If you haven’t already heard, podcasting is a great marketing tool that has gained immense popularity over the past few years. Research shows that 40% of Australians aged 18 and over listen to a podcast monthly. These consumption habits present a lucrative opportunity for your business. Podcasts allow you to share information and content with your customers in a way that visuals and words can’t. That, and a few other benefits, are what makes podcasting special. Read on to learn more about how you can use podcasting as a marketing tool.
How to create a podcast for marketing
A podcast is a digital audio recording that can be downloaded or listened to on the internet. They usually come in episodes, or instalments, that can cover a range of topics or focus on a particular niche.
This is why podcasts offer a unique opportunity as a form of marketing. You can form a connection with your audience in a way that you wouldn’t be able to with other forms of marketing. For starters, your listeners can access your podcasts from virtually anywhere and at any time. They can tune in from their cars during school drop-off or on the way to work. They can listen to half now and pick up where they left off tomorrow without you having to worry that you lost their attention. They’re content gold mines. And they help you build loyal audiences.
To create a successful podcast, make sure that your:
- Content is engaging and what your subscribers want to listen to
- Episodes are consistent
- Audio is high-quality
- The episode structure is clear
- Podcast has a distinct brand and personality
5 benefits of podcasting for your business
1. They give you access
You want to target your marketing messaging to the audiences that will subscribe to or purchase your products and services. A podcast will allow you access to the right people, i.e. your target audience. To reach your customers through your podcast, talk about things that you know will be interesting to them. Interviewing guests can also garner interest in your podcast because you can access your interviewee’s audiences and get them clued up on your brand.
2. They increase engagement
Research shows that we are trained to understand better when we listen compared to when we read. That’s because we develop our listening skills well before we develop our reading skills. So it should stand to reason that we pay more attention and comprehend better when we’re spoken to rather than when we have to read. And that’s probably the reason why podcasts are so popular. Subscribers tend to hang on to your words from a podcast which makes them an effective tool for marketing. Statistics show that more than 50% of listeners find podcast advertising engaging. So once your customers find your content easy to consume, they’ll be hungry for more and keep engaging.
3. They’re cost-effective
The equipment needed for a podcast is generally affordable and you don’t need to put in as much money as you would when advertising using other methods.
You’re also almost guaranteed that your subscribers will listen to your ads because they’re often performing other tasks while listening and so they won’t skip the ads. And this can be proven to be successful since a survey found that 63% of podcast listeners bought a product that they heard a podcast host advertise. So if you don’t have to put in as much nurturing as you would with other marketing channels, you can focus your time and money on other strategies.
4. They build a connection
Podcast listeners are looking for a sense of community. They want to hear about the niches they’re interested in and from people that are just as passionate as they are. Plus, podcast hosts are able to open up more during their conversations where you get to hear their voices and the emotion behind them. This builds up a personal relationship and connection with their audiences and it’s exactly what customers are looking for. Sprout Social reports that 64% of consumers want brands to connect with them and 49% expect brands to bring people together towards one goal, i.e. a sense of community.
5. as They increase traffic and conversions
Because you’ve built these connections with your audience, they tend to become more loyal. They feel like they know the person behind the podcast personally and so they trust them and their opinions. Having this loyalty means that your listeners are more likely to buy from you and this can increase traffic and conversions.
Frequently Asked Questions about podcasts
How do I record a podcast?
Recording a podcast is easy. All you need is a device or software to record your audio. You can use a portable recording device, record directly with an audio editing software, via conferencing software like Zoom or Skype or remote recording platforms. Whichever way you choose to record your podcast, just ensure that you’re getting high-quality audio so you can give your listeners the best experience.
Where can I publish my podcasts?
There are many platforms to publish your podcasts on. A few popular ones include Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and iHeartRadio. When choosing where to publish, look for a platform that you know your target audience frequents or where it would be easiest for them to access your podcast.
How much time does podcasting take?
Podcasts are usually time-efficient marketing tools because they don’t take up a lot of time to record and edit. Depending on the length of each episode and your skill level, it can take at least a full work day to get a podcast episode ready for publishing.
Do people actually listen to podcasts?
Yes, people do listen to podcasts. It might sound too good to be true but there are millions of people that listen to podcasts every day. There are 383.7 million people that listen to podcasts and that number is said to increase by 11% by the end of this year and that’s why you should add them to your digital marketing strategy.