I was talking to a friend of mine recently and she said something that really gave me pause. She was really beating herself up over this and there was just no need. We were talking about my business, and the fact I spend all my time writing other people’s blogs for them. She commented that she hated blogging, absolutely hated it, and that she’d stopped blogging and started vlogging instead.
Before I could say what I was thinking, “That’s the smart thing to do if you hate blogging.” She said, “I’m just too lazy, so I make videos instead of blogging.”
That really made me stop and go, “Wait, what?”
Lazy?
Of all the things she could have said about her wonderful video content, telling me that creating it made her lazy was the last thing I was expecting to hear. Her content is awesome, it gives her audience real value and very clearly positions herself as an expert in her niche. It does everything that good content marketing should do, yet she felt guilty for doing it.
As entrepreneurs, we carry a LOT of guilt. As female entrepreneurs, I think this is often even more evident, especially if we’re also mothers. We have guilt for not spending enough time with our friends, family, children. We work and work yet always feel guilty for not working more.
When we aren’t earning enough money we feel guilty for failing to support ourselves and our loved ones. When we do earn enough money we feel guilty because it doesn’t feel like we ‘earned’ it.
We have guilt for not having a ‘proper’ job, for getting to work from home, for spending our time doing something we love and calling it work, for working in our pyjamas, or on the sofa, or in the garden.
The guilt of being an entrepreneur is seemingly endless, and most of it is totally misplaced. Feeling guilty for choosing to vlog rather than blog is a shining example of this.
Vlogging isn’t the lazy option, it’s the smart option. Here’s why…
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Why Vlogging Isn’t The Lazy Option…
Anybody that’s ever vlogged will know that it’s not an easy thing to do. Vlogging takes time. It takes effort, planning, and preparation. You still have to think about what topics you’re going to talk about, and exactly what you’re going to say. In reality, vlogging isn’t that much different to blogging. There’s only one difference: if you’re not working off a script and just do everything off the cuff, straight into the camera (as I currently record my videos), then you don’t have to take the time to sit down and write your posts.
That really is the crux of the difference.
When you blog, you have to write a blog post.
But when you vlog, you can sit and talk at a camera until you get the words out, in a way that expresses what you’re trying to say, in a way that you’re happy with.
You can edit your videos after the fact, and add pretty little bells and whistles (intros, music, animations etc), but it’s essentially the same process as blogging.
If you’re writing a blog post, you write it, then edit until you’re happy with it.
And if you’re recording a vlog, you record a video and edit until you’re happy with it.
I found it really quite upsetting that my friend was doing herself down and thinking of herself as ‘lazy’ for choosing to vlog rather than blog.
“That’s not being lazy,” I told her. “That’s playing to your strengths.”
She sounded so relieved to hear me say that. To realise that she no longer had to think of herself as a lazy person for choosing to vlog rather than blog.
If you’re vlogging rather than blogging, you’re not being lazy.
If you hate blogging, and if you’re forcing yourself to write blog post after blog post, week after week, and you really cannot stand it, you have two choices.
If you find it easier to talk into a camera, and express your thoughts, opinions and expertise straight down the lens, rather than trying to find the time and energy to pour it all onto a page, go for it.
That’s not being lazy, that is playing to your strengths.
That is the smart way of running your business.
The Realities Of Content Marketing…
Content marketing takes an alarming amount of time, energy, and effort. It takes a lot of creative juices.
The key to good content marketing is to make sure that you do it in the way that best suits you. That may mean paying somebody else to do it for you – that’s fine! But it may mean doing it yourself. If that’s the case, you should be doing it in a way that you are most comfortable with. For my friend (and for a lot of other people), videos are the best medium. They are more comfortable talking into a camera than they are sitting down and trying to write. There are loads of great reasons to start a vlog. I’ve said it before and I will say it again…
[Tweet theme=”tweet-box-shadow”]#Content is king in #marketing. #Video is the kingdom! It’s the most #powerful form of #ContentMarketing[/Tweet]
Creating video content will give you so much more value than just creating written content alone.
If you’re recording your videos off scripts, then you already have a written version. If you’re not using scripts, you can simply get your videos transcribed, and you’ll end up with both a written and video version. Your video can be turned into podcasts, blog posts, social media posts, memes, Snapchat stories, Instagram stories, the list goes on…
Vlogging is the smart form of content marketing hands down: it’s so much more versatile and powerful than blogging alone.
Starting a vlog for your business is a great idea, even if you love writing. I ADORE writing, and I still record my main content in video format.
Play To Your Strengths…
Just to be absolutely clear, even if your sole reason for vlogging is that you hate blogging, that is one of the best reasons to start a vlog.
If you are happy recording videos and you hate writing blog posts, which one do you think you’re going to be better at?
Which one do you think you’re going to do more frequently and more consistently?
If you are comfortable recording videos you are far more likely to do it. Your content creation will be more consistent, you will create higher quality content than you would if you were trying to write when you’re uncomfortable with writing, don’t like writing, bored with writing, or you just don’t have time to write.
You will end up with stronger content if you create it in the format you are most comfortable with than if you try to force yourself to create it in the format you think you should be using.
The Blogging Trap…
So many people get caught in the trap of thinking that they have to blog. There is a common belief in business that if you’re not physically writing a blog every week, you are somehow failing. In marketing that is what we are constantly told, “You have to be blogging. You have to be blogging. You have to be blogging.”
I’m not going to disagree with that sentiment. You should have regular content coming out on your blog.
But how you choose to create that content is entirely up to you.
The smart thing to do is to create your content in the way that suits you best. So if recording a video is easy for you and writing a blog post is a nightmare, record videos. If paying somebody else to do it for you, and totally take it off your hands, is what is going to make you most comfortable with content marketing, do it.
Do whatever makes you feel like you are in control, and that you can actually use content marketing successfully without breaking your brain…
The Smart Choice For People Who Hate Blogging…
Please, please do not think you are being lazy if you are recording video content. Video content is not the easy option, it’s not the lazy option, it is the smart option for so many reasons.
There are a million things in life that you can use to do yourself down, and make yourself feel crappy. We’re very self-critical, and nit-picking the way that you choose to do things, the way you live your life, the way you run your business is all too easy. There are so many reasons to be self-critical.
This is not one of them, I promise you.
Vlogging, not the lazy choice.
Vlogging is the smart choice.
Looking to start your own vlog? Download my free Vlogging Workflows now and get super productive in your video marketing efforts…
Yes! As a marketer I tell clients this all the time. Great points Hazel.
Thanks Robyn! Videos are, hands down, the best thing you can do for your business from a marketing perspective and they’re only growing in their importance. Glad we’re in agreement!
Loved the post! I need to start making more videos!
Do it!!!! Come back and post me some links when you have, I’d love to see!