Having a video on your blog is a great idea; it keeps people on your website for longer, and it is easy for visitors to share on social media. It means you will get more traffic without having to invest too heavily in marketing. To make a video you don’t need much in the way of equipment either; often a smartphone and some editing software or an app will be enough. If you think that a video for your blog would work for you, here are some ways to go about making it.
The Purpose
Before you can make a video, you need to know what its purpose is going to be. If you can create something that has useful and interesting information in it, then it will be shared and viewed by many more people, even if it isn’t as professional looking as some other videos. It’s the content that is especially important because only very few people are going to want to invest their time in a video that looks good but says nothing.
Therefore, the purpose or theme of your vlog (video blog) is essential to get right from the beginning. If you already have a standard written blog, then your video can be in addition to it, following on from the main theme. If you’re only starting out, then you will need to consider the subjects that you have a lot of knowledge about because a blog needs to be both entertaining and informative. There are no particular rules when it comes to the subject matter of your blog (although anything offensive or talking about illegal activities should certainly be steered clear of), so the choice is yours.
Find A Name
Naming your vlog will help you to promote it when you need to, and it will allow people to get a good idea of what the content will be about so that they can choose whether to engage with it or not. Although the name is not as important as the content, it is still an integral part of creating your vlog. Of course, if you are adding a video to an existing blog, then you won’t have to come up with a new name, but if you are creating a separate vlog, or you’re just starting and don’t have an online presence yet, getting the name right is crucial.
When you know what the theme or topic of your blog is going to be, you can work with that to create a name. It’s best to include the topic itself in the title of your blog because search engines will be able to find it more easily, and that will bring more visitors to your site. This is especially true if the name is easy to remember and catchy; people will be more likely to come back if they don’t have to think hard about what the website was called.
Create The Content
New content needs to be added regularly to your blog or vlog to attract more visitors and to keep the search engines working for you. Therefore, rather than simply making one video, why not make three, four, or even more to begin with? That way, you can post them regularly while you are making more, and you’ll never have a time when you run out of videos to place on your blog.
It’s essential that you make videos that you’re comfortable with. If you would rather not be in front of the camera, then ask friends and family to be the ‘face’ of your blog if you prefer. Alternatively, you can create short animations or slideshows. As long as you remember that the content is the most important element, the rest can happen in whatever way you want.
Music is another part of your online video that will need to be considered carefully. The right music for your blog can make all the difference, and it is something that will stick with people long after they have finished watching. Make sure you look online for royalty free music otherwise you might fall foul of copyright law and be forced to take the video down, or to pay a fine. As well as this, platforms such as YouTube won’t allow videos with copyright protected music even to be uploaded, so all your hard work would have been for nothing.
Promotion
Although eventually, you won’t really need to do much in the way of promotion, when you first start out you will definitely need to make people more aware of your blog and the content you are hosting there. Using social media is perhaps the best way to ensure other people know about your videos. You can post them directly onto Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram amongst other sites, and they are easily shared.
If you have a newsletter, then your video can be mentioned here, and you can invite your readers to check it out.
Remember that everything you write on your blog or website will need to be SEO compliant because this way you will rise to the top of Google rankings, and be more easily noticed by those searching for what you can offer.
Monetize
It is entirely possible to make money from your blog if you set things up in the right way, and a lot of people do choose to do this. Some people are even able to make a passive income that allows them to quit their day jobs and live a comfortable lifestyle. Although earning money from your blog should not be the main reason for setting it up in the first place, it can be a great bonus feature. You may want to consider different forms of advertising as this is how most of the money can be made.
Keep It Updated
Finally, once you have a blog ready to go and you know how to create interesting videos, keep going with it. Update the content regularly, and your Google search engine rankings will improve, keeping you more visible. As well as helping you to be seen, regularly updated content shows your visitors that you have a wealth of information on the subject you have chosen to talk about, and that makes them more likely to trust you and come back for more.
