Company creates buzz by welcoming reviews on YouTube (Cost: next to nothing)

Any primer on social media and business is sure to include a statement to the effect of, “The conversation will happen, with or without you.”

For Benchmade Knife Co., that’s just fine. Company officials are happy to let reviewers on YouTube and blogs do the talking about their products.

“In many cases, the reviews that are being done by video bloggers or bloggers or other people online are much more extensive than what we could accommodate on our own,” says Rob Morrison, director of marketing for Benchmade. “What we like to do is, whenever possible, enable the credible people that are out there giving reviews, and support them in any way we can.”

Benchmade does have its own YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitter feed, but on YouTube, it tends to let the reviewers and commenters do the talking. As a result, it’s seen a lot more people talking about the brand, Morrison says. The feedback also helps with product development and improvement.

Hands-off