In our continuous discussion and observation on how companies are using online video in a great way (for example Google and Kickstarter here), in this post we’re going to delve into Etsy, the marketplace for handmade items.

Now what is interesting is that Etsy is using online video in a very different way from Google (which uses it for every – every – new product or even feature of an existing product) or Kickstarter (which places a big focus on video on the user side, featuring it on the projects).

On Etsy’s product pages you won’t find video, but they have been producing a series of videos which portray artists – they call it Handmade Portraits.

This was the one that first got our attention, “The Sword Maker”.

That’s a totally different approach to those companies, but again, a very effective way of using online video: engaging their million plus community with beautiful well made (and very interesting) videos.

By showing real people doing the products (it is their whole business concept after all) it connects even more with their customers than just showing the usual photos or text.

Here’s another one, “Wild Hive Farm”

And there are much more: on their Vimeo account, they have 86 of them.

Proves once again that in the online world you don’t have to bet all your chips in one big ad – you can have multiple videos made for the cost it took to have that big one made just a few years ago, and you can have those for multiple purposes, with multiple goals

We’ll leave you with one final video, “A Letterpress Legacy with Lucky Duck Press”:

For more videos, check out their Vimeo page.