Podcasting has become very popular over the last decade. The podcasting community now boasts millions of listeners who tune into podcasts every week. This means that businesses should consider using podcasts to promote their brand or services.
A podcast is a series of audio files hosted on a website. These files are usually recorded through a microphone connected to a computer. They can be downloaded onto mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Podcasting is a great way to reach out to potential customers. In addition to being cost-effective, they also provide excellent exposure for your company. If you want to learn more about why you should start a podcast, check out these reasons below.
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Podcast A podcast is an audio series that a user can download to a personal device and listen to at their leisure. |
Why Podcasting is Important for Business
In today's digital age, people can easily access information online. However, reading an article on a website requires a lot of effort. People would rather spend their time doing other things such as watching videos, listening to music, playing games, or browsing social networks.
To make it easier for users to consume information, podcasting was invented. With podcasting, users can listen to audio files instead of reading articles. These files are short, they're ideal for catching up on current events, sports scores, or popular culture.
Podcasts are great for listening to when you're exercising, commuting, vacuuming, and pretty much anytime someone else wants to listen.
Here are some reasons a podcast is important for business:
1. Increase Traffic Generation
Podcasts can be used to attract new audiences for your business by building familiarity. The power of podcasts is undeniable. They are one of the most effective ways to build brand awareness and increase traffic generation. Podcast listeners tend to subscribe to a show they like so they can listen regularly.
This leads to increased loyalty amongst those who do listen. And because people tend to listen to what they already know, if your podcast is relevant to your industry, your audience will likely keep listening. As a result, it can boost your reach and lead generation pretty quickly.
2. Improve Conversion
A podcast is a one-way medium, so it may seem odd to say that listening to podcasts regularly could help you improve conversions. However, by building strong relationships with listeners through regular podcasting, you give the impression that you're someone who people want to listen to.
Podcasts are popular because people have something in common with their speakers or brands. When the relationship between them is good, it creates trust, and listeners want to be affiliated with you.
If people see you as their friend rather than just another salesperson, they're more likely to buy from you which increases conversion rates.
3. Low Competition
Content marketing is competitive and a combination of tactics including podcasting will give you a chance to succeed in the market.
To be successful at digital marketing, you need to find topics or types of articles that get lots of attention from readers and have few competitors. That’s exactly what podcasts provide.
There are around 200 million Facebook Business Pages but only 700,000 Podcasts airing. When searching for specific topics, the numbers shrink even further.
There might be just a few others who discuss the topic related to your business, but there could be hundreds or even thousands of people listening.
With so few podcasts competing for attention, it's easy to get noticed and gain listeners!
Here are the top digital marketing podcasts you should try.
4. Highly Engaging
With so much information available online, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of written material. Audio information provides an alternative medium through which you can communicate your message in a highly engaging way. You can leave enough space for people to interact with you directly, something that written media doesn't always allow.
Research shows that 38% of listeners report purchasing things that are mentioned in podcasts. This means that podcasts can be a powerful tool for increasing revenue.
5. Convenient
With podcasts, you don't need an audience who is too busy to listen and give value. The great thing with podcasts is that listeners can download episodes and re-listen at any time. Running, jogging, working, relaxing - wherever the listener chooses, he/she can listen to a new show without any effort.
If people who listen to your podcasts can download them automatically when you publish new ones, it's much faster than searching for a keyword on Google and then finding your content.
6. Easy to get started
If you want to start a podcast, obviously the more successful your podcast is going to be, the more you'll want to invest in equipment, software, and a good connection to the web. However, if you're just beginning out, it's pretty easy to get started. You'll just require a PC, laptop, or smartphone, some software, and a decent broadband connection to the internet.
7. Builds Brand Authority
It doesn't matter whether you're the first company in your industry to start producing podcasts or one of the last companies to adopt the strategy; podcasts can help you gain authority. By giving people more ways to consume and listen to your content, you become the go‑to business they turn to for advice and guidance.
To be successful at podcasting, combine your efforts with audio and video content, a dedicated blog post, and a social media presence, and then you've covered all the bases to establish yourself as the leader.
8. Brand Awareness
There are lots of podcast directories out there where people search for topics and industries they're interested in. If you're one of these, that's a good place to be.
Podcasts allow for a lot of brand building without having to spend a lot of money. Your logo will appear in the artwork or if you are creating a video podcast, on the videos themselves.
You might mention your company name in both the introduction and conclusion of the podcast as well as during the actual episode. And since podcasts aren't really meant for selling anything, listeners won't feel like they're being sold to.
9. Interactive for the Audience
Podcasts are very engaging because listeners can interact with hosts during episodes by asking them questions and commenting on their content.
