Forget Blogging, It’s All About “Vlogging”
It doesn’t seem too long ago, where everyone was talking about blogging and just how important it was for every business to feature a blog on their website to engage with their consumers. However, it seems that this is no longer the case and nowadays it is all about ‘Vlogging’, in other words, video blogging, and here’s why…
The Popularity of Video
The popularity of video has rocketed over recent years – online video was the fastest growing ad format in 2012 with nearly 55% growth. There are over 1 billion unique monthly visitors on YouTube, it is the second largest search engine and if YouTube were a country it would be the largest in the world after China and India. An average internet user watches 186 videos every month, and 60% of users share their experience with others – with videos being shared 12 times more than links and text posts combined. What’s more, video isn’t just popular with the younger generation – according to visual.ly YouTube age demographics is 18-54.
Value
They say a pictures worth a thousand words, well a 1 minute video is worth a 1.8 million words according to Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research. This is equivalent of about 3,600 typical web pages. So unless you have the time and patience to write that much copy, then video blogging is the way to go.
Furthermore, there are statistics to prove that video really works. Video promotion is 6 times more effective than print and direct mail and according to EMARKETER, approximately half of marketers who use video in email campaigns see increased click through rates and increased sharing and forwarding. In addition, 60% of visitors watch video content before reading text on the same webpage.
Engages Your Customers
When it comes to engaging your customers, online video is 5.33 times more effective than text alone. ‘Vlogging’ doesn’t mean that you just need to concentrate on producing videos that self- promote your business, it is a great opportunity to create videos that you know will engage your target market, whether it is a video on a topic that you think will interest them, information about the industry that you work in or something a little more personal like getting to know the staff that are involved in your business. Whatever you choose to ‘vlog’ about, it’s a great way to get your customers to really love your brand.
Gives Your Brand a Personality
Using video allows your customers to get the feel of a human presence and get a better insight into what your brand is about, creating a brand personality for your customers to see. So, whatever business you are, make sure you use someone or something in your video that presents your brand in the way you want it to be represented, so that you successfully communicate the right message to your target market. This will help to build a relationship with your existing and potential customers which will ultimately improve your brand image, brand awareness as well as encourage customers to choose your products/services over rivals.
Even if you’re not the most tech savvy and feeling overwhelmed with where to even begin with building an effective video blog for your business. There are loads of video production companies out there to offer their advice. For instance, Lambda, who offers video production in Norwich, offers chatty, informal advice to help you maximize the effectiveness of your video, whatever you may be selling. So to avoid missing out on substantial marketing revenue to your competitors, spice up your text based blog by making it into a ‘Vlog’ with engaging content that people are going to want to watch and share with others.
