I write my business blogs to stay up-to-date and to learn and grow as an entrepreneur. This blog is one very good example of that as I am preparing for vlogs on my website Meemoeder.com, which is a Dutch website about lesbian parenting. I have a few LGBT events coming up and I want to add vlog content to my blogs for several reasons. I am thinking about taking a course, but I want to be prepared for that as well, so you may read some more blogs about vlogging from me in the future.
As I am a newbie to vlogging, you will find the basics in this blog. Why should a company be vlogging and how do you get started? Are there things you should NOT do when vlogging and how can your vlog have the biggest effect? Those are the questions in my mind right now and those are the questions I hope to answer in this blog. First, I will list six reasons why a company should be vlogging and then I will list fifteen ways how to launch a vlog without failing.
I am using information from articles by experts Matt Byrom, Kaya Ismail, Liza Brown, and Business Film Booth.
6 reasons to vlog as a company
Here are six reasons why it is a good idea to vlog as a company:
1. The future is visual
Six billion hours of video are watched on YouTube every month, 92 percent of mobile viewers share videos with others, and internet video traffic will account for a staggering 69 percent of all global consumer internet traffic in 2017. And that could increase year after year. So, by starting to vlog now, your business can get ahead of the game or even be an innovator.
2. Video is rather effortless
Vlogging is a great way to get many videos out there quickly because they do not take much effort to create. It is just you, or someone else in your business, talking to a camera. In addition, vlogging is effortless for your viewers too. People want information quickly and watching a video is always going to be quicker than reading a block of text.
3. Video has zero cost of entry
Starting a vlog costs nothing in the sense that all you truly need is a smartphone. YouTube is the natural home of a vlog, and all that extra lighting and audio equipment is exactly that — extra.
4. Videos make you more human
We never really know that much about the companies we do business with. Sure, we can take a look at the photographs on their team page or read the “about us” section but a vlog is more relatable. The more human your company is, the more trustworthy you appear and the more customers you will gain.
You can further instill trust through vlogging by asking your customers or business partners to record themselves giving testimonials.
5. Vlogging offers a chance to be authentic
Beyond showcasing some internal faces to go with your brand, a vlog gives you the chance to show authenticity and transparency by filming segments of internal meetings or touring the head office. In the same way that a live video feed gives viewers a raw insight into a company, a vlog can be used to do something similar.
6. SEO loves video
The goal of a search engine is to present users with exactly what it is they are looking for. In recent years, more and more people have been searching for videos and now, 62 percent of all Google Universal searches include video content. This means that by creating vlogs, you have a greater chance of ranking higher in search results.
How to launch a vlog without failing: 15 tips
Yes, vlogging may seem rather effortless but that does not mean you should jump in blindly. Here are 15 tips to launch a business vlogging campaign the right way.
1. Set a goal
If you do not have a goal, you have failed right from the start. Your goal might be to keep people on your website longer, to reduce your bounce rate, to build up an epic list of subscribers, to convert more leads, or to rank highly on Google or YouTube. It could be anything but you need something to aim at!
2. Have a strategy
Why do you want to vlog? How do you plan on doing it and who is your audience? Your vlogging escapades should all be governed by an overarching content strategy. The strategy must define who you are vlogging for and why. Have a purpose, stick to it, and make sure your employees (if you have any) know about it. After all, an untargeted vlog does not attract any viewership.
3. Business vlog metrics
You need to know what your current strategy is doing for you and how many leads it is getting you so that when you come to do your vlogging, you can see what impact it is having.
4. Expect obstacles
Expect some obstacles — particularly in the form of technical difficulties. You will run into issues like messing up takes and live streaming hiccups, and you will probably pull some hair out trying to edit your videos. These issues are just part of the learning curve.
5. Be real
Transparency and authenticity are two surefire ways to gain the trust and respect of your viewers. It is a simple concept, but so many vloggers find it difficult to adopt. Videos behind the scenes are one way to offer this to your audience.
