Podcasting provides many opportunities for businesses, but producing constant and consistent podcasts can be difficult. If that’s the case, why consider podcasting? Creating a good podcast can take up prescious time. There’s more to it than just clicking “record” on your device and uploading it to the internet.
According to recent figures, around 98 million people in the United States listen to podcasts every year. Among them, more than half listen to them every month. With such a demand for them, now is probably a good time for you to consider getting into podcasting.
It takes a lot of research and planning to become successful in podcasting. Podcasters should have some technical abilities and skills in managing social media networks. It’s important to promote your podcast and engage the target audience. Take time to carefully plan each of your podcast episodes. Giving a lot of thought to the content is important and will help you to achieve better results.
For businesses, podcasting is now regarded as an important and compelling way to communicate with clients or customers. It’s also a good way for your business to get noticed by competitors.
Podcasting can enhance the profile of a business and help it to be seen as an industry leader. However, because producing them can be time consuming, you should be mindful of your time management. If you become too engrossed in podcasting, it might lead to other parts of your business not getting enough attention. Podcasting is fun, but don’t get carried away by spending too much time producing them. Heres why businesses should get a better understanding and consider podcasting:
Podcasting for Subtle Business Branding
As a business owner, you’ll be aware that too much branding can be damaging. There’s some evidence that shows people become suspicious and sometimes avoid brands that are loaded with too many marketing messages or advertisements. To avoid this, business podcasts can be used to subtly help in the process of branding, while making it less prominent.
In the digital world of podcasts, storytelling can be an important way for your business to engage with customers. Try using stories with enlightening, valuable and appropriate messages to entertain and inform your audience. It will hep your business to connect with consumers of your brand and develop a dedicated audience.
Creating a corporate blog is an alternative way to help businesses interact directly with their customers. The problem is that it takes a lot of work trying to keep them attention-grabbing with content fresh. They also require some knowledge of SEO as well. There’s a risk of losing readers as they become more aware that the blog is designed ultimately to sell the company’s products. This is why podcasts like audio content can be much better at implementing an understated business promotion approach.
Podcasts are Mobile-Friendly and Easiy to Consume
Unlike videos and blogs, podcasts don’t need your complete attention. They can be listened to while doing other things such as working or driving. It isn’t essential for you to stop what you are doing to concentrate on the content. You can listen to podcasts while on the go, without too much disruption to what else you’re doing.
Experts suggest that marketers should update their promotional approach often. This can be achieved through better understanding the behaviour of consumers across different generations. This is why podcasts created by businesses should focus on targeting and being of service to their audience.
Quick Results or Turn-Around Time
Businesses should at least give podcasts a try because of the immediate results they can bring. Once you get into it, you’ll begin to produce your podcasts quickly, after the planning stage, no matter which audio software you’re using to edit them. With practice it shouldn’t take too much time to edit a podcast.
There are various ways you can quickly come up with a podcast for your business goods and services by following the steps below:
- Recording a discussion
- Adding a short and simple introduction about the product or company
- Adding theme music
- Listening to the recorded conversation to make sure it sounds clear and that the message is conveyed effectively
- Editing the discussion to make it relevant, useful and to the point
- Saving it in the correct format – usually MP3
Follow these simple steps and you’ll soon be ready to upload your podcast to your website or distribution platform.
Good Quality Podcasts Reflect Brand Personality
Podcasts don’t just offer customer value, they also reflect the fundamental values and the individuality of the company. It is far more beneficial to express the brand and its standing vocally, rather than with the written word.
The podcast released under your company name, should be fun, geeky and amusing, or whatever reflects you target audience. Always make sure it’s engaging from the start. Presenting it in a way which reflects your brand values and specific targeting, will help strengthen your connection with customers.
Consider Podcasting for Wider Audience, Higher Reach
Publishing a podcast on platforms like Stitcher and iTunes means your business is exposing its content or service to a potentially vast audience. It enables you to reach a lot of people at very little cost.
These platforms also work as search engines and are used by potential customers looking for podcasts on a particular topic and sometimes, popular songs at the same time. This can help a company to receive organic reach and publicity, which can widen the audience and help grow numbers.
Furthermore, podcasts can help businesses to develop customer loyalty by producing regular content. People are generally in the habit of subscribing to podcasts and listening to them regularly. If the content is informative and useful, there’s a possibility of listeners endorsing the podcasts to others. This will also help businesses to grow their reach quickly and significantly. Recommendation by word of mouth is an important way to increase traffic and new listeners.
Improved Relations with Consumers
Podcasts can’t really be described as a directional platform, they are unidirectional. They can help companies in growing better relations with their customers. The audience will begin feel that they can relate to the individual speaking on the podcast. They begin to feel that they’re getting to know the host of the show.
One fundamental reason why people listen regularly to podcasts is that they develop a certain mutual understanding between the company and the speaker. This can help to cement a good relation with customers, which further helps in growing loyalty.
The whole process encourages customers to remain connected with the business. It often leads to better conversions because people are more likely to do business with those they regard as acquaintances, than with people they don’t know.
Why Consider Podcasting – The Bottom Line
A large number of businesses are increasingly utilizing the value of podcasting. They are doing it to reach more potential customers, increase profits and strengthen loyalty.
Use podcasting to get your message out there, because it’s one of the most influential marketing tools used by business. Having said that, with any type of marketing and content management, achieving the right business podcasts will ultimately come down to the importance, value and genuineness of attitude towards customers. There is no single formula to success, but businesses who are enthusiastic about experimenting with podcasting, will learn much about their customers and their business too.