- Vlogs are an important type of content for the modern marketer.
- There are two main styles of vlog.
- The content is more important than the type of camera you use.
Vlogging offers an amazing type of content that can be about virtually anything. Design, decor, technology, business…you name it, and someone can vlog about it.
People seem to inherently love video, so this form of content has a ton of potential for businesses that adopt it.
Here are the basics of starting a vlog that attracts subscribers.
What Is a Vlog?
The first thing to understand is that a vlog is a blog in video format. You’re taking your thoughts, ideas, experiences, and expertise and putting them into shareable content. A vlog often has a single focus, but it doesn’t always have just one, especially at the start.
There are two types of vlog. A “talking head” vlog is one where you have the camera positioned towards you and talk into it while in a fixed position. It’s like you’re your own news desk.
The “follow-me-around” style is used to film sections of the vlogger’s day. The vlog might encompass sections of days for a week or a month when the actual vlog episode is put together.
Should You Plan on Becoming Famous?
Well, it would be nice! Some very famous vloggers, especially on YouTube, are doing amazing things.
They might make six figures from the advertising that comes up before their vlog episodes.
Book deals, sold-out speaking engagements, and expensive promotional material are all in the cards for these uber successful vloggers.
But that’s only one side of the story. There are tons of people for every one megastar that are just vlogging for their own purposes or catering to a much smaller audience.
Remember to vlog about what matters to you, whether you want to become famous or not. You don’t want to set yourself up for failure by vlogging with the sole expectation that you will become rich and famous.
Now, don’t totally rule it out! Just know that you need a purpose for your vlog that will keep you going besides becoming a bestselling author.
Why Vlog?
Vlogging is a great way to connect with your audience. Video is a type of content that is easily absorbed and usually very entertaining for the right audience. With the internet getting faster and faster, people have increased access to video and more data allowances on mobile.
The Audience
You’ll be talking to a larger audience if you vlog as opposed to blog. Video is just huge on the internet. If you’re producing content with the intent of maximizing your audience, vlogging should be a strong consideration.
The Connection
There’s something personal about vlogging that is unmatched in other forms of content. It’s like you’re talking right in the same room. People love to see the space a vlogger is in and be transported virtually. It’s a little escape from their day.
The Subscribers
YouTube is one great platform for vlogging. People can easily subscribe to your vlog, so you will have a better chance at sharing your content with this type of media. It’s a little bit easier to follow a vlogger than, for example, a Twitter account, so the odds are in your favor here.
The thing to pay attention to is that you don’t have people’s emails just because they subscribe to your YouTube vlog. An email list is a very important thing, so you’ll need to work to build your email list from your subscriber list intentionally.
How To Build an Audience
You have tons of choices for the right audience for your channel. The basic steps are to create tailored content, choose a niche, and be consistent.
Make Tailored Content
Create content with a specific audience in mind. Maybe you are a decor guru for thirty-somethings in the city. Perhaps you are the ultimate style expert for people who frequent hip bars on the weekend. Maybe you’re a tech geek for software developers.
Creating the right content for your audience means considering their tastes and needs. You’ll need to understand where they are coming from as consumers and why they want to curate content for themselves.
Ask important questions about their purchasing style, why they need the content, and who they look up to as experts.
Pick a Niche
Be specific and refine your ideas based on your experience and interests. You should be passionate about your subject, but you also need to have some knowledge and some way to perform research for it.
Get Started and Keep Going
The best thing to do is start! Publish on a schedule using the camera that you can afford. Remember that your message, style, and information are more important than the latest gadgetry.