A host can use call-in shows, audience polling, and answering listeners' calls just like a traditional radio station would. These features help bring listeners into the show and make them feel more like they're interacting with the hosts instead of passively listening to audio.
This interactivity allows brands to connect with their audiences at an even deeper emotional and personal level. Few content formats allow for this kind of brand-customer engagement.
10. Great for Onboarding
When dealing with industries where the average life expectancy of a prospect is long, the process of educating them about your company and your product can be quite tricky, costly, and time-consuming.
You can use your podcast as an excellent way to educate clients and get them up to speed quickly. When you talk to a new client, chances are they're already familiar with you so you don't need to spend too much of their valuable marketing budget educating them.
11. Attract high-quality customers and clients
Many marketers struggle with "churn" — clients who don't stay loyal. A good example of an industry where churn is costly and where the customer lifetime worth is high is podcasts. Many of our clients say that podcasts aren't the biggest drivers of leads but they're the best educational platforms (outperforming videos).
Podcasts are a great way to educate your audience, build trust, and increase brand awareness. But you have to be smart about how you use them. You need to make sure you're not just throwing content out there without any thought or strategy behind it.
12. New channel to attract your target audience
Podcasts are a fresh new method of increasing your business' visibility and awareness. Some consumers who haven't yet heard of your company may learn about it through podcasts. They will be another channel for growing your loyal customer base.
Your target market is most likely made up of potential customers, but it can be an effective way to recruit employees for your business. Podcasts can help grow your brand and attract new talent.
It's important that podcasts can be designed not just for scaling, but also for effective strategies for retaining those existing customers who buy products or order services from you.
13. Increasing the loyalty of existing customers
to build a successful business, it's essential to cultivate strong relationships with your existing customers. Failure to do so can result in a lack of loyalty, leading to a decline in sales and ultimately, the failure of your business.
Therefore, it's crucial to appreciate and nurture the loyalty of those who have already chosen to do business with you.
One effective way to maintain and increase customer loyalty is through the use of podcasts. Podcasting provides an intimate platform to connect with your audience directly, without the need for intermediaries such as social media platforms.
By sharing useful and engaging content related to your business, you can further engage your audience and keep them interested in your products and services.
It's also important to create a personalized experience for your customers. By understanding their needs and preferences, you can tailor your offerings to provide a more personalized experience. This can include customized recommendations, exclusive offers, and personalized communication.
By investing in customer success, you can increase customer loyalty, drive revenue, and ultimately build a successful and sustainable business. So, make sure to prioritize building and nurturing strong relationships with your existing customer base.
14. Alternative to video
Podcasts are a great alternative to video content. Although video is a powerful tool for capturing the attention of your audience, it requires more resources and preparation than podcasts.
With podcasts, you can create content that is easy to produce and can still deliver value to your audience.
One of the biggest advantages of podcasts is that they can be consumed on-the-go. People can listen to them while commuting, working out, or doing other activities. This makes podcasts an excellent way to reach busy individuals who may not have the time or attention span for video content.
Another advantage of podcasts is that they allow for more creative freedom. While video requires careful attention to visuals and editing, podcasts rely more on storytelling and conversation. You can have guests, hosts, and even call-in questions from your audience, creating an engaging and interactive experience.
15. You can repurpose them
Podcasts are also a great way to repurpose existing content. If you have a blog or video series, you can easily adapt the content into a podcast format, giving your audience more ways to consume your content.
Repurposing content like this not only saves time, but it also makes it easier to reach a broader audience by offering multiple ways for people to engage with your content.
By transforming existing content into a podcast, you can provide your audience with an entirely new experience of your brand.
For example, if you have a blog post about a particular topic, you can expand on it in your podcast and provide additional insights, tips, and advice that your audience may find valuable. This creates a sense of exclusivity, where listeners can access information that's not available anywhere else.
Furthermore, repurposing content into a podcast also makes it more accessible for those who prefer to listen rather than read or watch. This can include people who are on the go, multitasking or have visual impairments.
By providing a podcast option, you're making it easier for these individuals to consume your content in a way that suits them best.
Start Podcasting for your Business
Podcasts are an effective way to provide useful information to prospects and current clients. They help you create valuable, engaging audio and video material that people want to hear and see.
If you run a business, consider starting one if you want to grow your business. A podcast can be used as a tool to help you develop your audience, products, and services. You can also create a community around your company using a podcast.
With all the benefits podcasts offer, it's easy for business owners to understand why they should consider starting one. To learn more about how to get going with podcasting, check out our guide to getting started with podcasting.
