During the 12 New Media Days of Christmas, we’re counting down the days until Santa comes by featuring some of the best blog posts of 2011 from awesome writers within the BlogWorld community! Skip to the end to read more posts in this holiday series and don’t forget to leave a comment if you’ve written a post about today’s topic!
I’ll admit it: video makes me nervous. I don’t think it’s a good tool for everyone. I’m a much better writer. But, I do think every blogger out there should at least try it. Videos can be a great tool to help you promote your blog and reach new audience members. Plus, it’s great practice for public speaking if you intend to someday do webinars or live presentations.
So, today’s topic is video creation. Some people refer to themselves as “vloggers” while others use the term “video marketer” and still others simply consider themselves bloggers who do video posts from time to time. However you put it, their advice on video creation is great!
Post too long? Head to the Quick Links section for just a list of the links included in this post without all the analysis and quotes!
1. The Benefits of Creating Talking Head Videos for Your Blog by Darren Rowse at Problogger
Your videos don’t need to be elaborate or have a a Hollywood budget to be effective. In this post, Darren talks about the advantages to just setting up a camera and speaking to your audience. The connect you can make with readers by being brave enough to post videos is awesome. Darren says in his video,
Really, for me, a lot of it comes down to the personal connection that you can build with your readers. I’ve lost count of the times at conferences particularly but even online through emails where I get emails and have conversations with people who say, “I feel like I know you.”
Darren is on Twitter @problogger and you can also like his page on Facebook. He’s the author of Problogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging, 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, and the Problogger book (along with co-author Chris Garrett). You can also find him online as the founder of the Problogger community, Digital Photography School, TwiTip Twitter Tips, and FeelGooder.
2. Video Marketing Tips for Driving More Traffic by Lewis Howes at LewisHowes.com (with James Wedmore from JamesWedmore.com)
I still personally believe that you should do what you’re good at and what makes you happy, and that isn’t video for everyone. However, in this video, Lewis Howes and James Wedmore give a really convincing argument for why you should be using video if you want to drive traffic, especially as a business owner. I think they make some great points about using screen capture, Power Point, and audio with pictures if you’re not comfortable in front of the camera – definitely an idea that I’m going to steal! From the video:
What you want to look for when you’re producing content is what are the things that an article an article couldn’t do that video can do for you.
You can find Lewis and James on Twitter at @lewishowes and @jameswedmore, respectively. Lewis has a number of products for sale, including Video Traffic Academy, and you can watch more of his videos on YouTube. You can find James on YouTube as well, and receive free updates about selling with videos by signing up for his mailing list.
3. Livestreaming Video Is A Powerful Tool, 10 Lessons To Help You Get It Right by James Andrews at Social Fresh
Videos make me nervous enough – the thought of livestreaming is enough to send me into a tizzy! However, in this post, James gives ten great tips to help you get started. If you’re well-prepared, the idea of doing video, whether it is livestreaming or recorded, is a lot easier to swallow.
Writes James,
Though the tools are relatively free, you need to invest in a live web video game plan before broadcasting your first event. A Here successful launch is much more than just having a webcam and pressing START, it is important to plan for success.
James is the founder of SocialPeople.tv (@socialpeopletv). You can check out his personal Twitter account @keyinfluencer.
4. 4 Buzzworthy Video Bloggers Worth Subscribing To by Adam Singer from The Future Buzz
Want to see how the professionals get it done? In this post, Adams reviews four bloggers who use video as their primary method of connecting with readers. You should definitely check out Hate By Numbers by Gladstone, Equals 3 by Ray William Johnson, Whiteboard Fridays by Rand Fishkin, and Angry Video Game Nerd by James Rolfe. I actually already knew about and LOVE Hate by Numbers and the Angry Video Game Nerd, but the other two Adam mentions are awesome too! From Adam’s post:
Video is not a one time event – you wouldn’t just create one blog post and be done with it. How does that build community? It doesn’t – and that’s the point. Which is why it’s always a bit funny to me when companies try to make one video, push it to “go viral” and be done with it. That’s not how the web works for any content formats if you’re looking to build equity in the world and create an audience.
Adam is on Twitter @thefuturebuzz and you can also like his blog on Facebook.
5. How You Look Video Blogging by Jay Dolan at The Anti-Social Media
Jay’s blog always makes me laugh, even when I’m having a bad day. I’ll refrain from naming names in this instance, but the other day I was watching a video from a blogger who was looking so crazy that I actually forwarded it to non-blogging friends for a laugh. So, Jay’s post about looking presentable if you’re going to be on camera is a valid one! Jay writes,
Please, for the love of all that’s holy, look at yourself objectively on camera. If you look like a hobo in poorly lit room, I don’t care how good your content is. At that point, I’m worried that you have a body hidden somewhere in the shadows where you’re filming.
You can find Jay on Twitter @JayDolan, as well as like his blog on Facebook to connect with him. You can also check out his videos on YouTube.
