07:07]: "We had two ideas in mind. One of them was YouTube... The other was SEO."

2. Crafting a Unique Content Strategy

Initial Content Attempts:
Luxury Bazaar's initial foray into YouTube mirrored popular formats like Million Dollar Listings, focusing on the extravagant lifestyles of their clientele. However, this approach hit a wall as their high-net-worth customers preferred maintaining privacy.

Avi Shenkar [07:07]: "We hit a brick wall because most of these customers don't want to show themselves. They're very private individuals."

Pivoting to Behind-the-Scenes Content:
In response, Avi and his team shifted to a behind-the-scenes format, showcasing the day-to-day operations, challenges, and drama within the company. This transparent approach resonated more with viewers, leading to increased engagement and viral episodes centered around real-life business incidents.

Avi Shenkar [07:07]: "The episodes that get millions of views are typically the ones where... a customer owes us $300,000 is not picking up the phone."

Balancing Drama and Serious Content:
Avi emphasizes the ongoing challenge of balancing sensational content that garners views with more substantive content that attracts the right audience.

Avi Shenkar [07:07]: "We have to come up with what we want to do... it's a constantly a balance between more views and the right views."

3. Personal Brand vs. Company Brand

Focusing on Personalities:
A significant insight Avi shares is the power of leveraging personal brands over corporate identities. By promoting individuals like Roman Sharf, the founder, as thought leaders, Luxury Bazaar effectively humanizes their brand and builds trust within the community.

Roman Sharf [10:18]: "I always believe that people follow personalities, not brands. So I chose to do it on his channel."

Success Through Authenticity:
This strategy paid off as Roman's personal channel soared from 30,000 to 475,000 subscribers, with several videos achieving millions of views. The authentic and expert-driven content fostered a loyal and engaged audience.

Roman Sharf [09:37]: "We're doing a series where somebody comes in to sell a watch and to a panel of five expert watch dealers... we're going to launch that for our industry."

4. Operationalizing YouTube Production

Building the Team:
Initially, Luxury Bazaar operated with limited resources, relying on a single videographer. However, as the channel's demands grew, so did the team. Today, they boast three full-time videographers handling both shooting and editing, ensuring a steady flow of high-quality content.

Roman Sharf [18:53]: "Right now it's really just three full-time videographers that both work, you know, shoot and edit all of our content for both YouTube and social."

Brainstorming and Content Ideation:
Avi discusses their brainstorming process, which involves repurposing successful content ideas from other industries and adapting them to fit their niche. This includes creating series inspired by popular TV shows like Shark Tank, resulting in their own version titled Watch Sharks.

Roman Sharf [20:23]: "We have to test everything. You do it all. If it works, great, continue. If it doesn't, stop."

5. Common Mistakes Brands Make on YouTube

Lack of Viewer-Centric Content:
One of the primary mistakes Avi identifies is failing to empathize with the viewer's perspective. Brands often produce content that lacks engagement or relevance, leading to poor performance.

Roman Sharf [31:53]: "Not putting themselves in the shoes of their average viewer... any content is good content, and that's not true."

Importance of Hooks and Engagement:
Avi stresses the necessity of having compelling hooks to capture viewers' attention within the first few seconds.

Roman Sharf [34:24]: "Come up with a hook. Like, what's the hook for that?"

6. Rapid Fire Insights

In a lightning-fast segment, Avi shares succinct advice on various aspects of YouTube content creation:

1. Best Length for a YouTube Video:

   Roman Sharf [37:06]: "YouTube will tell you it's about 10 minutes. I'm a bigger fan of longer, so I'm going with 20 minutes."

2. Scripted or Unfiltered Content:

   Roman Sharf [37:16]: "Depends. If you have an expert speaking and they can talk off the top of their head, then unscripted. Always better."

3. YouTube Shorts: Worth It or Overrated?

   Roman Sharf [37:23]: "Worth it 100% for growth of a channel, not for retention of viewers of long form videos."

4. Go-To Piece of Gear for Filming with an iPhone:
   (No specific answer provided in the transcript.)

5. One Brand Crushing on YouTube Besides Gray Market and Luxury Bazaar:

   Roman Sharf [37:37]: "Dr. Squatch."

6. One Thing Every YouTube Creator Should Stop Doing:

   Roman Sharf [38:24]: "You need to test everything. You do it all. If it works, great, continue. If it doesn't stop."

7. Final Takeaways and Advice

Emphasizing Omnipresence:
Avi concludes by advocating for brands to maintain a presence across multiple channels to maximize visibility and engagement.

Roman Sharf [38:46]: "A marketing hill I would die on is you need to be omnipresent. You need to be everywhere."

Content Consumption and Inspiration:
He highlights the importance of continuously consuming diverse content to fuel creative ideas and maintain a steady stream of engaging material.

Roman Sharf [40:43]: "You have to keep on it... continue consuming a bunch of things because that's where the best ideas come from."

Conclusion

Episode 308 of The Marketing Millennials offers a comprehensive roadmap for brands aspiring to build a successful YouTube presence. Through Avi Shenkar's experiences with Luxury Bazaar, listeners gain valuable insights into overcoming traditional marketing barriers, leveraging personal brands, creating engaging content, and avoiding common pitfalls. The episode underscores the significance of adaptability, authenticity, and relentless innovation in the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape.

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