YouTube has made it possible for people to dish out content without having to collaborate with production houses or queuing for hours on end to be casted as an actor, scriptwriter. That would explain why vlogging has gained so much popularity in recent years. In fact it slowly becomes an alternative to watch when your favorite show goes on hiatus. In Africa countries like Nigeria have gone as far as producing their shows on YouTube before they are picked up by a TV station. Kenya has not yet followed this trend but I am pretty sure they won’t be left behind .However vlogging has gained popularity with the number of vloggers increasing on the daily. Given that we are human we are prone to make mistakes and here are some common mistakes made in vlogging:
- Vlogging in malls
Most malls in Kenya do not permit photography in their premises given the security situation in the country. This simply means that you aren’t allowed to vlog in malls and doing so might result in certain repercussions such as: your camera being confiscated, being detained etc. Therefore there is no need to get yourself into trouble by vlogging in a shopping mall.
- Not establishing a social media presence
The same way in blogging social media is very crucial for marketing it is also necessary in vlogging. One common mistake people make is assuming that they can market their content on YouTube alone and this might not work in their favor. On top of that they should include hyperlinks of their social media pages on the description page in order to make it easier for their viewers to reach their social media.
- Inconsistency
This has to be the greatest mistake made by both bloggers and vloggers failing to dish out content in a while then all of a sudden they are dishing content daily. As a youtuber you should have an established schedule so that your followers don’t forget about you. The problem of going missing then coming back is that people might have lost interest in you or someone might have come along the way and replaced you. The same way in music you are only as good as your last song is the same way in YouTube you are only as good as your last video.
- Long videos
The truth is we are a developing country and not many people have access to Wi-Fi and the data rates are not friendly. Therefore most people will not be willing to watch extremely long videos given that it will be too expensive. Secondly, if you are to produce a long video you have to ensure it’s not boring and that it’s not redundant. Therefore it is advisable to do relatively shorter and interesting videos.
- Presentable
If you are going for a job interview as a lady you probably go to the salon to make your hair and nails you then wear one of your best outfits because presentation matters. The same applies to a YouTube channel. The room that you are using to shoot the video should be clean and dirty clothes should not be all over the floor, if it’s a bedsitter and you have dirty dishes if you can’t wash them you should probably ensure they aren’t in the cameras view. The youtuber should also be presentable that is the hair should be well done and dressed appropriately.