Wednesday, September 17, 2008

What's a Vlog, and How Can it Help Your Web Promotion? by Sherice Jacob

A Vlog, or video blog, is a unique spin on the popular blogging concept. Rather than posting entries to your blog, a vlog is a video entry - much like the popular videos shown on YouTube and MySpace video.

But before you think posting video blogs is just something teenagers do - think again. There's a huge audience out there watching video clips right now - and if yours is catchy or unique enough - you'll see a stampede of traffic to your website in a very short time.

But how do you make a video people will want to watch? And how do you add it to your website and to video sharing sites? Here's how:

1. Don't make it into a sales pitch - No one wants to hear about how great your product is: unless you can show it in a way that puts a twist on the normal marketing campaign. For example, you could showcase the amazing stories of some of your clients who have experienced spectacular results with your product or service. Come up with unique and creative ways to get the word out in a way that will make other people want to share your video with their friends.

2. Let them create the video for you - Some companies encourage budding video producers to make a clip for them - and then let people vote on the winner(s). Some notable brands that have done this include Doritos and Coca-Cola. The good news is, you don't have to have a huge budget to get some creative inspiration from your product buyers. Plus, allowing other people to vote on the winner helps spread the word like wildfire.

3. Make them take action - and evaluate it. To see if your new vlog campaign is working for your business, be sure to tie your video in to a measurable action such as signing up to get a free trial. Each person who views your vlog may not ultimately turn into a sale, but you can use the information you've captured to help market to this fresh new audience.

4. Get the word out - The last step is to post it on popular video sharing sites. Most notably, add your video to the following sites:

www.youtube.com www.myspace.com (Myspace Video) www.revver.com www.metacafe.com

That will help make sure that word is spread as quickly as possible - and you get the kind of results (and buzz) you're looking for!

About the Author

P.S. If you enjoyed reading this article, you can find even more web design tips at http://www.iElectrify.com/resources/

iElectrify specializes in creating professional, affordable and creative websites that get results. With a strong background in internet marketing and niche marketing, iElectrify.com works with small to medium-sized businesses to help them easily create and manage their own websites.

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