A while ago I decided that I wanted a web site that was just for my videos.
I have video embedded in blog posts on my main real estate site, but I wanted a clean looking page where people could go and just watch my content. A video-blog, or vlog, as the cool kids call it.
As of yesterday, I have one:
Easy install, and the control panel was simple enough for me. So far so good.
Tubepress allows you to embed youtube videos, and you have the option to select videos by playlist, keyword, and more. You can display all of your videos, or all videos (by all users) with “Austin Real Estate” in the title.
On my vlog, I am displaying 3 separate channels – Business Advice, Commercial Real Estate, and videos about Kitchener Waterloo (my local market). I am able to embed a separate playlist on each page, and each page is just a simple-to-add page in wordpress.
Tubepress, so far, gives me the ability to have a fully functional vlog without paying for a premium vlog template. I tinkered around with a few free themes which looked nice, but I settled on Canvas by Woothemes, which I’m using on another blog (and I own the rights to reuse it, so its not costing me $. I also like how the free versions of Titan and Vigilance look for a vlog like this) .
Ben’s Action Plan
In this era of new media, social media, web 3.0 – or “talking to people” as I like to call it, you want to have a vlog (and a blog, and a twitter, and a facebook, and a …. you get the point. Be easy to find!) where people can sit and watch you for hours (eventually. It’s ok if its only for minutes to start with).
This is really easy for you to implement in your business. Here is what I would do if I were you:
1) Buy a flip camera, a camcorder, or a webcam
2) Time block 20 minutes twice a week to create short videos. On market conditions; on mortgage rates; on new listings; on how to win multiple offers; on that hot new restaurant in your area that just opened up. Just like a blog post, make vlogs that your potential clients will find interesting and valuable.
Be less concerned with the quality of the production, and more concerned with the quality of information.
3) Upload the videos to youtube. If you have a google/gmail login, you have access to youtube (because google owns it). If not, sign up (it’s free).
4) Organize your videos into playlists on youtube
5) Start a new blog, or install tubepress plug-in on your existing wordpress blog
6) Make a post/page and embed tubepress in it (you just type [tubepress] – its that easy). I have mine as the only blog post on BenjaminBach.TV, so its what people see when they come to the site. On another blog, its a page on an existing blog (see here) that you can click on.
7) Let people know about it online and offline, just like any other site you want to promote.
8 ) Make GREAT content (that’s the killer app)
(UPDATE: I’m hearing from #SXSW via gingerw that you should also have PubSubHubbub installed on your video blog. Google it, like I am now 🙂
Let me know how you make out; I’d love to hear tips you have, themes you’re using, and plug-ins that are making your life easier. I just put my vlog up yesterday, so I’m as eager as anyone to learn 🙂
Come and find me on twitter @benjaminbach to let me know that you liked this article (and especially if you didn’t, but you gotta tell me why) and what you’d like me to to expand upon.
