Podcasts have long gone mainstream, with subscriptions to podcasts crossing 1 billion long back in 2013 and over 67 million men and women being monthly podcast consumers. Monthly listeners have grown steadily through 2017 from 21% to 24% year over year. Unfortunately only about 6% of online marketers have warmed up to producing podcast content. The on-demand audio format of podcasts makes it ideal for reaching people even when they aren’t sitting at their computers, unlike video content. Businesses can reach out to more people and more often through podcasts even when they are working out at the gym, running, driving to work or working around the house. Podcasting doesn’t just develop your brand and establish you as experts in your industry; it also helps start meaningful conversations with potential and existing customers. More amazingly nearly 63 percent of podcast listeners made a purchase based on something recommended during the broadcast. So even if you have never sat down in front of a mic there are basic steps you can take to plan and start out on your podcasting journey and then grow it as a tool to market your online presence.
Focus On Quality Podcasts
When starting your own podcast it is important to focus on quality and consistency in terms of publishing schedule. While articles take just a few minutes to read, podcasts depend on people to tune in for 15-20 minutes in general. It is quite a challenge in terms of time investment to produce podcasts but if the content is of a high quality, intellectually stimulating and personalized for your consumers then it will definitely enthral and engage listeners. When the content connects with the audience, they are more likely to take the actions you want them to take after learning about your product or service.
Fix On Your Basic Show Format
Have a content strategy in place to plan your very own podcast. Some of the most important considerations are the theme and topic/s for your show. Will you be focusing on a wide range of topics around your industry or will it serve your business better to focus on a unique subject, especially if you have a niche audience? Podcast topics don’t have to be relevant to your product/service only rather content can be developed around your customers and their interests. Do plan out the structure, length and the format of your podcast. Think of how often you want to release a new episode – daily, weekly, fortnightly? Then keep to a regular structure and schedule so that your audience knows what to expect, and when, as it will help you retain listeners. Then go about recording your podcast. As an online content creator, you can start recording a podcast easily and at low cost, with just a microphone, a laptop computer, free editing software, and solid web hosting,
Getting Your Content Published
Now that you have the finished product, the next step is to actually get your content published for more people and the process involves podcast hosting, syndicating your RSS Feed with directories & submitting to channels, followed by promotion and publicity activities. There are several different directories you can upload your RSS feed to, which will get you the maximum exposure. iTunes and Stitcher are the most popular directories at the moment but you should also distribute your content to other platforms such as SoundCloud!
To let more people know that you have released your podcast, you have to promote it well. There are different ways of creating hype and promoting your podcast. The most obvious way is to promote it on affiliated social media platforms for your business and even from your personal accounts. This way your connections, family and friends are aware of the podcasts being published for your business.
Use a sign-up form on your mailing list to subscribe to your podcast and encourage visitors to your blog or website to listen to your episode(s) and share it with others.
You can use your company’s email list to keep your audience informed about your episodes and any relevant updates.
Monetize Your Podcast
You can leverage your audience engagement and the relationship you have managed to form with your audiences to monetize your podcast. If you have brilliant content, a sizeable number of episodes published and decent number of followers, then you can use the ‘Pay-per-listen Model’ where the episodes are accessible to listeners when they pay. You can also look at rehashing your podcast content into an e-book, or other forms of content and earn off it. The obvious and most direct way of advertising is to provide information on your product or service in order to promote it on your own podcast. Your listeners will soon evolve into paying customers. If you run a fairly popular podcast channel you can reel in paid placement or sponsorship, where you get paid a fee to talk about the sponsor’s product, service or even their own content channels. Lastly there is affiliate marketing, where you promote any product or service and request listeners to use the affiliate code that you provide them while checking out.
Create Podcasts To Rule The Digital Airwaves
There is so much evidence to prove that podcasting isn’t just a fad but a valuable tool you should consider adding to your online marketing oeuvre. Starting your own podcast may seem a little intimidating but it is one bandwagon you should jump on sooner rather than later to fully reap the benefits or else risk falling behind. Get in touch with DirectiveGroup to add podcasts to your own marketing campaign mix. Connect with your audience base to get amazing results for your business!
