Name recognition, brand identification, viral marketing source, and industry authority.

As only a few of the benefits companies experience when they venture into a strong video blog campaign, those reasons should be more than enough for anyone to include video publications within their blog updates.  However, the biggest obstacle companies have faced is getting started which we want to solve for you right here and right now with a 6 step guide to video blogging.

  1. YouTube & UStream — Although it seems like a common thought, you need to make sure you create a profile on YouTube, Ustream, or both.  As the two largest video blogging websites, you have the opportunity to establish individual channels/stations for your company which are phenomenal ways for you to also manage brand identity (through username/channel name).  Now, if you had to choose between the two, most will select YouTube, but (for me) I would venture to UStream due to its ability to stream live content as well as publish recorded content as well.
  2. Professional Demeanor — Even though it’s important to have a good platform, it’s equally (if not more) important to distinguish yourself as an industry professional.  You can start this reputation by dressing appropriately – not in a suite and tie, but in business casual clothing (no t-shirts, etc).  Along with the apparel, you have to also be able to maintain professional but palatable verbiage (i.e. put things in laymen terms and avoid industry jargon/terminology).
  3. Get Comfortable & Relax — Have you ever had a conversation with someone who is nervously trying to get a point across?  Do you pay attention to what that person is saying, or do they start to lose your attention?  I’m sure that the majority of you are like me in that the individual would (unfortunately) start to lose my attention.  You can prevent at least some level of anxiety and/or nervousness by publishing your video(s) in a comfortable setting where you are relaxed and feel at ease.  Again, it won’t fully prevent any anxiety, but it will certainly help detour its effects.
  4. Simple Script & Agenda — When you were in school, did you ever have to deliver a complex oral presentation that included a significant amount of information?  Let me guess…you had the chance to use snote-cards to help you through that experience.  In a video blog, you want to avoid those note-cards unless absolutely necessary, but you do want to use a simple script or agenda to keep you on task.  If you are able to stick to the general outline of the script/agenda, you will avoid irrelevan, or unimportant, tangents.  You will also improve the overall presentation and, therefore, increase the number of people that follow your video blog updates.
  5. Use A Content Timer — In recent research, YouTube published the average length of a viral video; those findings revealed that almost all viral media on the site lasted under 10 minutes.  However, don’t consider this piece of information as a “must stay under 10 minutes”.  Instead, think of it as a concise and efficient delivery of content in a customized time period.  In other words, avoid rambling, excessive repetition, and useless words (i.e. umm, uhh, etc).  But, you do want to establish a clear point through a few different effective angles, and confidently close the publication with a call to action.
  6. Publish & Promote — As someone who has guest starred on video blogs as well as produced video blogs for other website projects, I can assure you that you will want to reshoot your videos approximately two to three times before you find the final product.  The general philosophy is that the more you produce video blogs the more natural you will feel during the initial takes.  So, pick out the best product for production, publish it, and promote the video through your social media websites, blog, front page of your website, and any other means available.  With the consistent promotion, regular updates, and quality information you will be able to grow your audience as well as your online reputation.

To wrap things up, video blogging is an up and coming wave of content sharing, and one that should be considered by all businesses.  As long as you have a general plan for production and follow the simple six step guide to video blog production, you will have success.  However, if you need further assistance setting up a video blog, or distributing your video blogs through social networking please don’t hesitate to contact us today.

Need Help?

If social media marketing and blogging are something that you are interested in but don’t know how to get started, contact us today to schedule your free marketing analysis.

Sources:
“The Essential Step-by-Step Guide to Internet Marketing”-E-Book
SlideShare.net
Image Source: HubSpot, “The 2011 State of Inbound Marketing”, E-Marketer.com