By this point, I hope you know how important an online presence is when it comes to business success. This is true whether your company is online only, or in-person.
In the past, companies didn’t need an online presence. It helped, obviously. But it wasn’t necessary. Now, with the prevalence of the internet, it’s practically required. How many of us search companies online when we need help? How many of us skip visiting the local business because they don’t have a website? It’s not uncommon.
Having an online presence aids in how well you appear in online searches. When a prospective client needs plumbing, they do a Google search for plumbers in their area. Without an online presence, you won’t appear in these searches.
And, if you don’t build that online presence with purpose, you won’t appear within the first page of that search. That prospective client ends up buying from your competitors. Because your competitors are the ones who showed up in the search.
But, how much of an online presence do you need? For some, having a blog alone is enough. For others, they find success being active on social media.
So, which one is actually better for your business? Blogging or social media?
What Do People Mean When They Say “Blogging?”
A blog is not a personal journal. Some people confuse that. They claim that they are “blogging,” when all they are doing is posting their thoughts online.
If we want a broad definition of blogging, then yeah. We can include that.
But, for your purposes, blogging is intentional. It is the regular publishing of long-form content on your website. It incorporates SEO principles that boost your appearances in Google. And, its style appeals to your target audience.
The key is posting regularly. At regular intervals. Regular times, etc. Personal journals often lack regularity. That’s because they are thoughts or rants occurring at random times. This is not intentional blogging. It doesn’t do much to increase your traffic or search appearances. And it won’t do anything for bringing in clients.
Blogging has evolved a lot since it first came onto the scene. It’s no longer a method of sharing or connecting families. It’s an intentional push towards a strong online reputation.
A Few Pros About Blogging
Since blogs employ long-form content, they are great for people who love writing. It takes more time writing a typical blog post. Plus, more effort and consideration for SEO and other ranking-related matters.
This extra effort comes with long-term benefits, though. Social media posts have a short lifespan. They are designed for popularity and maximum engagement. As time passes, they fall into obscurity. This is not true of blog posts. A blog post from several years ago still affects your rankings. And it is still capable of bringing in sales and new customers.
Further, as you post more on your blog, your rankings improve. That’s because you have an increasing number of keywords that appear in searches. Thus, your website traffic improves. Which also contributes to sales growth.
Blogs also grant you more flexibility, in comparison to social media. Certain blogs, especially ones with an established audience already, can withstand skipping posts. During your break, your audience will likely not grow. But it won’t shrink, either.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend taking a full break from posting. If you want a break, make sure you are ahead on your posts. Write all the ones you need for a month, then take the time off.
Blogging is Not Without Its Negatives
Blogging, with its higher writing and time needs, doesn’t fit into everyone’s lifestyle. Some people hate writing. And, hiring someone to write for you is not always cost-effective.
Speaking of cost-effectiveness, setting up a blog is not free. Are there free options? Yes. There are. But if you want a professional blog with an actual domain name, that costs money.
Now, here is a caveat. Many businesses considering a blog already have a website. Which means they already pay for hosting, website design, website management, and all that good stuff. Adding a blog isn’t that expensive in that scenario. It’s when you don’t have all that already set up that creating a blog is pricey.
Blogging, for all its pros, is also slow. It takes time and multiple blog posts before you start appearing in search rankings. Social media has the upper-hand in that respect. It’s fast and immediate. You make your first post and see results from it immediately. Not the case with a blog. On a blog, you make your first post, sometimes even your 20th post, and you are still not seeing much of a traffic boost.
Then, suddenly, you make your 21st post and your traffic shoots up. It’s a long-term game with blogging. You must know your end goal. If you don’t have a goal, you run the risk of giving up. If you have been blogging for months and still haven’t seen an increase in traffic, you won’t see a point in continuing. In reality, it is working. Just slowly.
Who is Blogging Good For?
There are certain businesses that benefit from blogging.
Niche businesses are one example. Why niche businesses? Because they have less competition. A company selling shoes, for instance, has a lot of competition. Massive corporations, such as Nike or Adidas, have an established reputation online. For small shoe companies, they are competing with these large corporations. Overcoming that is quite the hurdle. It’s possible. But it takes longer, requires more effort, and isn’t always worth it. With niche businesses, this hurdle doesn’t exist.
Businesses that operate online also benefit from blogging. These companies sell digital products, or have a system set up for shipping products. They don’t have a store-front, is the point. Customers go online and purchase what they need. For these companies, a blog ties everything together. It provides customers with information about why certain products benefit them. Plus, it links up landing pages, product pages, about pages, and more. And it does so without customers having to redirect from social media to a website. The blog makes the transition seamless.
