Podcast Marketing: How Effectively Are You Deploying This Definitive Marketing
Each day starts and usually ends with the same BIG question from our clients and prospects. They ask us, “How can I grow my business and capture my fair market share?” Our answer is quite simple, “Build yourself a base of prospects and work that pipeline relentlessly and efficiently.” Over the past decade, the Internet has created many breakthrough marketing mediums. From successful ezine publishing and distribution straight through to more pronounced search engine optimization practices. Whether you are in the process of developing a new marketing strategy or looking to expand a current one, podcasting and podcast marketing are great ways to expand your reach!
Podcasting is an excellent medium with vast potential that many companies have yet to explore. Subscribing to a podcast allows listeners to effortlessly download a show (information and entertainment) right onto a phone or other device so your audience can listen wherever and whenever they like. Plus, as an added benefit to you and your valuable advertisers, you can track every hit listener around the clock.
Podcast Marketing: Anyone Can Do This!
First, What is Podcasting?
Podcasting is a term that manifested as a way to describe the technology used to prepare and share audio content from websites down to consumers or clients of that content, who usually listen to it on a mobile device or any other type of .mp3 player at their command, convenience, and control.
Podcasting is somewhat similar to time-shifted video software and devices like TiVo, which let you watch what you want exactly when you want it by simply recording and storing video, except that podcasting is primarily used for audio. With that stated, however, this easy-to-use emerging technology can push any file such as images, software updates, videos, and text.
Podcasting uses an XML-based technology called RSS (Real Simple Syndication). Content publishers (podcasters) describe new content in an XML RSS file, including dates, titles, descriptions, and specific links to the .mp3 files. This “automatically” generated file is referred to as an RSS feed. Dave Winer is considered the creator of RSS and a pioneer in the environment of applied XML. The component to making Podcasting work with RSS is “enclosures” an element supported by RSS 2.0.
As a consumer or end-user, you run an “aggregator” program like MTV’s Adam Curry’s iPodder software on your local computer, which lets you easily subscribe to RSS feeds. These programs, like Adam’s, will download the RSS files and check if any fresh content is available, either by schedule or by random design. If new content exists, the audio files are automatically downloaded and put into a folder (of your choice) on your desktop or directly routed to your listening device.
Why Podcast?
If you are still skeptical about how effective podcasting can be, take a look at some undeniable statistics.
- 78% of Americans are aware of podcasting.
- According to The Infinite Dial 2021 from Edison Research and Triton Digital, it is estimated that over 162 million have listened to at least 1 podcast episode.
- 41% of Americans listen to podcasts monthly, which has grown by 61.5% in 3 years.
- 38% of podcast listeners purchase products mentioned in a podcast.
- Podcasts are effective in engaging “ad avoiders.” This is especially effective for marketers to engage a hard-to-reach demographic.
- The Podcast Trends Report 2019 reported:
- 86.5% of podcast listeners listen to podcast ads, about 90% think these ads are effective, and 55.6% have purchased an item advertised on a podcast.
Benefits of Podcast Marketing
Podcast marketing is the act of building a strategy and using marketing tactics geared towards growing your audience and awareness through the use of audio content. So how exactly do businesses benefit from using this platform? Podcasting allows businesses to increase awareness around their brand and company, create a connection with listeners and potential customers, increase traffic to their website, and build authority within their industry. Eventually, all these benefits can lead to an increase in revenue once a trusting relationship has been established with your audience.
When stated that “Anyone Can Do This,” it should more accurately say, “Anyone that properly learns (from a real professional) and activates their own podcast process can reap the significant harvest of BIGGER numbers by creating and nurturing their own emerging community. As an online business owner, this is HUGE and required! This marketing solution can not only make you financially solvent, but it can even make you a “STAR” by becoming a thought leader for your industry.
Fitting The Podcast Magic into Your Arsenal
Here is a list of things to do to prepare yourself for your first Podcast presentation.
1. Research the Podcast Element
Learn what podcasting is all about and how it works.
2. Physically Search Out Only the True Professionals
Create a list of those Podcasters that undeniably know precisely what they are doing. Align yourself with the best. From this list, pick a few professionals and reach out to see if you can get some tips that made them successful. If you cannot locate an actual point of contact, wipe them from your list. You want to do business with those that believe in “touching” their market with more intimacy and one-to-one personalization. Remember, you are looking for a friend. A mentor. Not necessarily someone to take your money and be off. A solid partnership, or friendship, is your objective here.
3. Discover Your Passion
What passion do you want to share with others? What actual value will your audience glean from you? Who is your target audience? Understand your “WHY”!
4. Develop Your Plan & Work Your Process
What do you need to learn, and what do you need to do? What specific date will you be ready? Who will provide you with the support you need to fulfill your plan? What equipment is required?
5. Make Your Podcast Happen!
As you roll out your “new-to-you” adventure, do not expect total perfection on day one. Be kind to yourself and know that you will evolve. We all started from square one. Enough practice and desire can make you near perfect but be fair with yourself and allow some time to grow.
Listen to other Pro-Podcasters. Listen to your local radio stations. Read books and articles like this one daily. The more you learn, the better you will become.
6. Finally, No Excuses!
Know this, others will talk about it but never make their move. You, on the other hand, should not accept any excuses and get to work on your first podcast right away. Don’t let the “what-ifs” stand in your way. At the very least, be sure to move podcasting up to the top of your “TO-DO” list!
Podcast Promotion and Marketing Strategy
After you take the podcasting leap and begin sharing your content, you will then wonder how you can grow your market to reap all the benefits of podcasting as mentioned previously.
- Promote your podcast on social media. Engage with your network consistently and determine who your community is and what benefit you can provide them. Share new episodes and content that relates to specific episodes or the series. The content you share should spark conversations and interests and be valuable to your followers. It is also necessary to interact with your audience consistently once you share this content.
- SEO. Once you put in all the hard work it takes to create a good podcast, you want to make sure people are able to find it! Use keywords, tags, and your website links to direct listeners to your podcast and website. This will help you rank higher on search engines and increase your chances of potential leads seeing your content when they search for relevant topics. Use your keywords in the podcast/episode descriptions, titles, and episode notes. It is also helpful to transcribe the entire episode into the notes section.
- Invite high-profile guest speakers within your industry to your show. Inviting guest speakers onto your podcast opens the door to a whole new audience, your guest’s audience! The guest speaker will most likely promote the episode to their own networks which will hopefully turn into more awareness of you and your future episodes while also providing great insight and value to your current listeners.
- Purchase a Sponsored Ad slot. If you are able to afford an ad slot it can be extremely helpful to promote your podcast or product. When you purchase an ad slot it will be broadcasted on shows similar to yours and read by the host of that show. This is extremely helpful if you get onto a show with a large audience or following that is engaged with the content.
In Closing
We have illustrated only a fraction of what you must know before piling into your podcast endeavor full steam ahead. If you really want to crank up the heat on your marketing efforts, podcasting can give you a significant marketing advantage. Be sure to spend some time to identify and experiment with all marketing angles that will produce an ongoing, money-generating podcast production for all the world to hear!
Happy Podcast Marketing!
Categories:Podcasting
