The power of video marketing

In this month’s issue, we hear all about the power of video marketing from Founder of Hove’s The Vlog Academy, Mi Elfverson.

Could you give us a brief overview of what The Vlog Academy is and how it was created?

The Vlog Academy has two departments; one for training and one for production, but essentially it’s all about raising businesses’ profiles online through video marketing. The beautiful thing is, that nowadays anyone can create their own videos, because we all have a camera in our pocket in the form of our mobile phone. Our training department provides online training, webinars and workshops to teach business owners and staff about using their smartphones to create videos that can be uploaded to social media as a means of keeping in touch with clients and providing updates, news or whatever else is important for that business to stay connected and visible online. Of course, for those who don’t want to create those videos themselves, we can provide a bespoke production team with professional equipment to film it all. We can take care of the strategy, planning, filming and editing as well as putting it all out there in a beautiful way.

I started The Vlog Academy around six years ago after many, many years in high-end film, TV and commercial production. I have worked in Stockholm, Los Angeles, New York and London, but now we are based in Hove – actually…

Why is video so important as a marketing tool?

Video is regarded as the most powerful online marketing content you can have, especially where SEO is concerned. Take YouTube for example – YouTube is owned by Google so everything you do on YouTube will be picked up on by Google. If you search for something on Google, you will find that there is often a YouTube video link at the top of the search results. It won’t be a Vimeo link or one from any other streaming platform, it will always be a YouTube link. This is a massive trick that a lot of small businesses miss out on! They can actually place themselves really high up in a Google search by creating short videos and uploading them to YouTube. On social media, video is really powerful too. People love watching and sharing videos, and the algorithms will push videos forward more than just written text or images. It’s also great for credibility and trust. When you go out there and share your knowledge and expertise, people will start remembering you. They’ll understand more about what you do and they’ll soon enough see you as an expert in your field.

It is a very strong marketing tool to have for any kind of business, and even a start-up can create videos of decent quality from home, their office or wherever they are, on their smartphone.

What’s the difference between a video and a vlog?

When speaking of video, we’re talking more about the format as a moving image, while a vlog (video blog) is related more directly to blogging. A written blog (web log) is like a journal, but can be focused on sharing pointers in a business, allowing you to teach something or give an update or the latest news in a blog format. Blogs are really good for SEO as well. The good thing about a vlog, is that it can simply be a filmed version of your blog. With this you get two versions, and as mentioned before, video is even more powerful as a marketing tool than a regular blog, tapping into that Google SEO and ranking really well.

What are your most important brand values?

If we talk about core values, I think – disregarding the normal ones that we all would strive to have – the most important thing that features within The Vlog Academy is that we are a lot about authenticity. It’s kind of a very trendy word at the moment, being authentic, but it is also at the core of what we do. Our training is about finding and developing your very best version of yourself. We give you the confidence to go out there as yourself – we’re not trying to teach you to be something that doesn’t fit in with your brand. Aligning your own personal core values and your brand values is going to make it so much easier to step out with confidence and talk about your brand.

Do businesses need to invest a lot of money into their videos?

Yes and no. I think it’s really important to make sure that your brand is represented by quality videos. This means everything from your background and setting to the quality of your sound and the footage. What people see in your videos, is how they’ll interpret your brand and so you might want to put some money aside for some professionally filmed videos to set the standards for your brand. Those videos might rest on your website or could be more of a promotional video that you can use for a longer period of time. In between those, you ideally need to have shorter vlog-type videos. That’s why it is so great to learn how to do them yourself on your smartphone. Once you have mastered those, you can batch shoot them and drip feed them to your audience over a longer period of time – that’s how you connect with people on a deeper level and create more authentic videos where you really show off your expertise and knowledge.

What can you do to enhance your video when filming from home?

A really quick tip for anyone planning to shoot videos from home (or even if you are on a zoom call, live interview or anything of the sort) is to think about your set up. Again, everything the viewer sees within your video frame represents your brand. It’s important that you de-clutter the background and that you feel comfortable with yourself. It’s similar to attending a networking meeting – you wouldn’t go without thinking about what you are wearing. It’s all about boosting your own confidence and feeling your best. Also always remember to have light in your face and raise your camera up to eye level. Video is a lot to do with a having a personal connection. Don’t see the audience as a crowd of a thousand people but rather as a personal conversation with one individual. I would also suggest not being overly scripted or corporate in your tone!

What does the future hold for The Vlog Academy?

I’m very fortunate to be in a growing market space. I love what I do, so I hope to continue teaching more people to get camera confident, how to raise the quality of their own videos and generally support businesses to increase their online presence.

How can people reach The Vlog Academy?

Here at The Vlog Academy, we are more than happy to have a no obligation chat about ways to raise your online visibility and discuss

what type of videos would work for your business. We can offer a combination of training and production – it’s all bespoke and we always look at what would be most valuable to your business.

www.vlogacademy.com