Variety is Key: How to Make Vlogs like Lucie Fink

— July 21, 2017

One of my favorite content creators and vlogs to follow on social media is Lucie Fink. Lucie currently works at Refinery29 (another favorite of mine) and according to her website: “At Refinery29, she created and hosts the hit YouTube series “Try Living with Lucie” where she takes on social experiments for 5 days at a time, documenting her experience vlog-style. In addition to Try Living with Lucie, she has created a plethora of other video formats for Refinery29 that she hosts and produces – “Lucie for Hire” (where she tries doing another person’s job for the day), original pieces for Snapchat Discover, Facebook LIVE and more.”

Now, to be honest, I don’t remember how I came across her videos on YouTube, but after the first one, I was hooked.

After becoming an avid YouTube watcher and social media follower, her approach to vlogs and social media got me thinking about how businesses can follow suit. Keep reading to learn more about the importance of vlogs, videos and more.

The Importance of Vlogs and Videos

What are vlogs you may ask? Well, vlogging is pretty simple: it’s the combination of videos and blogging. This is a visual way to share information you would otherwise type out in an article. While there is nothing wrong with blogging the traditional way, here are some key reasons your business should start vlogging.

1. People Love Videos

People can’t get enough of videos: they watch 6 billion hours of video on YouTube every month and 92 percent of mobile viewers share videos with others.

Vlogging is a great way to get a lot of information out there quickly, because they don’t have to require a full production studio (though proper equipment can make you appear professional) it’s just you, or someone else in your business, talking to a camera.

Another reason that vlogging is important to a small business is because it’s effortless for your viewers. People want information quickly and watching short video is always going to be quicker than reading a block of text.

2. Videos Make You Relatable

To a consumer, they may like your product or service but they never really get to know the faces behind the scenes. Sure, buyers can look at the photographs on the company employee page, or read their “About Us” section, but there’s something about a vlog that is more relatable.

The more approachable your company is, the more trustworthy you appear and the more customers you will attract. You can further instill trust through vlogging by asking your fans or business partners to record themselves giving testimonials.

3. Videos are Good for SEO

If internet users love something, then it’s highly likely that SEO loves it too. The goal of a search engine is to present users with exactly what it is they are looking for. And, in recent years, more and more people have been searching for videos. So much so, that 62 percent of all Google Universal searches now include video content. Which means by creating vlogs, you have a greater chance of ranking higher in search results.

Videos are one of the easiest ways to get people to quickly absorb your content. If your work is a minute or two long, people can watch a few at a time and learn from your tips and information.

Now that you know a little more about vlogs, here is more information on the importance of videos:

Forbes called video marketing “The future of content marketing” and they picked up on the trend.

Here are some facts and projected trends they predict for the future:

• Adding a video to marketing emails can boost click-through rates by 200-300%.
• Embedding videos in landing pages can increase conversion rates by 80%.
• 90% of customers report that product videos help them make purchasing decisions.
• According to YouTube, mobile video consumption grows by 100% every year.
  64% of customers are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video about it.
• 87% of online marketers are currently using video content in their digital marketing strategies.
• A third of all the time people spend online is dedicated to watching videos.
• Video ads now account for more than 35% of all ad spending online.
• 59% of company decision makers would rather watch a video than read an article or blog post.

Creating Your Own Video Content

If you want to start using vlogs for your brand, here are some tips and insights to help you get started.

Come up with Strong Content

As you develop your content, make sure you take the extra time to do some keyword research. By knowing which words and phrases are strong for SEO purposes, you’ll be able to integrate them into your content so your video description and tags are a natural fit later.

Create a Road Map

Either write out a script or jot down the bullet points you want to cover. You want to come across in a way that makes sense in your vlog, without seeming scattered and all over the place.

Practice

Run through what you intend to say a few times out loud. Make sure you incorporate any gestures you want to include so you can tie them in seamlessly.

Record Your Video

Whether you use a handheld camera or webcam, keep it as clear and steady as possible. Also, think about what you’re wearing and the background behind you; the overall appearance you’re portraying will play into your viewers’ opinion of your brand.

Upload and Share

YouTube is a fantastic site for uploading your vlog. Make sure the description shares what the video is about in addition to keywords and a link back to your site to increase website traffic! You can also embed your vlogs into blog posts and share them on your social media channels for maximum exposure.

Take a look at my previous blog post, How to Make Your Brand Binge-Worthy, for even more tips on shareable content.

Now that you have a better understanding on vlogs and the importance of videos, let’s look at what Lucie does right that can help you attract a loyal following.

Be on A Variety of Platforms

While YouTube is the obvious and more appropriate for place to upload your videos, don’t forget about other platforms such as Snapchat (@lucieBfink), Instagram and Twitter. I happen to follow Lucie Fink on all of those social media sites and have found that she doesn’t always post the same videos every time to each platform; this requires following her on all of her accounts to make sure they stay up-to-date on her goings on.

Here are some facts about social media and video marketing:

• On Twitter, videos are retweeted 6 times more than photo posts
• It’s estimated by 2020, 75% of global mobile traffic will be video
• Facebook projects by 2018, 90% of their content will be video-based
• Shorter videos (30 seconds or less) have an 89% higher conversion rate than longer ones
• Video viewing peaks between 12pm-5pm

Post a Variety of Content

As mentioned above, Lucie has multiple playlists on YouTube under the Refinery29 channel called “Try Living with Lucie” and “Lucie for Hire.” Those two series are vastly different and yet entertaining. In “Try Living with Lucie” she takes on different lifestyles or challenges for five days including eating Paleo, vegan, not washing her hair and wearing no make-up, to name a few.

In “Lucie for Hire” she takes on jobs including becoming a Radio City Rockette and being a radio DJ.

She also has a personal YouTube channel where she takes a more personal approach to her videos including giving a tour of her apartment where many of her videos are filmed and a look at her family life.

When posting vlogs, or even just social media updates, make sure you are posting a variety of content. As Entrepreneur stated: “The use of social media in your online marketing can breathe fresh life into your online advertising efforts. It is important to ensure that you do not fall into the trap of relying on the same type of social media content, or you could end up defeating your original purpose. While it is challenging to continually create new content for your social media posts, try focusing on rotating various types of social media content so that you are able to post a variety of content that is both timely and interesting.”

While “Try Living with Lucie” and “Lucie for Hire” follow the same model, each upload is unique and interesting. Consider creating a series like she did that will give you structure yet creative opportunity for your content.

Recording Your Own Success

There’s no denying that videos are the wave of the future and vlogs are a great way to get on board. Check out Lucie Fink on YouTube and her social media channels to learn how to use videos effectively and build your own following.

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