By Julie Rambali
August 14th, 2013 Edition
Video blogging has existed on the web long before Youtube and now Youtube has over 1 billion unique users that visit each month. Over 6 billion hours of videos are watched each month and that’s 50% more than last year. I’m sure you’ve watched a video on Youtube and felt an instant sense of opportunity for marketing your business. Even though the idea of video blogging itself isn’t new, the actual endeavor is still novel to many people.
A video blog or video log is shortened to vlog and is a form of blog for which the medium is video and is a form of web television. Video blogging requires a live person to be recorded in order to create video entries. Hiring professionals can get costly however, if you create your own, it can be absolutely free. All that’s required is your smartphone camera. You can purchase inexpensive HD handheld cameras and they’re easier to use than ever before. Smartphones are convenient because they’re always on you and the quality of smartphone video cameras is excellent these days.
Online reality is replacing actual reality in every aspect of our lives. Having your face behind your virtual brand is vital for people to feel closer to you. It helps you build connections with your potential customers like no other blogging format. The close second is perhaps audio.
It’s a very effective way of introducing your products/services. Simply record yourself describing your products/services. Most smartphones come with simple video editing tools and allows you to publish your videos directly to Youtube for the rest of the world and your subscribers to see.
When recording, make sure you’re in a well lit room or outdoors. I prefer outdoors because with the natural sunlight, you don’t have to worry about awkward indoor lighting. Use your backyard or local park. Take a friend or family member to help you record or stretch your arm out and record yourself without trying to laugh. It will take a few tries but you’ll eventually get the hang of it. Keep your hand still to avoid a shaky video which can annoy people. Create videos less than 3 minutes each so you don’t lose anyone’s attention. Keep your content fresh by talking about new information from your industry or your specials and upcoming events. If you have products, pan your camera across your products and show the variety of items you have to offer.
This form of internet marketing has endless possibilities of what you can feature and that’s what makes it so powerful. Simply start talking and show how passionate you are about your products/services and industry. Don’t worry about what others think of you! You should be free to just be yourself and no one should judge you based on your convictions. We are all different and that’s what makes this world such a beautiful place.
Freedom comes to video. Camera costs go down. The web carries video with the same fluidity as text. This is the true democratization of a real free press and I think it’s very positive for us all.
