For a content writer, it is important to have flair in writing. For website owners, it’s important to choose the right type of format to post on the website. It’s a blog, article, copywriting or white papers, writers should adapt accordingly to make an impact on the audience.
Every content has a different niche and demands a unique style. Often writers come up with a question: what is the difference between a blog and article? So, let’s have a look at that.
Casual vs. Formal
The first difference is an article focuses around the topic through analysis and facts. Its overall approach is formal. The objective of an article is to provide concrete information to the audience they are looking for. It carries a formal tone and fact-based narrative that conveys more authority. Writing articles for B2B clients in a formal tone and reliable facts are important.
On the contrary, writing a blog doesn’t have such rules. You can write a blog in a creative way to increase its effectiveness. The tone is mostly casual and relaxed like having a conversation with the readers.
Length or word count
A blog can be of 300 words or can go up to 2000 words. But, it is difficult to explain a topic in a 300 word article. A length for an article can be between 500 to 1500 words. It can be longer depending on the subject.
A blog can be of any length unless it’s about subject-oriented blogs, personal views are longer up to 3000 words with scannable and easy to read content.
First/second person vs third person
This is another major difference between a blog and article. The ideal way to write an article is in the third person like they, them, it, he and she. Writing in third person is because of the formal nature of the content. Writing in a second person is common in instructional or technical articles.
On the other hand, you can write a blog in the first or second person like we, I, me or you. It is a preferred way of writing a blog to have a conversational tone with the readers.
Reader engagement
Blogs are written to get shared. Its short, subjective and punchy nature lends to social media shares. Often readers are encouraged to leave comments. While articles are discussed rarely except in academic and technical articles. If the author has done its research properly, only the experts have the knowledge to pick them apart.
Editing
Editing for articles and blogs depends whether they are written behalf of an agency or self-published. If you publish a blog or article for your website, you can edit yourself. If you post on behalf of an agency or for a client, then it may get edited by a quality analyst or a pro editor. In such cases, the editor may suggest editing it.
If you want to edit it by yourself, take the help of Hemingway app or Grammarly. Perform a thorough review to avoid typographical and grammatical errors.
Opinions and perspectives
Personal perspectives and opinions don’t have any place in article writing. Articles present a subject that supports facts in an unbiased way. If you write for an agency, then it will be on particular services or products that educate the target audience. You can’t give your opinions.
On the contrary, blogs are self-published that contain personal perspectives or opinions. You can share your opinion or experience in blogs.
Why Blogging Is Important For Business
Most of the big businesses have content marketing programs. Blogs are an important aspect for start-ups or large businesses. Here are 6 reasons why your business needs to post a blog
Keep the audience updated
Blog writing is an amazing way to keep the audience updated about the business. A website might have a straightforward tone, a blog offers flexibility to connect and show who you are.
A blog is the direct communication channel where you can talk in depth about your services and products. You can share timely content and comment on industry trends so your brand personality shines.
Drives traffic
A key reason why a company needs a blog is to increase visibility. The more you create, the more opportunities you will get to show in the search engines and drive organic traffic. It is a perfect way to strengthen SEO strategy. Business can boost its chances of generating traffic and convert leads by creating fresh articles that incorporate images, videos and keywords.
Improve internal linking
Internal linking is completely within your control so you can use them in your blog posts. It helps the visitors with site navigation that points them to the most important pages on the website.
If you do internal linking to other blogs on your website, it improves the SEO success. The more relevant links you have, the more chances you have to rank better. However, it leads to more traffic and potential leads.
Get feedback
Many websites give valuable information they need but it is done in a one way manner. There is no chance of asking questions, starting a conversation or commenting on anything. This is why blogs are powerful. It is a two-way conversation with the customers. It has a relatable tone and interactive platform so you can encourage feedback in the comment section of the blogs.
Having a conversation with the customers is an excellent way to build authority and trust in your brand. It allows examining the business from customers’ point of view and making changes to improve.
Get social exposure with blogs and articles
Blogging is a great way to get social exposure. When you create a blog, you are creating content people can share on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other platforms. Blogs help fuel social media output. Instead of getting new social media ideas, you can just promote and link relevant blog posts. In this way, you are strengthening the social media presence and helping to bring new visitors.
No matter you write a blog or an article; avoid adding fluff or any insignificant or repeated information. Readers can easily recognize fluff and soon they lose interest if they don’t get any useful information.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to reach new audiences, build your brand and stand out from the competition. Take inspiration from the reasons above and get started on a business blog.
Having a blog not only provides a strong foundation for your marketing, it’s also fun and inspiring—and a great way to share ideas, generate new ones, and build a community of like-minded and engaged people.
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