VLOGGING has become a trend among younger content creators and consumers, but blogging remains significant and profitable. Vlogging has taken a leap forward roughly since a demi-decade ago. Blogging had it mainstream far earlier.
I love vlogs. I really do. I admit I am a bit old school, and I still blog.
Others may think that vlogging has stolen the limelight as more and more of the younger generation spend more time on video streaming sites. Most bloggers, who have long tested both waters, simply shrug their shoulders a little and rather remain engrossed in blogging for a number of reasons.
[1] People read blogs for more personal, serious, and critical content while watch YouTube videos for fun and entertainment. That seems to be the new rule — people scan through search results if they want to read something that comes with a more focused and serious approach and check YouTube from time to time when in need of something to laugh at.
[2] Still many people prefer searching through blogs for quick tips and guides over watching them in videos. Most YouTube videos, for instance, come with long intros and obtrusive ads that require additional wait time before they can be skipped. Equally, getting straight into the substance entails initiating fast forwards and playbacks.
[3] You can always find it easier and cheaper to create textual and visual blog content than produce quality videos. As soon as you set up your self-hosted blog, you don’t need much of resources except the same laptop or phone, plus your creative writing formula.
[4] You need less aggressive efforts to drive audience to your blogs although decent content marketing can be a big help. As long as your content and SEO settings are all good, people can always find you here and there. You don’t need such hard and harsh marketing of your content that other beginning (no offense, rather desperate) vloggers normally do.
[5] Blogging works well for those who have good writing skills. Others, who can express themselves well in writing, blog. Others, who love talking and showing off, do the vlogging. People don’t have the same gifts, and so don’t have the same communication preferences. Others read blogs.
[6] Blogging can be more author-centered while vlogging can always be audience-centered. Blogging can be more about YOU. Both blog readers and vlog viewers love more personalized content, something out of honest perspectives and insights. Vloggers rather should care more about what their viewers want.
[7] You can repackage your textual and visual blog content as video materials anytime you want. Vloggers struggle looking for unique and more creative means of satisfying their viewers. Bloggers, with their thick archives of evergreen and expertly penned content, can always convert them to videos should they decide to do vlogging.
[8] Blogging comes with almost unlimited opportunities to monetize your content. It’s all true, and to name a few, these but include — Google AdSense, banner ads, sponsored articles, affiliate marketing and links, paid reviews, paid memberships, digital products and services, online courses, donations — and many others awaiting you down the road or as soon as you establish your reputation and expertise in the niche.
[9] Whatever goes around, you have the full control over your blogging platform and content. YouTube and other major platforms out there may just take down anytime your channel and content for policy violations, sometimes without clear explanations. On the other hand, you can do whatever you want for as long as you think it’s good for your self-hosted blog. You just need a little cooperation with Google, other search engines, and of course, your ad network partners, to make things work.
[10] Google and other search engines can easily index your blog content. YouTube videos are mostly contained just in the platform. Google and YouTube, though sister platforms, seem to have their own indexing rules. While most people do their search on Google itself, the chance of getting your vlogs get found there can be small.
[11] YouTube seems a little saturated, and your niche penetration can cost more than you expected. More and more YouTube channels are created each day, but most of them end up with just dozens or hundreds of subscribers after a year of more. Overcoming this, other vloggers even risk their reputation and moral standards just to keep them and their channels on the front page.
[12] In the end, bloggers can easily have both platforms after establishing an online reputation for quality blogs. Professional and successful bloggers maintain their presence, not just in their own blog, but in many other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Interestingly, most of them simply create these additional channels to drive more traffic to their blogs, their primary platforms.
Be the first to comment