8 Video Marketing Business Success Stories [2024]
Looking for a business idea that taps into the digital age? Video marketing might be your answer.
A video marketing business involves creating promotional videos for companies looking to expand their online presence and engage their audience visually. With video content steadily growing as the leading form of online consumption, businesses everywhere need skilled creatives to help them stand out.
This venture allows you to play a crucial role in crafting compelling narratives, collaborating with clients, and driving impactful marketing campaigns. However, it’s not just about having a camera; it involves mastering video editing software, understanding marketing strategies, and staying ahead of digital trends.
Starting a video marketing business provides the opportunity to transform ideas into visual stories, drawing in potential customers like no other medium can. If you're willing to put in the work, this could be a fulfilling and lucrative path to explore.
In this list, you'll find real-world video marketing business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a video marketing business that makes money.
1. Lemonlight ($18M/year)
Hope Horner came up with the idea for Lemonlight when he saw an opportunity to bring transparency to the video production industry. With the average cost for a 30-second commercial at $342,000, Lemonlight offered small and medium-sized businesses access to high-quality, affordable video content through pre-built pricing menus and transparent pricing. Since its launch in 2014, Lemonlight has grown to generate $6M in sales per year, with over 7000 videos produced for more than 3000 brands and notable clients including Amazon and TripAdvisor.
How much money it makes: $18M/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 75
Lemonlight CEO, Hope Horner, co-founded an on-demand video production company that has produced over 7,000 videos for more than 3,000 brands, generating over $6 million in sales and growing to a 45-person team, all without taking any outside capital and being recognized in Inc 5000 and Entrepreneur 360 for three years in a row.
2. Breadnbeyond ($2.16M/year)
The founder, Andre Oentoro, started Breadnbeyond in 2009 as a digital agency offering graphic design services. However, after working on a kinetic typography animation project for a client, the company pivoted to focus solely on animated explainer videos. They have since grown their client base, become profitable from day one, and currently have 42 employees.
How much money it makes: $2.16M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 41
Discover how a small digital media agency scaled to a thriving animated explainer video company with 42 employees, leveraging international markets and achieving over 100% client growth annually in the early years.
3. GreenRope ($1.92M/year)
metrics for our business are our customer satisfaction and retention rates, which remain consistently high. We currently have over 1,000 customers in over 20 countries, ranging from startups to universities and municipalities. Moving forward, we plan to continue evolving and improving our platform to meet the changing needs of businesses and provide even greater value to our customers.
How much money it makes: $1.92M/year
How many people on the team: 15
GreenRope, a self-funded CRM and marketing automation platform with over 1,000 customers in 20 countries, was built organically and focused on creating a positive, customer-centric culture without outside investment, with an all-in-one interface solving challenges in managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations.
4. FranchiseFilming ($1.2M/year)
Trevor Rappleye started his video production company, Franchise Filming, after attending the International Franchise Association's Annual Convention and noticing the lack of quality video content in the franchising industry. He created a VIP Subscription Service that offers franchisors a hassle-free way of getting professional videos, resulting in a remarkable 3,200% growth rate for his business.
How much money it makes: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
How many people on the team: 5
Franchise Filming founder, Trevor Rappleye, shares how he scaled his full-service video production company to 3,200% growth in the franchising industry by offering a VIP Subscription Service with no travel fees, no scripts, and videos edited and delivered in 10 days or less without hidden costs.
5. Explainer Videoly Pte. Ltd. ($1.2M/year)
Kasra Design, also known as Explainer Videoly, was founded by Alex Safavinia. With a background in Creative Multimedia, Alex saw the potential in offering animation services to businesses. Starting with email marketing and showcasing their work on social media, the company attracted clients and grew steadily. Today, Kasra Design has completed over 700 projects, generated over half a million dollars in revenue annually, and plans to expand further in the future.
How much money it makes: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $7K
How many people on the team: 15
Kasra Design produces customized animated and live-action explainer videos for corporate clients, enterprises, startups, and nonprofits; it generated around USD70k in the first year and currently generates over half a million dollars with over 700 projects completed and over 400 clients from around the world.
6. eWebinar ($600K/year)
Melissa Kwan, co-founder and CEO of eWebinar, came up with the idea for the business after experiencing the pain of having to run the same webinar over and over again for her previous enterprise SaaS startup. Recognizing the need for a scalable webinar automation solution, Melissa decided to create eWebinar, a platform that turns any video into an interactive webinar that can be set on a recurring schedule or made available on demand. With customers ranging from solopreneurs to publicly traded companies, eWebinar has achieved an MRR of around $50k and continues to focus on delivering the best product and customer experience.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500K
How many people on the team: 0
Melissa Kwan, CEO of eWebinar, discusses how she identified the pain point of running the same webinar over and over again, leading her to build an automated webinar solution, with a current MRR of $50k and a focus on word-of-mouth marketing.
7. Filmbaker ($600K/year)
Tarun Lachhwani, along with his co-founders Rakesh R, Gaurav Singh, and Soman Surya Yadav, developed their passion for storytelling while making short films in college. Inspired by their success and their desire to help brands tell their stories, they launched Filmbaker in 2017 with just 4-5 lakhs (INR) in initial funding. Since then, they have grown to serve over 250 clients, including Google and Kingfisher, and are projected to reach 5Cr in revenue this year.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How many people on the team: 35
Indian video production company Filmbaker has a clientele of over 250 brands and has grown from an initial funding of 4-5 lakhs INR to clock over 3Cr in FY 20-21, en route to cross 5Cr this year, by providing storytelling services and delivering consistent, high-quality work.
8. Video Jaguar ($384K/year)
Since launching Video Jaguar, Tim Sumer has focused on driving attention to his website and perfecting his video creation software. He utilized his digital marketing firm, USA Marketing Pros, to design and promote the website. He also leveraged his client base by offering a 30-day free trial in exchange for referrals. By showcasing the video templates in individual blog posts and utilizing SEO tactics, Tim was able to attract customers and gain visibility.
How much money it makes: $384K/year
How much did it cost to start: $18K
How many people on the team: 5
Video Jaguar is an all-in-one video marketing software that has generated $25,038.74 in sales from August-December 2019, $188,672.22 in sales in 2020, and is now doing $32,911.77/month in sales with an expected $700K in sales in the current year while boasting a gross margin of 80%.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
