Podcasting is a ubiquitous medium these days, with everyone from famous celebs to aspiring amateurs getting in on the act.
It’s also an arena that businesses and brands are leveraging to connect with customers and extend their reach to new markets.
If you want to launch a podcast with a view to catalyzing growth within your own company, the following tips will make this process easier.
Podcasts Are One Type Of Inbound Marketing
B2B inbound marketing is a means of attracting and encouraging users to engage with your organization, and podcasts are just one example of this.
The idea is that you need to see your podcast as a distinct type of content that’s not explicitly advertorial, but rather builds interest in your business by demonstrating expertise and delivering value to prospects who encounter it.
For example, it could primarily focus on delivering interesting interviews with industry experts, giving insights and info to listeners while interspersing this with branded messaging.
That way you’re not overtly selling to your audience at every opportunity, but giving them a reason to come to you and nurturing the organic growth of your customer base.
Audio Quality Is Key
You might think that putting together a podcast is simpler than something like video production, and to an extent this is true.
However, that doesn’t mean you can afford to cut corners either, especially when it comes to the quality of the audio you’re putting out there. Most people will be listening on headphones, where poor quality recording equipment will stick out like a sore thumb.
The good news is that there are effective, affordable podcasting microphones out there on the market that don’t cost the earth, and will be much better than any built-in recording hardware that you might find on a typical smartphone or laptop.
Branding Will Make A Difference
Your podcast is a marketing tool for your business, and it must also be branded in a compelling way to gain traction.
This means you’ll have to think carefully about what to call it, and also factor in things like logo design, audio themes, stings and jingles to give it personality, and so on.
Generally it’s sensible to tie this in with the existing identifiers of your brand, including corporate colors and overall tone.
Brevity Is Beneficial
Some of the most popular podcasts in the world last more than an hour each episode, but this is very much the opposite of what a business should be aiming for with its own creation.
You don’t have to be too prescriptive in terms of length, but sticking to something below the 30 minute mark makes sense in most cases. Don’t be afraid to go shorter if it’s warranted; a branded podcast that fits into 10 to 15 minutes is ideal for snackable listening, working around the busy schedules of your audience.
Consistency Is Useful For Growing A Following
Another point to make about starting a podcast is that you will only be able to get an audience onboard if they can reliably know when your episodes are going to be released.
Whether you stick to a weekly schedule, or have a podcast that appears on a monthly basis, it’s best to adhere to predetermined intervals, rather than being intermittent or sporadic.
Relevance Must Be A Priority
As with any type of content marketing, your podcast has to be of interest to your audience. So while you could win over more people with a show covering broader topics, this won’t drive growth as much as a more focused offering.
If in doubt, check out what the rest of the industry is doing with its podcasts, and see if you can get a sense of the topics and formats which work best.
Publishing Is The Last Hurdle
The most basic way to publish a podcast is to post it to your company’s website and make it available for direct download or on-page streaming.
However, you might also consider adding it to separate podcast hosting networks, like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
There are costs involved, of course. But reaching bigger audiences is only possible with the help of third party platforms like these.
The Bottom Line
Podcasts are not a quick fix for your marketing strategy, but a slow burner that will gain momentum over time. The value they bring to the table should not be underestimated, so handle them well and you’ll reap the rewards further down the line.
Ella Marcotte
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