Blogging vs. YouTube: Everything You Need to Know as a Small Business Owner

As someone well-versed in both blogging and YouTube, this is one of my fave resources to pull together. I’m such an advocate for having a long-form content channel to support your business for longevity and that know-like-trust factor, and blogging and YouTube are the top contenders.

(I love podcasting, too, but it doesn’t offer the same compounding factor blogging and YouTube do).

When it comes to both, there’s pros, cons, and differences, but there’s also so much overlap — which both makes this decision (choosing between blogging vs. YouTube) both easier AND harder.

Want the quicker break down? Watch this:

The Stats: Breaking Down the Data of Blogging vs. YouTube

In business, it’s your responsibility to make educated decisions on the things you invest in, even if that thing is simply time and not money. Which is why when you’re comparing anything, you have to consider the data behind the thing before making a decision or commitment.

The same applies to blogging and YouTube! So, here’s some of the key stats to consider when comparing the two:

It’s also important to note that when I talk about blogging, I specifically mean SEO blogging and having your content show up in search engines, like Google.

#1. The ROI

First, let’s talk about the ROI of blogging. Did you know that on average, companies that blog generate 67% more leads than those who don’t? Or that 71% of B2B buyers consume blog content at some point during the buyer’s journey (or if you’re considering B2C, read how 24% of my client’s high-ticket program applicants landed on a blog post before applying here or how a Pinterest Marketer earned over $2,000+ from one blog post).

When it comes to YouTube, it’s not a platform to fall behind when it comes to ROI. In fact, 70% of viewers have made a purchase after seeing a brand on YouTube.

But, honestly — they’re nearly the same, and it’s because both blogging and YouTube have a compounding ROI which leads to companies having an ROI of over 300% (and more) the longer they create the long-form content.

Both blogging and YouTube thrive on “SEO” or search engine optimization, they’re just showing up on two different types (both owned by the same company: ahem, GOOGLE).

TL;DR when it comes to ROI, you can pick either and see just as much return on your investment.

#2. Your Time Commitment

I really don’t think you’re ready for this conversation, but blogging wins when it comes to time commitment — but just barely. Research shows that the average YouTube video takes around 7 hours to record, edit, and publish. Blogging, however, takes an average of 3 hours and 55 minutes.

Both are bullsh*t in the long run because both blogging and YouTube can move much quicker, especially for us business owners (and this is coming from someone who does both). When you can get a good workflow, blogging should only take around 45 minutes to an hour an a half, MAX.

YouTube is about the same — in fact, there’s a program that I’m absolutely obsessed (and have participated in) called The Low Lift Club where some members only spend an hour on their YouTube each month and still make back what they’re spending (and then some).

Now, if you’re considering outsourcing it because you don’t have time for either, highly recommend blogging — it’s easier to outsource writing and sounding like you than it is to AI (ew) your face for a YouTube video.

TL;DR with the right support, you can DIY both blogging and YouTube in just a few hours a month (yay!).

#3. Your Goals

Let’s talk what your goals are and why we’re even here today — what’s the driving reasons you’re researching blogging vs YouTube in the first place? Are you…

• ISO additional visibility because you’ve already sold to your current audience?
• Looking to build brand trust for long-term conversions?
• Trying to increase conversions ASAP because you’re hitting a slow season in your business?
• Creating more ways to bring in an audience that doesn’t require you to log in 24/7 like socials?
• Trying to connect with more problem aware or solution aware members of your audience?

Now, the cool thing about both blogging and YouTube is that they’re very similar in what you can achieve: on-going sales, conversions, and visibility from a singular piece of content (which lasts for years).

Both blogging and YouTube have the ability to meet searchers (because they are searchers, remember, SEO) where they’re at based on the content you create — for example, you can create for your top-of-funnel audience who are trying to figuring out what their problem is, to your problem-aware, to your solution-aware.

TL;DR both blogging and YouTube are perfect for your longevity goals, but do take time to work. So they’re not ideal if you need conversions like, yesterday.

So, Should You Start Blogging or Launch a YouTube Channel?

Honestly, it comes down to personal preference and where you want to spend your time, energy, or money. Both bring very similar benefits (including increased conversions and a compounding ROI), but it depends on your preferences.

Starting a blog for your business is best if you…

• Have little time, but have money to outsource, as an SEO blog content writer is able to do it for you (unlike YouTube, which requires YOU).
• Need a more flexible schedule for content creation — blogging can be pieced together over the course of a week or whenever you have time and published at any point, you don’t have to record in one sitting.
• Enjoy writing over recording! You don’t even have to be a “good writer,” it’s more about having good structure and writing for your reader. But there’s a bit more freedom and flexibility when you don’t have to be camera-ready.

But, launching a YouTube channel is best for you if you just prefer recording or having that on-film connection. There’s parts of YouTube you CAN outsource (like your video editing or getting support your strategy), but at the end of the day it’s still YOU and your face.

And if you’re going the YouTube route, I actually recommend blogging alongside it! It’s a great aide for long blog posts and, if you know what you’re doing, is a great source of material to repurpose into the blog post itself.

**If you’re ready to start blogging, get the free SEO Blog Post Checklist → it’s the best starter for writing a blog post that ranks.**

More of a YouTube-inclined creator? Join the Low-Lift Club and don’t forget to mention I (Mckayla 😉) sent you!