6. Beginners Guide on How to Video Blog on a Budget by Robyn Bloch at Sound Idea Digital (guest post for JeffBullas.com)
Need to know the nuts and bolts of getting started as a vlogger? This is the post for you. In this guest post, Robyn covers all the best equipment choices you can make if you want to get into making videos. Then, in a second follow-up post, Robyn goes over some excellent tips for new video creators about lighting and audio. From Robyn’s post:
Video bloggers such as Gary Vaynerchuk have used online video as the media of choice to great effect.
But many bloggers are intimidated by the technical side of producing a good video. At the same time, many bloggers that do use video do a pretty bad job of it in terms of production value. This could be improved with a little knowledge and a little money.
You can also expect a third post in this series, about postproduction, soon. You can find Robyn on Twitter @soundidea.
7. Vlogging: Video Blogging Interview With Amy Schmittauer by Katherine Salt at Marketing My (with Amy Schmittauer from Savvy Sexy Social)
Katherine Salt and Amy Schmittauer are two lovely ladies who regularly make my life a little brighter. Katherine is my half-way-across-the-world BlogWorld bff who I look forward to seeing at conferences. Amy’s blog, especially her videos, crack me up on a regular basis. So, them teaming up for a video is golden! Writes Katherine,
Video marketing, video blogging or vlogging as it is also called was covered heavily at the Blogworld conference and I was lucky enough to get vlogger Amy Schmittauer from Savvy Sexy Social to put down her camera and come and tell me a little about what this vlogging malarkey is all about.
Watch the video and them follow Katherine (@marketmy) and Amy (@schmittastic) on Twitter! Katherine also has a number of ebooks specific to marketing different types of small business, and you can check out Amy’s latest ebook, Sexy Self-Promotion: The Art of Blogger Outreach on her blog.
8. Do You Have Your Own Video Commercial by Ricardo Bueno at RicardoBueno.com
I like the concept of having a video commercial. A lot of people put videos on their blogs, but I think we kind of fool ourselves sometimes – what we’re doing is promotional, and thinking about videos in a commercial mindset can help us think outside of the box a little. You have to be interesting, not just informational!
Writes Ricardo,
Online video has to be engaging before it can begin to be persuasive. Just think about in terms of writing a blog post. You have to get someone’s attention (and keep it) long enough to make them want to read the rest of the article. With video, the idea is to engage someone enough to get them to starting watching your video and keep watching it all the way to the end.
Ricardo is the author of Real Estate Blog Topics, a newsletter for real estate professionals. You can find him on Twitter @Ribeezie.
9. My iPhone Video Tools by Tom Martin at Positive Disruption
Yes, you really can get started video blogging with as little as a smartphone! In this post, Tom talks about all the tools he uses when recording with his iPhone, which he used to interview 52 digital thought leaders for Talking With Tom. He covers video editing applications, microphones, and more, so now there’s really no excuse not to get started with creating video content for your blog if it’s something you’ve been wanting to try. Writes Tom,
All of the [Talking With Tom] video is shot, edited and produced using the iPhone. And the blog posts themselves are authored and published via the iPhone. It’s truly a 100% mobile video blog. And judging by the number of emails, DMs on Twitter and conference hallway conversations I’ve had with others, lots of you are interested in the technology behind the blog as much as the blog content itself.
Tom can be found on Twitter @tommartin and is the founder of Converse Digital.
Quick Links
For those of you short on time, here’s a list of the links covered in this post:
- The Benefits of Creating Talking Head Videos for Your Blog by Darren Rowse (@problogger)
- Video Marketing Tips for Driving More Traffic by Lewis Howes (@lewishowes) with James Wedmore (@jameswedmore)
- Livestreaming Video Is A Powerful Tool, 10 Lessons To Help You Get It Right by James Andrews (@keyinfluencer)
- 4 Buzzworthy Video Bloggers Worth Subscribing To by Adam Singer (@thefuturebuzz)
- How You Look Video Blogging by Jay Dolan (@JayDolan)
- Beginners Guide on How to Video Blog on a Budget by Robyn Bloch (@soundidea)
- Vlogging: Video Blogging Interview With Amy Schmittauer by Katherine Salt (@marketmy) with Amy Schmittauer (@schmittastic)
- Do You Have Your Own Video Commercial by Ricardo Bueno (@Ribeezie)
- My iPhone Video Tools by Tom Martin (@tommartin)
Other posts in the 12 New Media Days of Christmas series will be linked here as they go live:
12 Bloggers Monetizing
11 Emailers List-Building
10 Google+ Users a-Sharing
9 Vloggers Recording (this post)
8 Links a-Baiting
7 Community Managers a-Managing
6 Publishers a-Publishing
5 Traffic Tips
4 New Media Case Studies
3 Must-Read New Media Interviews
2 Top New Media News Stories of 2011
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
You can also check out the all the posts from 2010 and 2011 here, and don’t forget: If you wrote a post in 2011 about today’s topic (Google+), PLEASE leave the link in a comment below to share with the community!
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