Lesley Weidenbener: Instructional videos are key to Sailrite’s success

This was my week to write IBJ’s Made in Indiana feature, and for the second time, I stumbled on the product and company I highlighted while pursuing a recent hobby—sewing.

Regular readers might remember that, in January, I wrote about Realeather, a Jeffersonville company that produces leather pieces for crafting, sewing and other uses. I discovered the company when I purchased a bag of scrap leather to use as trim and accents on bags and purses I was making.

A few weeks later, after worrying that I was going to burn up my Juki sewing machine while trying to sew that leather, I started Googling leather sewing machines and stumbled on another Indiana company: Sailrite, based in Columbia City.

You can read my Made in Indiana feature about Sailrite on page 6A.

But the most interesting thing Sailrite Vice President Matt Grant told me during a call with him last week got only a passing reference in the feature.

I asked Grant: What’s the most important thing you make?

His answer was surprising: “By and far, the most important thing we do is what we make no direct money on—and that is our training videos.”

This had my attention. Sewing and crafting videos have become a huge part of my media consumption since I took up my new hobby last fall. Mostly, I watch bag makers who sell their purses, backpacks and totes on Etsy and other websites. Those makers often draft patterns and sell them, and they use YouTube, Instagram or other social media to show beginners like me how to make them.

So I know the power of a great video—and its ability to make me want to buy the products and tools that are demonstrated.

But this is no social media fad for Sailrite. In fact, the company was ahead of its time.

Grant’s brother, Eric, set up a studio and started making the instructional videos before YouTube even launched in 2005. They became popular and proved far more efficient than talking to customers individually about projects.

So the company made more and more videos. Today, in addition to Eric, Sailrite has a team of seven specialists who spend their days creating videos that give step-by-step instructions for projects like backpacks, boat covers, hammocks and more.

And the videos have meant that Sailrite needs to expand the supplies it offers.

“You need to have the tools and equipment to do the project effectively, which means that you have to be an expert in your tools and equipment because you have to be able to show people how to use them effectively,” Grant said. “And you have to sell all the supplies to do those projects. Otherwise, you’re just promoting somebody else’s goods.”

Today, customers can buy everything they need—the fabrics, hardware and tools—to complete a project in the video. And in the process of making the projects, the staff gets insight on how those materials and tools could work better.

The company is currently prototyping a new grommet press, for example, because Grant doesn’t think the ones on the market now work as well as they should.

So far, I haven’t sprung for the company’s Ultrafeed sewing machine with the leather kit. That might be down the road. But I have subscribed to Sailrite’s two YouTube channels—@SailriteDIY and @SailriteWorkbench. I’ll let you know what I make and try to post some examples on my Instagram feed at @lweidenbener.•

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Weidenbener is editor of IBJ. Reach her at lweidenbener@ibj.com.