In the context where sales through video and livestream are more popular than ever, small and large businesses alike must follow this trend if they want to survive and grow. More and more businesses are producing regular videos to serve sales purposes, with actors often being employees or even business owners themselves.
Mr. Nguyen Le Khanh Hoang is the owner of 2 brands, EcomStudio and Dua Sap Ong Hoang, and he is also a frequent livestreamer and appears in videos of the channels. Mr. Hoang said that the milestone that helped him gain confidence in front of the camera was 8 years ago. At that time, he was selling beeswax online and received a series of complaints from customers about the quality of the product. Due to limited staff, he couldn’t call each customer, so he decided to livestream to apologize to the customers. The livestream not only solved the problem but also helped him gain new customers with 50,000 views and a flood of orders.
Mr. Nguyen Le Khanh Hoang is now confident in acting in current videos and the image of his first livestream 8 years ago
From that success, Mr. Hoang appeared more on various channels. “As a business owner, I should not act too much. Instead, I should try to appear as genuine as possible to build trust with viewers. Our videos may have fewer views than professional content creators, but the conversion rate into orders is quite high,” Mr. Hoang concluded.
According to Mr. Hoang, many people want to make videos but are hesitant because they are not good at speaking. This can be overcome by regularly reading books to expand vocabulary. Some people do not know how to interact with the camera, so they appear uncertain in videos, especially with their eyes. This can also be overcome if they are willing to practice, they will overcome it.
As for Mr. Vu Hung Anh, he currently owns 2 TikTok channels, “Tap Hoa Hong Kong 1968” and “Chia Khoa Doc La Viet Nam,” which are gaining popularity as unique content creators with a voice similar to historical films and costumes of actors, also starting as an entrepreneurial business owner.
Hung Anh said that initially, he did not appear in the videos but only dubbed in the style of Hong Kong historical films (China) and received praise and encouragement from viewers to show himself. Thanks to that, he had the motivation to livestream and create videos. Although initially a bit hesitant, he gradually became more comfortable, and the clips became smoother.
The owner of “Chia Khoa Doc La Viet Nam” brand invests in his unique image and voice
“Not only did the videos have high views, but they also brought in many orders, creating “mood” (inspiration) for me to be more creative in livestreaming and creating more attractive videos,” said the owner of the “Tap Hoa Hong Kong 1968” channel.
Phan Minh Thuc and his wife appearing directly in videos
“Bathucfood” – the sales channel of Ba Thuc Food Co., Ltd. (Ho Chi Minh City) specializes in wholesale and retail sales of specialty products from different regions, especially beef jerky, and has become a successful salesperson on Tiktok shop. Mr. Phan Minh Thuc, the co-founder of the company, said that he and his wife, who are directors of the company, started participating in making sketches uploaded on social media at the end of 2021.
“Before that, we were doing business online, but we failed continuously and realized the importance of building personal brands on social media. So we decided not to hide behind the brand anymore but to appear alongside the brand,” Mr. Thuc said.
Ba Thuc Food team livestreaming sales for vendors at Ben Thanh Market
At that time, the Ba Thuc Food couple faced significant obstacles from social prejudices, family, and friends because online business seemed inferior compared to traditional businessmen or regular employees with respected jobs.
Currently, as the company develops, the business owner has many tasks to handle, so he lacks time to make videos. To solve this new problem, Mr. Thuc is actively training new talents in the company to livestream and act in videos, reducing his workload.
Risk prevention is necessary
Mr. Nguyen Manh Tan, Marketing Director of Haravan (a company providing e-commerce and retail solutions), said that business owners who directly appear in videos are mostly owners of small businesses and startup businesses due to low costs. Moreover, business owners are the ones who understand the product the most, so they are suitable to be the representative figure.
“In cases where the business owner cannot be the main actor, it is recommended to let a shareholder or a family member of the business owner be the representative figure. Collaborating with external people often leads to situations where if that person gains enough popularity, they will leave, causing significant damage to the company.
It is important to avoid focusing on building personal images for only one person and instead build a team of 3-4 people to ensure flexibility. When someone leaves, there should be someone to replace them,” Mr. Tan advised.
