Video Blogging: How to Become a Video Personality

Do you post videos?

Want to make them better?

To learn how to create great videos, I interview video blogger Amy Schmittauer.
More About This Show
The Social Media Marketing podcast is an on-demand talk radio show from Social Media Examiner. It's designed to help busy marketers and business owners discover what works with social media marketing.

In this episode I interview Amy Schmittauer, a video blogger and marketing coach. Amy blogs at Savvy Sexy Social and is the host of the Marketing Lifestyle podcast.

Amy will talk all about video blogging and what you need to know to become a video blogger.

You'll discover the secret to making great videos, as well as what mistakes to avoid.

Share your feedback, read the show notes and get the links mentioned in this episode below.
Listen Now
You can also subscribe via iTunes, RSS, or Stitcher. How to subscribe/review on iPhone.

Here are some of the things you'll discover in this show:
Video Blogging
How Amy got involved with video

Amy joined YouTube in March 2007. She was mostly an observer, and wanted to interact with others on the platform. In 2008, she started creating videos on her first YouTube channel. Amy enjoyed having a creative outlet where she could record and share experiences with her friends.

When social media gained popularity, Amy looked at video differently. "I talked on Twitter to get to know people. I talked to a camera, so I could share that experience with those people. It was that simple," she recalls. "Then I started to realize there was a lot more to this story."

In 2011 Amy began working independently. She used video to differentiate herself in the marketing space and started creating videos for her Savvy Sexy Social blog.

Now, she has a camera set up in her office and a fun bookshelf background.

Three times a week Amy talks via video to people who want to learn more about implementing social media for their brand and their business. Although she's made other fun videos, as well as videos for brands, she recently filmed her 400th episode for the Savvy Sexy Social blog.

Listen to the show to hear Amy's opinion on which came first: social media or video.

Facebook video vs. YouTube

Amy believes linking to a YouTube video on Facebook has never been a good idea, because you need to customize the experience based on the platform. Although a YouTube link has never been visually pleasing on Facebook, there's always been a way to work around that.

Now that Facebook is pushing their own organic video, the game is changing. If you have an audience on Facebook or are hoping to grow one, it's definitely something to consider.

Amy wants people to watch her YouTube videos, but within a space she controls, which is her website. Usually when Amy posts to Facebook, it's a blog link with the video embedded on her site.

However, since Facebook video will perform better than a link to a blog or a YouTube video, Amy suggests another option.

Since Facebook video has a clear call-to-action button that you customize at the end, it's an excellent teaser opportunity. "If the first 30 seconds of the video are really interesting, then upload that to Facebook," she says. "Then, have the call to action at the end ask viewers to watch the rest of it on your website."

Listen to the show to find out what loyal YouTubers think about using Facebook video.

Mistakes video marketers make

"There's way too much green screen time going on," Amy says. To be a professional on video, you don't need a perfect backdrop. YouTube and other online video platforms are places to get to know someone personally, so relax. You can still have the level of prestige that your brand deserves without having a formal background.

The beginning of the video is the most critical, Amy adds. A lot of marketers and businesses spend far too much time at the beginning of a video doing what they think is the right thing and not considering t...