One thing we like to do at thealphamarketer is to keep things in check in the midst of the endless changes happening online. In regard to writing articles or posting on a blog, we need to be careful to understand what each one has to offer, or we could miss out on a lot that could benefit our online efforts.
Some people hear about the next "new" thing and run after it while dropping what it is they're working on. The result is similar to spinning the wheels of your car on ice. You seem to be really going fast, but you always end up in the same place: going nowhere.
Mark Nenadic (FifteenDegrees-North) talks about what he sees as the difference between the two:
"Blogs, the newcomer, allow you to provide the same information that you'd give in an article, but on a much more personal level. Articles, on the other hand, are considered to be quite accurate, detailed, and informative. Search engines consider them both to be great sources of information.
"Blogs keep a site fresh and timely. Articles do give an authoritative edge. Unless you already have a very highly ranked blog, articles will generally achieve better internet exposure, since there are so many more opportunities to present your articles to people. There are many different sites online that allow you to submit your articles so that they can be posted here and there. This same opportunity is not available for blogs."
Articles, at this time, do make the reader believe that you've taken more time and effort with it, and for that reason the content is taken more seriously than blogs in general.
Mark comes to the conclusion that in promoting a product or service, an article is the way to go. On the other hand if you want to say something or make a strong point, blogs are a better way to do it.
While this is simplifying blogs in their use, I don't disagree with the conclusion Mark comes to. Online marketers should be doing both. It's not a matter of either/or, but rather what the purpose of your writing is.
Just don't drop writing articles and the benefits you get from them, simply because blogging has come along. They work together side-by-side. Each one has an important part to play.
Comment Preview