There are many different ways to share your message with the world. You can blog, you can podcast, or you can make videos and post them on YouTube. So which is the best option for your business? That depends on your goals and what you want to achieve. In this blog post, we will explore the pros and cons of each medium and help you decide which one is right for you and your mission.
Podcasts
Let's start with obviously our favourite type of content, podcasting. Right now , there are over 700,000 active podcasts and over 29 million podcast episodes. That means there is a lot of competition out there. But it also means that there is a huge potential audience for your podcast if you can make yours stand out from the rest. We personally listen to podcasts every day, and we know that there are many other people like us who appreciate this type of content.
Pros:
-Audience attention. Podcast listeners can give the show their undivided attention. This is because they can listen while doing other things, like commuting or working out.
-Less daunting than youtube. If you're uncomfortable being on camera, podcasting is a great alternative. You can still build a personal connection with your audience even if they can't see your face.
-Can be very cost effective. You don't need a lot of expensive equipment to start podcasting. A decent microphone and some editing software is all you really need.
Cons:
-Requires time and commitment. A successful podcast requires a significant time investment. You need to be able to commit to regularly releasing new episodes. We start to see some great growth in our shows once they have been releasing for around 12 months on a consistent basis.
-Competition is stiff. As we mentioned, there are a lot of shows out there competing for attention. That means you really need to make yours stand out if you want to attract and keep listeners.
-Editing. It can be a bit of a learning curve if you're not comfortable with audio editing. Making your show stand out for quality might take some people a very long time to figure out.
Blogging
Blogging was one of the first types of ways to get your word out there. It is a great way to share your thoughts and ideas with the world. It's relatively easy to set up and you can reach a large audience with your words. But there are also some downsides to blogging. For one, it can be time-consuming to write blog posts that are interesting and engaging. You also need to be consistent with your posting schedule in order to build up a following. And if you want to make money from your blog, you need to invest time in learning how to monetize it effectively. It is also very important to stay SEO focused with your blog if you want people to find it in search engines.
Pros:
-Can reach a large audience. If you write interesting blog posts that people want to read, your blog can reach a large number of people.
-Easy to set up. You can have a blog up and running using websites like Wix and WordPress in no time.
-You are in control of the content. You get to decide what you want to say and how you want to say it.
-Can be a great way to build up your personal brand. If you use SEO techniques, it's a great way to rank your website high on Google.
-Networking. A blog can be a great way to build relationships with other people in your industry. You can connect with other bloggers and collaborate on blog posts.
-Can be monetized. If you're looking to make some money from your blog, there are a multiple ways to start making money from your articles.
-Good if you're shy. Quite an obvious pro is you feel extremely uncomfortable in front of a mic/ camera you are able to blog by quietly yourself.
Cons:
-Can be time-consuming. Written media is always going to take longer than spoken.
-Need to be consistent. One of the keys to having a successful blog is to be consistent with your posting schedule. This can be difficult if you have a busy life or if you're struggling to come up with new ideas.
-Need to learn how to monetize. If you want to make money from your blog, you need to invest time in learning how to do it effectively. There are a lot of different ways to monetize a blog, and it can be confusing to figure out which one is right for you.
-SEO focus is important. In order to get people to find your blog, you need to focus on SEO. This can be a lot of work, and it's easy to get overwhelmed.
YouTube
YouTube is a great way to reach a wide audience with your message. There are over 1 billion active users on YouTube, and 300 hours of video are uploaded to the site every minute. You can use YouTube to build up your personal brand by creating engaging videos that are entertaining and informative. And if you optimize your videos for SEO, you can get a lot of views and grow your channel quickly.
Pros.
-Cheap. You don't need to spend any money to start a YouTube channel. All you need is a camera and an internet connection and you can start getting creative.
-Get out of your comfort zone. As mentioned above , if you're extremely introverted or just hate being on stage, podcasting or YouTubing is a great way to get your message without having to be the center of attention.
-A lot of people use it. You have 1 billion active users which means that there is a lot of potential for you to reach a wide audience with your videos.
Cons.
-You need to be interesting. YouTube is a very competitive space, and you need to make sure that your videos are interesting and engaging if you want people to watch them.
-You need to be creative. Making videos can be a lot of work, and you need to be creative in order to make them stand out from the millions of other videos on YouTube.
-You need to be consistent. Once again, consistency is key if you want to grow your YouTube channel. You need to post new videos on a regular basis if you want people to keep watching.
-You need to invest in equipment. While you don't need to spend a lot of money on equipment, you should invest in a good camera and microphone if you want your videos to look and sound professional.
So what do we advise?
If you are committed to pushing your brand, business or maybe hobby to the max you can achieve all three of these digital marketing methods. Producing Video Podcasts has grown in popularity and can be less time-consuming than you first anticipate.
It may be daunting to think about all the equipment you need for a broadcast, but it can be as simple as using your iPhone to self-record. Selected Frequencies is always going to be on hand if you need help to bring these aspects to life and to make the process extremely simple for our clients.
Once you have recorded video content, it is easy to strip the audio and edit it into an audio only format for platforms like iTunes, Spotify or other podcast directories. You can then post the blog content with a link to the audio to your website blog which will include all the key points covered in the Podcast – blog post, show notes and audio. On top of this, you can transcribe the audio and upload this to your website to increase your SEO. For us it's a no brainer, 3 pieces of content from one show.
Please send us a message here if you need any advice and we will be happy to help.
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