top of page
Writer's pictureVu Phan

Blogs are out, videos are in: Where your marketing budget should be invested in 2024

Forbes reckon blogging is still a worthwhile investment, but is it really? When you’re trying to grab the modern day audience’s attention, the content needs to be delivered through the most popular medium – video.


Source: Dreamsight


The stats don’t lie – video reigns supreme.

Do you remember the last time you’ve read a blog? What about the last time you’ve watched a video? Chances are, you may have watched something within the last hour but the blog is most likely to be a distant memory. On average, people consume 17 hours of online video content every week, as compared with blogs where a Hubspot survey found only 18% actually read a blog post every day, and even less, at 6%, read more than once every day.

 

Next question, how much of the blog’s message do you recall? Not much? You’re not alone! A marketing report by Insidia show that only 10% of the message is retained when reading in text, as opposed to 95% of the message when it is watched in a video format.



 

When you break it down, you get a blog with the most optimal reading time at 7 minutes in length being consumed daily, this is still far out shadowed by the average video consumption which comes in at 145.8 minutes on a daily basis; and when combined with the fact that much more of the video’s message is retained by the consumer, it is clear that the winner is video.

 

 

Great content is one thing but if your user base aren’t engaging with said content, then the content and business may as well be floundering around in the water. On top of the vastly more consumed video content talked about earlier, 51% of those are also more likely to share the video on social media as compared with a blog reader at 13%; this in turn increases the likelihood of your marketing effort going viral. When was the last time you can recall a blog go viral?


 

The increased engagement doesn’t just stop on the social media platforms either, as according to marketers, video content reduces your website’s bounce rate and increases dwell time as consumers are more likely to stay and watch a video. This in turn, pushes up the engagement rate for the website’s SEO; great for the Google ranking, and another win for video. 


 

Taking a look at Google Trends, the data displayed a consistent downward trend for interests in blogs over the last 5 years; and as much as 40% of internet users have never read a blog. Investing in blogs is catering to a smaller demographic that is constantly shrinking in size and with many drawbacks.


Over to you readers, what is you preferred marketing medium? Are you still investing in blogs in 2024 and getting the results you want?

 

46 views9 comments

9 comentários


Mathisha Wahikala Gederage
Mathisha Wahikala Gederage
03 de ago.

Awesome post, Vu!


I totally agree that video content, especially vlogging, is taking over the social media ecosystem specialising UGC. The stats about how much people remember and engage with videos are pretty convincing.


But let’s not count out blogs just yet – they still have a substantial audience, especially among passionate readers like myself. Written content provides a unique kind of engagement that many still enjoy.


In the world of social media marketing, both blogs and vlogs have their perks. Blogs can drive traffic and offer shareable, valuable content. For example, Moz’s blog posts are frequently shared on platforms like Facebook and X because they provide valuable SEO insights. Vlogs can increase engagement and shares, making your content more…


Editado
Curtir
Vu Phan
Vu Phan
04 de ago.
Respondendo a

Hi Mathisha! I agree, we certainly shouldn't count blogs out yet as there's still a sizeable fanbase for them; and I quite enjoy a good read myself here and there, but certainly not as much as I watch videos though! For a business investment purpose, it would depend on what kind of business but for many businesses, if not all, would benefit far more with some video marketing material than a blog; so if they can stretch the budget for both then fantastic, but if not, then I would lean towards video far more. The trend has been favouring video for quite some time now, with how technology has come along smartphone devices are dirt cheap, and data plans (at…

Curtir

Chris Menichelli
Chris Menichelli
31 de jul.

A blog about the death of blogs, very meta! haha


It's a bit of chicken and egg for me. In my experience static content (social media images) can work well, provided you enrich the content. For example, in a previous role at an industry news site, we had great engagement (likes+comments) with short quotes on static image carousels (IG). Conversely, similar content delivered via reels (IG) didn't get anywhere near the amount of engagement (likes+comments), as people tended to jump off a reel pretty quickly (5-10 seconds), and hence don't fully absorb the message you're trying to convey.


Great topic, an enjoyable read!


Curtir
Vu Phan
Vu Phan
04 de ago.
Respondendo a

Thanks for the insight with some real world experience Chris! I'd imaging IG image carousel would be more engaging to the modern young audience than a blog post too - bunch of images and a short message to convey your message.

Curtir

Fiona McFadzean
Fiona McFadzean
30 de jul.

Hi Vu,


They say irony is a great social media marketing tool, so you've hit the nail on the head here - (writing a blog about blogs being out). 😅 I loved it - (but must admit I clicked on the link wondering if your blog would simply be an embedded video)! 😊


Wow, those stats really get your point across... I can't believe how many hours we spend watching online video content, and the retention difference between reading and watching something is quite extraordinary. I guess past internet speeds and data availability used to make blogs a safer choice, but given the downward trend it's something blog writers definitely need to reconsider.


My preferred medium depends on the environment…


Curtir
Vu Phan
Vu Phan
31 de jul.
Respondendo a

Hi Daisy, I did come across some stats on skimming blogs too, but alas I was running tight on the word count! Something like 43% of people skim through blogs instead of reading them, and 55% of people spend fewer than 15 seconds on an article. It does ring true for me, as when I'm after some information I would skim right to what I need. But yes, you're right, blogs still do have their uses - just not as much as they once were.

Curtir
bottom of page