How do you decide which is the right medium for your blog, video or the written word? Although both demand a level of writing, the decision is not simply based on a yay or nay regarding either.

Begin by asking yourself the following questions:

1. Do we have the capacity to record videos for the blog?
2. How will it affect our content strategy?
3. Which option is more complimentary to our SEO strategy?
4. Will video truly diversify our content strategy?

Blogging:

Blogs are said to be more popular than magazines as they aid in the demand for easily accessible information which gets to the point in a few short paragraphs. A written blog is also easier to manage in an SEO strategy as it requires little or no additional textual input; video content requires you to add text in order to have the same SEO efficiency. Spotting the quality of writing in a written blog is an easy feat. Therefore it is imperative that your blogger has above average grammar and spelling skills and that they are able to compose an article of acceptable length. One full page would suffice, anything longer takes away from the basis of a blog’s appeal – a quick read. If your blogger does not excel in these skills, a video blog, or vlog, might be an easier solution.

Popular blogs have articles that are content rich; they have images, links, perhaps sound clips and even GIFs. Writing your articles requires a much more personal approach. While video is direct and more personal, with writing you need to make sure you can communicate that same manner. You need to be interactive, a social medium. You need to get to a point of offering the audience something that goes beyond writing.

Vlogging:

Adding video to your site serves as an invitation for new users to flock to your page. Video is enriching to a content strategy and while it is always a good idea to provide your users with a variety of platforms with which to engage with your content, it potentially requires a lot more time investment. This of course, depends on the type of video you are looking to create. It is perfectly alright to start vlogging with only a webcam. As you explore the capabilities of the medium, you can introduce graphics, new sound effects and high-level editing to your production.

Some ideas on which to base your different vlogs on include a quick tutorial, a demonstration of your products or services; you can even speak about current trends that relate to your business. For a more corporate vlog, create a video which introduces your team to the audience, or every so often post a video on recent practice updates, narrated by the company CEO.

Informatica CIO Tony Young has this to say for the vlogger: “Make it actionable …Tell somebody what you want them to walk away with.”

If you have time, budget and the abilities to create video blogs, I would suggest a strategy that includes both. Written blogs pack an SEO punch, but enriching your content has its own offerings. In addition, vlogging offers you the opportunity to repurpose some of your previous articles, turning your older written blog posts, into video presentations. This strategy allows you to engage with current and prospective users on a few different levels. The purpose of this, is to attract more traffic to your site and create a better awareness around your business.

Related articles:

Content Marketing 101: Repurposing Content

Beginners Guide on How to Video Blog on a Budget, part 1, part 2 & part 3

Mari Roelofse is a Digital Journalist & Content Editor for Sound Idea Digital | mari@soundidea.co.za | Sound Idea Digital | www.soundidea.co.za