If you’re trying to decide between having a blog or having a vlog, don’t worry.

You’ve got good company and in fact, I’ve been there myself.

Choosing the best content marketing channel for your business is no easy task.

Especially when it seems like everyone and their dog has an opinion on the subject…

So in today’s post, we’re talking all about the age old question: should I start a blog or vlog?

And I’ll share my best tips, advice, and experiences from having both and how to help you choose the best one for you.

Because these are tricky waters to navigate.

Especially with such good advice on both sides of the blog versus vlog argument…

So with all that said, let’s dive into a few key areas to really help you make the right decision for you and your business and goals.

All right so first, let’s talk all about having a blog.

Blog Benefits:

Now, probably the biggest reason to have a blog over having a vlog is that many people still prefer reading over watching content.

The key here is obviously choosing the right one for your audience… but I’m getting ahead of myself.

So just keep that in mind.

Blogs are also faster, cheaper, and way easier to create.

After all, you can do it for free on a number of self-hosted blog platforms.

Or you can even start your own website for really cheap and really quickly.

Blogs are also faster and easier to upkeep.

All you need to do is write rather than getting a video, editing it, uploading it, and all the other stuff that goes into video production…

Blogs are also a lot easier and a lot cheaper to outsource if you decide that you wanna have someone do the writing for you rather than have someone do the video for you.

Especially if you’re gonna be the face of the business because then you’re really not gonna be able to replace yourself with stand in or look-alike.

That’d just be weird.

Another huge benefit to a blog, at least for now, is that it still has a little bit more search engine optimization power when it comes to ranking in Google.

Now, the reason I say just for now is because Google is getting a lot smarter at picking out the SEO keywords in things from videos.

But still, the textual aspect works a little better for now.

Alright, so let’s move on.

Vlog Benefits:

So, why would you wanna start a vlog over a blog?

Well, just like many people prefer reading content, some people prefer watching content, not surprisingly.

Again, keep in mind your target market.

But again, I’m getting ahead of myself so hang on just a second.

Also, a vlog has a much higher barrier to entry.

This means that it’s gonna separate you from the competition a lot quicker.

After all, it takes a lot more time, a lot more money, and a lot more energy to produce a video than it does to produce a blog.

Another benefit of the vlog over the blog is that it can be turned into a blog.

I’m saying vlog and blog a lot here.

With the video, you can transcribe it and get the written text, you can carve it up and get audio for a podcast.

You just have a lot more flexibility and creativity available.

Another benefit of the vlog is that it captures attention a little bit longer.

Because people are gonna be more likely to watch through more of the video than they may necessarily be to read through an article.

Again, depending on a whole bunch of different factors; but that’s the general rule.

And lastly, just like the blog has more SEO benefits on Google, well the vlog is gonna have more SEO benefits on YouTube, obviously.

Alright, so now let’s dive into a few more tips to help you make the right decision for you and your market.

What are your market’s preferences?

The first thing you’re gonna wanna do when you’re trying to decide between a blog and vlog is do a little bit of market research.

Find out what your competitors are doing and what your audience likes to consume.

As an example, are there a ton of blogs, meaning that your audience may prefer reading content…

Or are there a ton of vlogs, indicating that your audience may like to watch a lot more content?

Now these are good indicators but don’t be afraid to go against the trend.

Meaning, if there’s a ton of blogs, well, this may be a great opportunity for you to start a vlog and stand out against the competition.

(Or of course, vice-versa.)

A key disclaimer here is that just because everyone is doing it, doesn’t mean it’s right.

Once you kinda got the landscape all mapped out, well now it’s time to look at the more important area of market research which is your customer.

Your ideal viewer or reader, or whoever is gonna be consuming your content.

Try to figure out what they prefer:

Would they prefer reading a blog or would they prefer watching the vlog?

Because in the end, it’s gonna be important to make sure that your content channel aligns with your audience.

Alright, so now that we’ve got that covered, it’s time to move on.

What are your content preferences?

You see, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if I suggest that you go out there and create a vlog if you hate being on camera.

The opposite can also be true.

If I suggest you start a blog and you hate writing and you can’t visualize yourself writing at all, well then, obviously that’s gonna be a bad choice.

You need to choose a media option that you’re comfortable with so you’ll actually use it and you’ll actually stay consistent with it.

Because in the end, that’s the most important point.

So for this step, my advice is to simply go with the fun factor.

Try to find out which one you’re going to enjoy more, whether it’s writing, or recording videos.

And then go from there.

If you’ve never made either, well then, don’t be afraid to experiment.

Maybe create three blog posts and three vlogs.

See which one provided you more energy and was more fun and was better received by your audience.

That’ll give you a good indicator for where to go next.

Alright, it’s time to get fancy.

Next is syndication and distribution.

While blogs and vlogs both give you the opportunity and the ability to carve them up, chuck ’em out and piece them out on different social media channels…

The edge here goes to the vlog.

This is simply because of all the reasons that we’ve already covered.

Meaning, you can record that vlog and then have the audio transcribed and turned into text.

You can also have the audio pieced out and turned it into a podcast which means that for one simple vlog, you’ve now got a blog, a podcast, and the vlog itself.

Three birds, one stone.

(Which is kind of a morbid saying if you think about it…)

So, while the edge does go to the vlog in this case, don’t be afraid if you still wanna do a blog.

Because you can still use the script from the blog.

Or fit in a teleprompter to create a vlog.

Or you can read it out or kinda go off the notes and create a podcast from it.

So again, you have less options but you still have options.

My least favorite this-vs-that videos or this-vs-that articles of all times are the ones that leave you in the end with saying “this is a tie”.

So I’m not gonna do that.

We are gonna pick a winner.

And that winner is…(drum roll please)…

The vlog!

But my suggestion really is to do both.

Start with the vlog, then create a blog.

And the reason this is my suggestion is actually pretty simple.

It all comes down to the fact that if you create that vlog, well, you can piece it up.

Meaning, you can get a podcast out of it, you can get a blog out of it, and of course, you do have the vlog itself.

So the vlog is simply the more versatile media choice.

You can get way more bank for your marketing buck.

So start a vlog, then a blog…

(Then a podcast later.)