You know you need to be active on social media. You also know you need a blog. But what’s the difference between the two, and why should you treat them differently? Let’s take a look at six key ways that social media and blog content differ, so you can make the most of both.
1. Length
The first big difference between social media and blog content is length. Social media posts are typically short—under 280 characters for Twitter, and around 600 for Facebook. Blog posts, on the other hand, can be much longer. They should still be scannable (more on that in a minute), but they don’t have the same strict character limits as social media posts. This gives you more room to share your story, provide valuable information, and make a connection with your reader.
2. Tone
The tone of your social media posts should be friendly and casual—after all, social media is all about building relationships. Your blog posts can have a slightly different tone. They can still be friendly in tone, but they can also be more authoritative. This is because people come to your blog looking for information they can trust—information that will help them solve a problem or learn something new.
3. Structure
The structure of social media posts is pretty straightforward—a headline (or image) and some copy. Blog posts usually have a bit more going on. In addition to a headline, they often have an introduction, subheadings, images, and call-to-actions (CTAs). This structure helps break up the text so it’s easier to scan, and it also helps guide readers through your post so they know what to expect and what action you want them to take when they’re done reading.
4. Frequency
You should be posting to social media every day—multiple times a day if possible. But you don’t need to post new blog content every day. Once a week is usually sufficient (although more frequent blogging is always better). The key is to make sure each piece of content is high quality and provides value to your reader—otherwise, there’s no point in posting it.
5. Self-Promotion
It’s okay—and even encouraged—to promote your blog on social media. But promoting yourself too much will turn people off quickly. The best way to promote your blog on social media is to share helpful, relevant content from your blog posts without being too sales-y or self-promotional about it. For example, if you wrote a blog post about time management tips for small business owners, you could share one of the tips on Twitter with a link back to the full post on your website. See how that works? People get value from your tweet without feeling like they’re being sold to, and then they can click through to read the full post if they want more information. Win-win!
6. Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
Your calls-to-action (CTAs) play an important role in both social media and blog content—but they serve different purposes in each one. On social media, CTAs are typically used to drive people back to your website or landing pages so they can take a specific action (like signing up for your email list or downloading a white paper). In blog content, CTAs are typically used at the end of each post to encourage readers to check out related content on your website or take another action (like subscribe to your RSS feed or leave a comment).
Every Marketing Channel Demands a Different Content Approach
Now that you know how social media and blog content differ, you can start creating quality content for both that will help grow your business online! Just remember: keep it short on social media, focus on building relationships, make it scannable with subheadings and images, post frequently but not too frequently, mix in some self-promotion with valuable content, and use CTAs wisely!
And if you need experienced marketing professionals to keep you on track, look no further than Rise Local. Our expertise spans a number of states and industries. We know how to research, compile, and tailor content in a way that fits your audience and establishes you as an authority. Reach out to us today to learn more about the content offerings that we have available.