The Difference Between Vlogging and Blogging

Susan Gilbert — March 16, 2017 Follow @SusanGilbert

Understanding How to Make Vlogging Work for Your Business

Just when we were getting used to blogs and how they can complement your business, now there is vlogging to learn about!

Video blogs, shortened to vlogs, are similar to their text-based cousin in that the person produces a video presentation rather than text to explain their brand or business and information related to their niche.

Since the ‘net has become more and more video oriented, vlogs are a natural outgrowth and many computers come ready-made for video production. Since it’s fairly simple to record and maintain the entries for vlogs, more and more business owners are finding this a great way to interact with the public.

According to Hubspot, 64 percent of your audience will be more likely inclined to make a purchase based on a video. And Small Business Trends reports that 59 percent of executives would rather watch a video than read text.

Just like regular blogs, you get to leave comments on a vlog site. Midwives, health professionals, designers in all lines of work, and local journalists are just a few who use the video blog format to talk “face to face” with their viewers.

A popular way to use vlogs is to have what’s called citizen journalism – where every day, non-journalism trained men and women record events and show up at gatherings of interest to get yet another view on a topic of interest. You could use the same concept to record your customer’s thoughts on your industry or to interview a business partner or fellow expert.

To produce a vlog, it can make the difference between a flat plain blog and one that stands out if you can come across well in a video format. This can take practice to get just right.

Image courtesy: the-difference-between.com/blog/vlog

While maintaining a regular blog on your website is still one of the best ways to build authority in your niche you may be able to attract a whole new set of subscribers with videos — especially those who primarily use their mobile devices.

Your business doesn’t need to spend a fortune on expensive equipment to produce a share-worthy vlog post. It’s not that uncommon for companies to record right from their smart phone — as it turns out audiences love the personalized approach.

The benefits of going beyond just text and infographics and producing short videos are that you can create more visibility and attract ready buyers. Additionally your business can relate to your community in a more casual environment in addition to these other facts:

• You don’t need to hire a writing expert or have writing knowledge
  
• Older content can be re-purposed and told through video
  
• Vlogging is more conversational than just plain text
  
• Viewers are hooked right away with engaging content
  
• Videos are shared more than other types of content
  
• Your business can both entertain and inform its audience

Designer and creative entrepreneur, Roberto Blake, explains the power of vlogging in his video, “Why Is Vlogging So Popular On YouTube featuring Sara Dietschy:”

In order to maintain your website’s rank in search it is still important to include a mix of articles on your blog that include text and visual graphics. In fact, a vlog should be something your business either starts from the beginning or grows into after establishing a strong readership.

According to Liza Brown on Filmora, there are several different ways your company can create video:

As a Short Vignette

Think about the best 5 clips you can put together along with a specific theme like this example from the 5×5 Vimeo Project:

5×5:The Way Things Are. from misterdobalina on Vimeo.

Conduct an Interview

Chose a specific topic with an industry expert that allows your viewers to get valuable tips and advice like this video from Bryan Kramer on PureMatter:

Provide Easy Instruction

How-to videos are a great way to introduce a new audience to your products or services. Everyone loves something for free! The key is to provide value while not giving away the entire lesson like this one from Training Authors:

Casual Talk

Sometimes businesses will connect with their audiences in a very candid, personal way. While most of your videos should not be done this way it’s okay to chime in on the right occasion and fill them in on what’s happening like this video on Facebook from speaker and podcast expert, Brian Fanzo:

If you are thinking that you’d like to try vlogging for your business, a great place to get free instruction is at http://freevlog.org. There they have simple tutorials and advice on how to start your own vlog site. Start with something small and find out what your community responds to the most in order to create the best results for your website and sales growth.

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