6. Stay consistent
For a vlogging campaign to succeed, it needs to be consistent. That means releasing a healthy amount of content at regular intervals. The exact quantity can vary but whatever you decide on, stick to it.
Set a time and date. If you do not set a time and date – whether it be weekly or monthly – to create and release a business vlog, you will fail. You will always find something better to do.
Some even suggest that the key to consistency is keeping the camera rolling — everywhere. They say that if the camera is not rolling, your company is not growing and they suggest you do the videos at home, in your car or while you are walking.
7. Think of a topic
You should think of a topic for your vlogs. It can be anything, as long as it is not boring, insulting or illegal. As there are various successful vlogs out there, they have developed some sort of themes or formats, such as a how-to tutorial, lecture, interview, and so on.
8. Use a tripod or book
To shoot a better video, you can make use of a tripod or a book to elevate the camera the right height. Do not forget to zoom in if necessary. You can also record your video with a webcam.
9. Record an interview
Another great way to create video is to have a conversation with an expert and record the entire interview. By making use of Skype and an application that can capture streaming video/audio, you can easily develop your video content and provide a service to your viewers as well as a platform for the expert, no matter where that person is located.
10. Choose a video editing tool according to your needs
After shooting your video, you may need to do some editing jobs to make it better. Choose the right video editing tool for you and add several video effects, titles, and subtitles, compress video size, change the playback speed or adjust the length of video. Video editing tools you could use are iMovie, Windows Movie Maker or Wondershare.
11. Choose a platform
When your video is ready, it is time to post it online. You do not even have to own a website or blog to post your video. Most vloggers choose to post on video sharing sites, such as YouTube or Vimeo. The content can easily be embedded and shared on websites, in blog posts or on social media.
Still, if you really want to express your unique personality or professional expertise, WordPress is a good choice, as you can find various templates designed for vlogging. You may also need some WordPress plugins to make your vlog even more powerful.
12. Describe your videos
No matter where you post your videos, it is important to make them fully accessible to your audience. People are more likely to stumble across your videos if they have good keyword tags and searchable descriptions. Therefore, make sure to title and describe your videos carefully before publishing your vlog to the web.
13. Interact with your audience
Remember to respond to comments, messages, and video responses from your audience. This leaves a good impression and your followers will appreciate it.
14. Measure and tweak
If you are new to vlogging, you are not going to be great at this right away. Even if you are making videos that look and sound great but you are not tracking their impact on your business, you are still failing.
The key measurement stat to make sure your vlog does not fail is engagement (or audience retention). This is the average percentage of the video that actually gets watched.
What is a good engagement rate? Above 90% is outstanding but not many videos achieve this consistently. Above 70% is really good too. It means that you are getting pretty good at this vlogging thing: your viewers are mostly finding your content helpful, and it means that there is a connection there.
Below 50%, you need a bit more practice. Perhaps you need shorter scripts, higher production values, and more creativity. If you are around 20-30%, then there is something really wrong; you could actually be damaging your brand. Stop your business vlog and have a good look at what could be going wrong.
15. Keep at it
The final point is to keep at it because, in Vlogging World, the only way you can fail is when you stop. Practice really does make perfect. Your vlogging journey is going to be an adventure and something that you will struggle with at first. Once you get into it and you start to see the results from regular vlogging, you will not want to stop!
Ideas for vlogs
Are you looking for ideas for a new vlog? It may be my newbie status, but I think it is not that much different from blogs. So, if you are looking for inspiration, my blog The Ultimate Guide to Evergreen Marketing for Entrepreneurs has 49 blogging ideas for evergreen content. You could turn them into vlogs. In addition, my blog 62 Easy, Valuable Tips to Rock Your Video Content includes 40 video content ideas. Hope that helps!
After writing this blog, I realize I need to learn more, especially practical tips, so you will indeed find more vlogging posts from me in the future.
Read More: 12 Vlogging Content Ideas