For companies operating on a 24/7 schedule, blogs improve conversion rates. While social media’s strength lies in bringing in customers during routine shopping times, blogs work outside of those hours. People pursuing a 24/7 business may find a blog post and decide on purchasing then and there. Purchasing doesn’t require human interaction, so the blog works as a sales’ person by itself.
What Do People Mean When They Say “Social Media?”
I doubt there is much confusion about what people mean when they talk about social media. But, just in case, its platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the like. You create a profile on these platforms. Then you make posts or comments that develop an engaged following.
Personally, I haven’t been involved with social media much for about 15 years. I deleted my Facebook in college, never had a TikTok, and only made an Instagram for visual-focused brands that I was adamant about establishing. I have a LinkedIn account, but I wasn't that active on it. I became more active on it recently as I’ve been looking more heavily for work.
Still, for my purposes, I haven’t seen much of an impact of having social media platforms. For many businesses in many industries, though, it’s beneficial.
Benefits of Social Media
Social media has the big benefit of being free. Starting a profile is free. Posting is free. If you’re worried about cost, social media is an appealing route. It’s even capable of bringing in money thanks to paid advertising. And that isn’t even considering the cost being brought in thanks to increased sales.
Beyond, social media relies on short-form content. Its strength lies in small tidbits of information that are digestible for readers. This makes it ideal for people who aren’t fond of writing much. It also makes automation simple. Larger batches of posts can be created at once. Automate when these posts go live. This gives you free time for several days or weeks where you aren’t worrying about social media activity.
Compared to blogging, social media is faster. As soon as you post something, people see it and start interacting with it. Social media posts are capable of going viral if enough people share them. Something that doesn’t happen with blogs. And you start seeing trust increasing faster with social media. Since people are interacting with and hearing from your company so often, they start relying on your brand as an authority sooner.
Drawbacks of Social Media
As with everything, social media also has some flaws that are worth noting.
Due to the rapid-fire way of social media, your competition is much higher. Getting into social media is easy and quick. So, more of your competition is involved in it, as well. This makes standing out more difficult.
To add insult to injury, social media doesn’t do much for search results. Why?
Because social media is usually not searched for. Part of this is because social media posts have a smaller amount of content compared to blog posts. They rely heavily on pictures, videos, or other forms of media. So, they aren’t inundated with keywords and key phrases that would otherwise draw in searches. As a result, they have little effect on your website traffic.
Another drawback of social media is that the platform you post on is not yours. Essentially, you are renting the space. Large social media platforms aren’t going anywhere. But the risk is not gone. You could spend years posting on a certain platform, then that platform shuts down. Now, all your posts and your audience are gone. Further, algorithms control social media, and algorithms change on a whim. This results in your posts getting lost or not being seen at all.
Who is Social Media Good For?
Social media focuses on visuals, and it benefits businesses relying on images. These include vehicle detailing companies, clothing businesses, and those selling fashion. Such companies rely on graphics for selling and promoting their product. Hence why they benefit from social media.
If you plan on targeting a specific demographic, social media also makes that more possible. Certain social media platforms appeal to certain age groups. Millennials, for example, typically favor X. Meanwhile, Gen Z enjoys TikTok. If you want attention from a specific age-group, post content that they consume.
Two other types of companies who benefit from social media: those with a local following and those pursuing mass appeal.
For local businesses, social media is often enough. Many of these businesses don’t have a website, let alone a blog. That’s because they often don’t need one. Having a few active, healthy social media accounts serves many local businesses’ fine. Through these accounts, they can advertise sales, deals, and other announcements. All the while, building and maintaining a local community.
Companies seeking mass appeal also benefit from the immediate activity of social media. These companies strive for posts that are shared among a large number of people. Or even posts that go viral. Yes, a lot of people try going viral on social media. Yet, many social media accounts are not concerned with mass appeal. If you are, that means you have more limited competition and a higher rate of success.
Deciding Between Social Media vs. Blogging
So, which one is better?
Well, neither, technically. Neither social media nor blogging is inherently the best for your business.
Instead of focusing on which one is better, focus on which ones help you achieve your own goals. Blogging is capable of so many things, including boosting your social media presence. And social media is great at so many things, including improving your blogging activity. Building a following on either takes time. But it’s still worth it.
At the end of the day, consider your goals. Consider the pros and cons of each. And consider how they impact your marketing and growth.
As with many things, you will likely discover that the best option for you is being involved with both.