Vlogging is quickly leaving niche territory and becoming a cultural staple. It’s so big that YouTube has completely overhauled their model over the past few years to cater to vlogs (or more accurately, vloggers) as their number one resource/product. The line between creator and consumer is becoming blurred. Many of the biggest vloggers got started with no intention of making money. If you are interested in creating a vlog that is either monetized or directs people to your business, it’s important to note that this world was built by non-business-minded people. If you’re using it as an ad, people will see it as an ad and not a vlog.
This leads us to our one rule for a new vlog:
Find Your Voice.
….Seriously, that’s it. Okay, it comes with some guidelines, but this is really the only hard rule. Your vlog cannot be an advertisement. It can lead people to your business, but it must be a standalone product. When that product is a simple informative video, your voice becomes the product.
The rise of the vlog has been propelled by personality. I won’t go too far into the reasons for this. It’s truly a rabbit-hole of theories, but suffice it to say that people are beginning to value genuine likability over a well-rounded resume in their media. Your voice and the way you express it are your vlog. The mere decision to create a vlog instead of a text blog is a decision to put a face to your brand. A vlog requires more honesty than a written piece. You’re simply revealing more of yourself, so there is less room to BS your audience. Remember the vlog is a product, even if it promotes something else. Give your audience something they want. Do not just give them an ad.
Shaping Your Knowledge Into a Product
The vlog is really just a transportation method for your thoughts. Basically, you need to get your knowledge into your audiences’ brains, thus building a relationship with them. This makes palatability extremely important. Your videos must be simple and straightforward. If you want them to hear and understand the message then you don’t want them thinking about the format, or the editing, or the music. That stuff should be invisible. One way to do that is to use formats that people are used to. By far the most popular vlog format is one person sitting at a desk talking directly into the camera. The second most popular would be a voice over with all the visuals being animations, B-roll, or a screen capture. Write out some notes, but I would recommend avoiding reading from a script unless you are a near professional level narrator. Mistakes are totally fine, especially when the camera is on you. They endear you to the audience. It’s important to come off as genuine.
Creating a Consistent Series
Once you find your voice and connect with your audience you want to make every effort to keep them coming. Your loyal viewers will be your best salespeople as you grow. Give them a reliable product. Roll out videos on a tight schedule. Keep them relatively the same length. Use the same intro and ending. Vlog viewers are creatures of habit and you want your vlog to become part of their routine. This will also help to streamline the creation process for you.
Using Your Vlog to Drive Business
As I mentioned before, the vlog developed without the idea of big business in mind. Well, those days are long gone and its potential for business has been discovered. The biggest issue with using a vlog to drive business is that a vlog, in its purest form, is a standalone product and not a promotional piece. Audiences are not used to being sold something while watching. If you don’t give them anything of value in the vlog itself then it’s really just an ad. The vlog will never be a direct selling tool, but it can be used effectively to build trust, gain credibility, establish your brand and increase visibility. Your goal in each video should not be to sell but to salt your audience’s interest. Impress them with your vlog; leave them wanting more; plug yourself; direct them to your site, and move on.
Honesty, personality and creativity will always be highly valued commodities in the vlogging world. Open platforms like YouTube and Vimeo have blurred the lines between creator and consumer. If you give these viewers any indication that you are a money hungry corporation they will expose you, but if you connect with them in a real way they will be loyal customers and promoters. Now, go find your voice.