B2B blogs and podcasts are effective ways for your business to share information, build an audience, position yourself in your industry, and grow sales, but choosing between the two can be difficult as both mediums have unique advantages.
In this post, we’ll highlight the benefits and disadvantages of blogging and podcasting for business and how you can choose (or not have to choose) between the two.
B2B Blogs
Blogs are established (they’ve been around for over 20 years) inbound marketing mediums and are an excellent way to build a readership around a particular topic. Blogs are also easily shared and indexed by search engines, making them a valuable tool for reaching a wider audience.
If you haven’t started a blog or a content hub, chances are you’re missing out on a ton of site traffic. But beyond site traffic and SEO, there are other advantages to using blogs as a medium for sharing information and building a potential customer base.
For most, the business advantages of having a well-executed blog far outweigh the disadvantages; however, let's explore both the pros and cons of B2B blogging.
Pros of Having a B2B Blog
Shareability and Website Traffic — Blogs are easily shared through social media, email marketing and other channels, making them a valuable tool for reaching an audience. By publishing insightful content, you encourage people to share it with friends and colleagues, ultimately driving traffic to your website.
SEO — Blogs are indexed by search engines, and when created with intentionality, they’re great for SEO and can help your content rank higher on SERPs.
Flexibility — Blogs can share a wide range of content, from written articles and how-to guides to images, videos, and audio recordings.
Brand Building and Humanization — Blogs help create a corporate identity and can enhance your reputation as an authority in your industry. Consumers are more likely to purchase from businesses they trust, and writing a B2B blog is a great way to humanize your brand and build credibility.
Cost-Effective — If you have the team and time to do it, blogging is a cost-effective way to establish an online presence and build an audience, as it requires little more than a website and hosting service.
Cons of Having a B2B Blog
Time Commitment — Creating and maintaining a blog can be time-consuming, especially if you want to post regularly and provide your readers with stellar content. As the internet is saturated with content, your blog must become a trusted destination for information — a time-consuming, but worthwhile, commitment.
Competition — Creating a successful blog in today's crowded online space can be difficult, particularly in competitive industries. To stand out, your blog must reflect your company's unique positioning and align with your overall marketing strategy. Without a clear strategy or position, building a successful blog may require significant research and planning. Failure to fully understand your place in the online landscape will lead to underwhelming results.
B2B Podcast
Podcasts — a newer medium that has recently seen substantial growth — are audio or video recordings that can be downloaded and listened to or viewed on different devices. Podcasts are an excellent medium for spoken content like conversations and interviews, providing an opportunity to establish a more personal connection with your audience. Business podcasts are becoming increasingly popular in the industry, garnering a lot of excitement and interest.
Pros of Having a B2B Podcast
Reach — Podcasts can be easily shared and distributed through various platforms like iTunes, Spotify, and many others, making them a valuable tool for reaching an audience. Podcast listeners are also growing tenfold around the world.
Audience Convenience — Podcasts can be downloaded and listened to or viewed on various devices, making it easy for people to consume content with or without wifi on the go.
Personal Connection — Podcasts are a good option if you prefer to speak rather than write, and allow you to connect with your audience on a more personal level. People often connect better with a human voice than words on a website; video podcasts are even more engaging.
Brand Credibility and Humanization — Similar to blogs, podcasts can establish your brand as a thought leader in a niche market. When companies use CEOs, employees, or founders as the podcast’s hosts, they can humanize the brand and build trust amongst listeners.
Cons of Having a B2B Podcast
Time Commitment — Consistently creating and maintaining a podcast can be time-consuming, especially if you want to release episodes regularly and spend time engaging with your listeners.
Technical Barrier — Podcasting requires a bit more technical knowledge than other forms of content creation, such as recording, editing and producing audio and video, which can be challenging for beginners.
Limited Searchability — Unless you can provide transcripts, podcasts are less searchable than text-based content. It might be hard to find specific information from a podcast unless it is organized, well-transcribed and has proper tagging.
Determine Your Overall Goal and Target Audience
To determine the best approach for your marketing efforts, it's important to consider your goals and target audience. To assist in this decision-making process, there are a variety of statistics available that can provide valuable insights.
Resources such as The Latest Podcast Statistics You Need to Know in 2023 by Podcast Rocket and 2023 Blogging Statistics, Trends & Data – Ultimate List by WPBeginner offer a wealth of information to help you understand the general, demographic, technical, and marketing data of each medium.
Here are just a few examples of questions you might ask yourself to determine if blogging, podcasting, or both are best for your brand:
- Is the purpose of your current marketing strategy solely to improve your site’s SEO? Start a consistent blog that provides valuable information and follows these important guidelines from Semrush on how to optimize your blog for search engines.
- Is your goal to humanize your brand and build B2B connections? Start a podcast whose host is an integral member of your business and invite credible guests to speak in some or all of your episodes. Or, write a weekly blog that shares your business's values and tells internal stories of employees or things you are working on as a business. And don’t forget to write about (and link to) other credible businesses that are experts on your blog topic.
- Is your ideal business topic something that is showcased better with images? Start a blog that includes infographics, comparison charts, and product photos. Or leverage a video podcast and embed key clips in your posts.
Podcasting and Blogging Can Go Hand in Hand
Blogs are a great way to share detailed information and resources and can be easily indexed by search engines, making them simple to find. Podcasts, on the other hand, offer a more personal experience, providing listeners with a human voice as opposed to words on a page. Additionally, podcasts can be consumed on the go, making them a great option for busy professionals. Both mediums require different skill sets and resources to create and maintain, and it is important to consider your business goals, target audience, and preferences before making a decision.
Both blogging and podcasting have their ups and downs, but the great thing is that nowadays, you don’t always have to choose between the two. With Casted’s podcast transcription tool, you can turn any podcast into a blog in a matter of minutes and reap the SEO benefits of a blog with very few extra costs. For more, request a demo.
