Member Article

Blogging and Vlogging for beginners

Many people are familiar with Social Media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, however blogging isn’t a Social Media platform at all (although it is a type of Social Media) but instead it’s something you do and can do through any number of platforms, ‘Blogger’ and ‘Wordpress’being two of the most popular.

Blog is short for ‘web log’ and that’s exactly what it is, a web based platform where you can write about anything which can be read by anybody, rather like an online diary.

If you don’t have a website a blog might be something that provides you the opportunity to have a web presence where you talk about what you do, your product and services and how customers can contact you. A blog differs from Twitter for example, because it doesn’t have limitations of characters or space; you are free to format your blog in any way you want (within the limitations of your chosen platform). You can brand it as you choose and upload photos and images. You can also bring in associate links (from which you may make money), and you can type away at will with regards to anything that you think may be of interest to people.

However as with Social Media platforms in general you need to think about why you are doing this, and what is your goal? If you were a trainer offering courses in customer service, you might write a general piece on customer service setting out examples of good and bad service you have experienced and then give some pointers as how to offer good customer service, before offering your full training course to those that need more than a few basic tips.

Another example of how to use blogs to promote your business is that of an interior designer who blogs about things they have seen that have influenced them. This builds a picture of someone with passion and a love of what they do and so inspires the reader to approach them for design services.

A great example of a blog that worked really well was that started by the owner of a frozen yoghurt shop in America. Prior to opening the owner set up a blog along with a Facebook page and a Twitter account, to inform people how he was doing, with before and after pictures of the shop, and details of his anticipated opening day. By the time he opened he had over 3000 followers between the three media who were just waiting for him to open up and starting serving!

Like blogging, vlogging is not a platform but a form of social medium. Short for ‘video log’, vlogging can be used by any number of businesses. The most accessible and well know platform to use for vlogging purposes is Youtube but there are a number of other platforms to choose from. Setting up a vlog to demonstrate your prowess in your field is a good way of building up credibility as an expert so customers will choose you rather than the competition.

You can set up your own Youtube platform, you can link it to Twitter or Facebook and you can promote it through Linkedin so you can see how all the platforms can link together. If you are a fitness instructor you might want to upload videos of you carrying out exercise classes for your clients to do as practice in between classes and to encourage new clients to contact you.

If you are a professional video maker, you should be showcasing your work somewhere and this might be an ideal place for you to do it.

A Vlog might just be a recorded version of a blog however, if that’s what you like doing, and technology is so accessible now with most phones having some kind of video function you could be posting video logs right now if you wanted to.

For more information on starting and growing your business, contact NBSL now on 01670 813322 and visit the website at www.nbsl.org.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Phil Langton .