Which is better for promoting a B2B web site: Blog or Podcast?
Which is more effective for promoting a B2B web site: podcasts or blogs? My goal is to share information with as broad an audience as possible. This is a B2B web site aimed at mid-to-senior level sales, marketing, and product development professionals. I personally like podcasts (I listen to them in the car, while exercising, etc.), but that's just me.
Note: If you must answer "both"--please suggest which you would start with, and why?
Thanks in advance!
Good Answers (7)
Jim C.
Emerson's Chief Blogger, Community Leader, Head of Social Media, and Inventor
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It really begins with your business objectives and how your audience likes to uses the web to find answers to the issues they face. Usually Google is their starting spot. Unless you plan to transcribe your podcasts you're missing a big way for people to find your audio content. If you do transcribe the podcasts, you're pretty much back to a blog where you'd post the words and attach the podcasts.
I've not done podcasts externally on our Emerson Process Experts B2B blog, but have experimented inside the firewall on internal blogs making sales information available for our global sales force. It did not widely catch on, but like all things in the social media space, patience and persistence is required.
Also, consider using Twitter to mention when you have a new post or podcast available.
Good luck in your quest!
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Glenn L.
Experienced Marketer in Healthcare, Social Media, Events & more
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Blogs can be keyword rich, infused with SEO, and focus on content of prime importance to your target. This depends on you knowing your target's hot buttons and interests, and building your blog to incorporate effective SEO practices, using effective traffic-building link strategies (especially from sites/areas where your targets live) and focusing on the the right content.
Podcasts can be effective if your target embraces web video and/or the podcast medium. Perhaps some brief quantitative research would help you determine their media consumption preferences.
Blog, and then post both content and podcast on your blog. Both get syndicated through feedburner.com
I would start with the blog. Take a look at one of my blogs below. I do a daily podcast through this blog, which is now available through Itunes.
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Flyn P.
TeleSales Skills Webinar – Last chance to register for Unique Selling Propositions webinar on 5/22►bitly.com/usp_webinar
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You should probably take advantage of both, but the Blog will be big in promoting your site -- search engines love them.
There are a lot of other social media that can help you here as well.
Alexa R.
Creating Amatyzt.com
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I recommend doing both since some people have a preference for auditory, and others are visuals. But who has time to present the same thing two times? Not me! So, I figured out that the day I start podcasting will be the day I use software to transcribe my podcast for me. Then I will do a little editing and re-purpose the content as a blog post, an article, a white paper, an e-book, or whatever else fits with the content of the podcast.
How, you ask? A couple of years ago, I experienced some problems with my hands and was unable to type. Luckily, I discovered a speech recognition software called Dragon Naturally Speaking (Preferred). It transcribes what you say and is pretty accurate once you train it. I haven't tried version 10 yet, but it's supposed to be better than the previous versions, which I know were good. You can set Dragon to work while you are doing the podcast because it works best when you speak naturally. But you will have to read over it and do a little editing before you can publish. Unfortunately, Dragon uses a lot of a computer's resources, so don't use it if you're already on a slow PC. The Preferred version, which is recommended for small businesses, is $199.
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In terms of my own personal preference, I would always go with a video podast, as this can be very engaging and with the right presenter - a powerful way of getting information across in a slick manner. Off course complimenting this with a blog feature would only enhance your communications - but it really depends what you want to achieve i.e. just share information or really spark a communication flow of debate and opinion.
John
As always, it depends on your audience. In this case, unless your target audience spends a lot of work time in their cars, I'd go with a blog. It's als searchable and skimmable (okay so that's not a real word--don't include it in your blog).
Good luck!
More Answers (6)
Nigel M.
Creating reputations with PR & social media, helping companies make sense of & money from Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn
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Hi Kathryn,
Just as you have a preference so will you target! So go with both, but start with the blog and use that to give access to the podcast and let people nominate if they would like to receive the podcast in their inbox and similarly when there are updates to the blog.
You could also use emails to send to the people you are trying to reach!
Good luck!
Nigel Morgan
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When you created your "marketing persona's" in your plan were your targets like you or were they reading blogs with Reader? I like to suggest to clients that they do two things 1) what they like and feel comfortable with and 2) what your clients will like and feel comfortable with.
You always enjoy completing what you like doing and if you are totally into podcasts... cast away! Then hit it with your blog. Some people feel more comfortable talking then writing and that is ok.
Just commit to whatever strategy you are going to do - completely.
Jacqueline Wolven
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Steven B.
Senior Financial and Business Professional, Board Member & Devoted Father
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Both... and social networks too!
Kim B.
Executive Producer- creative illusions Video Productions Atlanta, RDU and Washington DC twitter.com/ciproductions
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Kathryn,
Since they are totally different, the question is what do you want want the interactive medium to do for your site? What is the benefit of either to your prospect? What is the message that you are conveying to your clients?
This will help to determine which medium is the best to start with.
Kim Brame
Links:
Blog is far larger group. Podcasts are more specific.
Zeta Interactive has an approach that covers both. The key is to not choose one over the other but choose a clear, easily repurposed message that can be used by either or. What we do is PR and outreach to the blogosphere (and "podosphere"), and also monitior over 100 million of these outlets to provide a concise metric on your message.
Check it out.
www.zetainteractive.com
If I had to choose? Unless you have a popular blog already I would pick viral video (pod) and be exceptionally creative in your production. It's easier to obtain interest in vid than the written word. Sad but true.
If your message is interesting and you know some popular bloggers who would be receptive than start with that.
