The top two forms of content creation for raising a brand’s marketing are blogs and video blogs or vlogs. The latest statistics show that there are over 600 million blogs and approximately 409 million blog readers monthly. This data proves that blogs are the most preferred content by marketers and consumers alike. Similarly, vlogs are becoming an effective platform for getting messages across to customers. But which is better for your business? Read on as we investigate deeper the differences between blogs vs vlogs.
What is Blogging?
Blogs started in the early 1990s and gained popularity in the early 2000s. Blogging is the process of creating articles, images, and other forms of content and publishing them on a website, often in an informal diary style. Lifehacks, tips, regular updates, and a high level of engagement with the readers characterize most blogs. Likewise, blogs are also used as a marketing and communication tool nowadays.
Several platforms support blogs, such as WordPress, Blogger,Web.com, Wix, Weebly, and Tumbler. Meanwhile, the most common types of blogs are personal blogs, corporate blogs, and collaborative blogs.
Pros:
- Blogging is a simple income opportunity. With blogging, you are not reinventing a product or creating disruptive technology. However, you must realize that straightforward income comes with trust and an optimistic character. To earn money from blogging, you can begin creating content and gradually improve.
- Low startup cost. There are no limits to starting a new blog. Anyone can start a blog depending on whatever idea they have in mind. You can make a blog for free via different platforms. But we suggest you go with the paid route. This will enable you to start a reputable brand image and trust right from the early blogging stage. Typically, the startup cost is as low as $4.00/month for hosting services.
- Worldwide audience. Blogging has no borders. It’s a megaphone of your voice that brings you closer to people you’ve never met before. As of 2021, 4.72 billion use online networks worldwide. In one way or another, these users use the internet to find answers to their questions, learn something, or read exciting stories during their free time.
- Stackable revenue potential. There are several ways to earn money online with blogging. You can grow your blog and earn money from it by creating a loyal readership and fanbase. Many veteran bloggers have continued to innovate and adapt to the ever-evolving technology. The seven common ways to make money with blogging are:
- Display advertising
- Email marketing
- Affiliate marketing
- Courses or digital products
- eBooks
- Advertorials
- Sponsored Posts
- High Return on Investment (ROI). This is a bit of a catch on the low startup costs. If your startup cost is low, your returns can be astounding. Your return on investment is dependent on your revenue model. For instance, if you start blogging for a SaaS (software as a service) company with a lifetime value of $1,500, a single blog post could yield 100% returns. In contrast, if you blog in a niche with low affiliate monetization methods, you might stay dependent on display advertising reviews. The revenue model could yield lower returns.
Cons:
- Time-consuming. Whether you are doing it for an e-commerce store, a SaaS company, or even to make money online, blogging is time-consuming. To grow your blog readership, you need to put in extra significant effort.
- Requires a lot of patience. If you think blogging can make you rich overnight, you have the wrong mindset. To achieve success, you must be patient to see your site’s traffic increase over time. The moment you get too excited and start over-sharing or spamming is the most that you might get penalized. Stay calm but be fierce. Develop a strategy of repetition with each blog post. It would help you attain your blogging objectives and, of course, profits.
- Requires significant persistence. It may sound similar to requiring a lot of patience, but with blogging, you’ll have to be persistent. It takes a crucial effort to connect with media outlets and other famous bloggers. This could not happen in a few months or even a year. But you can’t quit. You’ll need to continue to stay active no matter what challenges you encounter.
What is Vlogging?
Vlogging is short for “video blogging, ” which refers to the process of creating video blogs similar to audio podcasts intending to release online content to build an audience. Like bloggers who write articles, vloggers shoot videos and publish them online for other people to view and learn from them. Vlogs may cover anything from travel guides to beauty tips to cooking techniques. Sometimes vlogs feature someone’s daily life.
Some of the best platforms for vlogging are YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Vimeo, and DailyMotion.
Pros:
- It’s more eye-catching. Vlogging allows you to connect directly with your viewers. More importantly, its visual form makes it more noticeable to your target audience. You can freely share the topic you want and its process and timing.
- An excellent way to record life experiences. Vlogging is a great way to document life experiences for future generations. With more and more people using Youtube and other platforms, it is an excellent way to share your life with family, friends, followers, or fans.
- Suitable for promoting a new business. If you’re looking to start a business, vlogging can provide a venue to showcase your products or services. Likewise, it gives your potential clients a clear idea about your business.
Cons:
- In vlogging, you are making a video diary. Because of this, you may feel uncomfortable sharing your life with a broad audience.
- You’re potentially exposing yourself to bullying or harassment. Besides, there are a few other disadvantages of vlogging. For example, if you’re uncomfortable in front of a camera, you may want to reconsider.
- Time-consuming. Vlogging requires a significant amount of time and energy to create quality content.
- The startup cost is higher. It can be expensive because it requires high-quality equipment like a camera, microphone, etc.
The Differences
A blog is a regularly updated website with text in an informal or friendly style. On the flip side, a vlog is a social media account or a website where a person regularly posts short videos. The critical difference is that the content in a blog is in written form or text, while the content in a vlog is in videos.
Conclusion
After comparing blog vs vlog, you’ll need to consider these factors in choosing between creating a blog or filming a vlog. Or, in some instances, you’d like to do both.
Initially. if you have a limited budget, it might be better to start blogging since it typically costs less than creating vlogs. Note that filming and editing can cost money, especially if you hire a professional to do it on your behalf. Then, some people might prefer videos over articles or vice versa. With that said, it’s important to understand what your target market is expecting. Because knowing what your customers want can help you decide whether to create a vlog or a blog for your content marketing.
Finally, your success will depend on your content strategy. Content can only increase a brand’s exposure if you know the best medium to connect you with the customers. That’s why you must do intensive research on your target market and develop a content strategy that meets your goals of raising brand awareness.
