Blogging and influencer marketing are both prominent and propitious tools of marketing. Blogging came into existence in the 1990s when in 1994 the first blog was published by Justin Hall on Links.net. Whereas influencer marketing came into existence, or as people say, “it became a thing”, in the 2010s. But it was not the first time or an entirely new concept. We can trace it back to the 1930s when experiments with famous figures like Santa were conducted as Coca-cola used it to promote their brand. It was then that brands started understanding that a consumer’s purchasing behavior is impacted by their favorite or lovable individuals or personalities. Here, it is fair to say that irrespective of the fact that the influencer is real or fictional like Santa (don’t tell this to kids please), the impact will remain. 

It’s no surprise that in just a couple of years influencer marketing took the digital world and the market by storm. But if you think that since you have influencer marketing, there’s no value for blogging and it is outdated, then you are wrong. It’s a sure fact that there is a difference between bloggers and influencers but considering one less important than the other can be a mistake. If you want to play smart, you can kill two birds with one stone by using influencer marketing to promote your blogs. Especially if you are a small business wanting to use influencer marketing on a low budget. 

Initially, the terms bloggers and influencers were independent entities but like other marketing tools, these two can be used interdependently too. Some also believe that bloggers were always influencers. It’s partially true because blogs have always been the source of information majorly and it might not directly influence the purchasing behavior of the consumer but it influences knowledge, decision making, thought process, and ample things depending on the subject of the blog. Let’s understand the difference between blogging and influencer marketing by putting them against each other and figure out their functions.  

1. Ad placement vs Sponsored posts

The first question that arises about people who have a career based on digital platforms is how do they earn. With respect to bloggers, did you ever wonder if they even get any money for thousands of words that they type? Do they get paid as people read their blogs? Do people pay to read their blogs? Is Google paying them? These are a few questions that people might often think of. Bloggers make money by placing ads on their sites.

There are two types of ads that can become the source of income for a blogger. One of them is PPC ads that are mostly banner ads or display ads that you can place on your blog. For every click on that ad by your readers, you will get paid. Another type is CPM ads which mean that you will get paid for every 1000 impressions on that ad by your readers. These two methods have always been used by bloggers but it is not limited to it as now there are different methods that you can experiment with. 

The major income source of an influencer is brand collaboration. When they promote the products or services of their brands, they get paid for it depending on the monetary methods that they mutually choose. However, after gaining such popularity and building a community, influencers open a lot of options of income for themselves which again makes their social media game stronger. They start selling their own merchandise, presets or some even have regular jobs while they work as influencers on a part-time basis. 

2. Newsletters vs Post notifications

This might make you feel a little old and overwhelmed because you are about to realize how far we have come. Bloggers use newsletters for sending out their updates about new blogs, new suggestions, new ventures, plans, and everything that they want their readers to know about. It’s an old tool but equally effective in today’s times. Here is where you can combine blogging with email marketing to push emails to people and let them know about your new blogs. You can send out customized newsletters to your readers. But for this, you must have a database of your readers that can be easily acquired by making them sign up to your website or just the newsletter. 

On social media too we have a similar thing that informs the users whenever the influencer puts up a new post. Post notifications are usually being put on by the followers voluntarily because they do not want to miss out on the posts of their favorite influencers. This is also done because due to the changing algorithm on Instagram it is difficult to catch up on all the posts that you want to see. But putting on the post notifications makes it easier for both the followers and influencers. 

3. Long format vs Short format

Blogs are simply long texts which comprise a minimum of 500 words. They are long for the main reason that they carry detailed information on the concerned subject. They are written on the basis of the keywords and with the aim to be noticed by the search engine so that the website is indexed more often. The number of words put in the blog depends on multiple factors like the niche, topic, keywords, and the fact that you are still experimenting to find out how many words in a blog give you a better reach and traffic. Blogs are not just a source of information for readers but they also boost the quality of the website which is usually the goal of bloggers and businesses. 

We all live a fast life and that demands everything to happen in quick seconds. We try to make the most in as little time as possible because let’s face it, there’s so much to do and we have so little in hand. Social media understands that and hence, wins the game. Influencers put a limited amount of words on their post captions because people on social media are there for the aesthetic and not for the big words. However, that again depends on the niche and the subject. But majorly, influencers and brands prefer short captions on their Instagram posts.  

4. Words vs Visuals

For bloggers, words are of extreme importance. The choice of words, the communication, the vocabulary, the keywords, and even the number of words are everything that will decide the fate of that blog. Google has its own format when it comes to the blog which every business and blogger must understand. Using SEO can be of huge help to boost the reach and ranking of the blog as well as the website. 

As mentioned in the previous point, social media is about the aesthetic, the filters, angles, clothes, make-up, scenic photography, subtle pouts, and witty captions. To tell you the bitter truth, the aesthetics that make people wish they had that kind of life is what sells on Instagram. But if you look at the bright side, this is not what it is limited to. Aesthetics and pictures are still important but now they are more transparent, natural, and vocal. 

5. Website traffic vs Like, share, comment

Blogs are a gold mine for websites because they not only bring the reader’s attention to the website but also Google’s. Website traffic is important for businesses if they want to improve their ranking on Google and get noticed by people. They run by the goal to reach on top position on search results and blogs make it possible. Similarly, for a blogger to gain the attention of brands to place ads on their website as that is the source of their income, they have to make sure their website reaches people. Website traffic is a tool to assess the performance of the blogs and see what changes can be made to do better. 

Influencers are all about likes, shares, and comments because that is what will attract both the followers and the brands. If the content is nice, people like it, share it, comment on it, tag their friends on it and this is what Instagram’s algorithm demands. This is how influencers get noticed and discovered. It’s the metrics that tell the influencers how they are performing, what needs to be improved, and even how it can be improved. This is an option available on blogs too. However, social media makes it easier and handier. Another thing that helps the influencers get noticed or get more gigs is a tie-up with influencer marketing agencies is also something that helps them get to discover and work on new projects. They not only help them get new work but also help them analyze their performance and grow better. 

As for businesses, they need both the bloggers and influencers at some point or the other for promotions. WORD Marketplace is an influencer marketing platform that lets businesses find any kind of influencer or even bloggers from different domains that they want to collaborate with. If you are aiming to have both influencers and bloggers on board to promote your business but do not wish to waste time figuring out which one is who and what are they capable of bringing to the table, then just sign up to WORD Marketplace. Post a campaign and content creators who are interested and capable of delivering the content will connect with you immediately. 

Just like bloggers vs influencers, Businesses always tend to think that it is influencer marketing vs social media marketing. They get confused about which one to go for and which of the two strategies can bring them more success. Whereas the truth is that combining them together will give them better results. And similarly, combining both bloggers and influencers in an influencer marketing campaign will yield better results than just sticking one of the either. 

Now that the digital and social media ecosystem is evolving, you can see a lot of bloggers who are influencers and a lot of influencers who are bloggers. Now the difference between influencers and bloggers is fading as their opportunities as one entity are rising. The best part of digital media is that you can get real-time feedback from your audience and quickly make the change that is needed. Doesn’t matter if you are a blogger or an influencer, you save a lot of time and discover what works for you in a very short time. For both professions, the only cheat code is to succeed is to understand what your audience wants and to utilize all the features of whichever platform that you are active on.