Guest Blogging Versus Article Marketing: What Really Works?

Let me first get my point straight: it’s not wise to compare article marketing to guest posting – this is much like comparing apples to oranges.
But we get back to this comparison again and again. I can’t do nothing about that except for offering my own comparison.
Here’s a handy table that makes my point clear: I do believe in guest posting and I do think article marketing is in the past. And here’s why:

	Guest posting	Article Marketing
Unique content?	Yes, absolutely	No (“spunn” content is NOT unique. Period)
Extra links? (to your article)	Yes!	Hardly possible
Potential promoters and followers?	Yes!	Hardly possible
Increased exposure to social media?	Yes!	No
Networking power?	Yes!	Hardly possible
Boosting reputation?	Yes! (if you are great)	Maybe (if you are great!)

Why is it important to build links through unique content?
Google filters out all duplicate-content articles, therefore only one of your links might be considered. How “similar” should the articles be to be considered duplicates? No one knows the exact answer to that question, therefore the safest bet is to create totally unique content (no copying, spinning, etc).
What is meant by “indirect” links here?
Your article published on a well-read blog will be cited, included in round-ups, bookmarked, scraped after all – this all will result in dozens of backlinks to your actual guest post. This will, indirectly, bring you dozens of backlinks.

Do blogs have more people who are likely to follow and promote your brand in the future?
Yes, absolutely. Let’s face it: blogs and article directories do have different types of audience. People follow blogs while they only randomly check article directories (if they do that at all). Blog readers are much more likely to “stick” to you and help to grow your brand by spreading the word, linking, coming back regularly, etc.
Will a guest post bring you closer to social media front pages?
Absolutely! Blogs are MUCH more social-media friendly than article directories. Blog readers are social-media savvier than random visitors of article directories simply because blogs ARE social media. They have communities of their own – people who come daily to tweet, like, digg, mixx, etc every single post that gets published there including your guest post.

It’s all the matter of contacts, stupid!
Now, let’s just stop for a second and try to FORGET about links, social media front pages, traffic and all that stuff that we can’t live without. Let’s get back to the basics: to people.
Building contacts with real people is the most important step in promoting your business. You can’t do everything yourself. If you think you can, you will fail. You need people who will follow you and trust in you. You need people who will bring friends to your business and who will get the word out when you need it.
Guest posting is the most effective way to network with influential people in your niche. By contributing value, you win the bloggers’ hearts and turn them into believers. Next time you need them, they will be happy to help!
Building reputation through GREAT content
I’ve seen quite a few exceptionally great article directory contributors who have built their names via article marketing. But with guest blogging it is just easier. All you need is to be prepared to invest time and create REAL value, and you’ll see your guest posts build your reputation – it’s really the matter of a few months of active and “proper” guest blogging.
Conclusion: Let’s be fair here: if you consistently submit great (not spunn but unique and valuable) content, you are likely to succeed with both the tactics. Besides, if you do guest blogging, it doesn’t mean you can’t try your hand at article marketing as well. It all comes to how hard you are prepared to work and how much time you are prepared to invest because you can’t do both with the same content. You’ll fail.
Besides, yes, I am biased (because I love guest blogging and I have never been seriously involved into article marketing), so if you have other experiences, tips or insights, please share them in the comments!