How Podcasting Can Help Grow Your Business

Podcasts are more popular than ever, but did you know that the format can be a gold mine for valuable marketing content? Read on to learn more…

Why Should You Care?

First, listeners are migrating, in droves, to podcasting platforms, and it is likely that your audience already listens to podcasts on a regular basis. In fact, more than 50 percent of US consumers over the age of 12 listen to podcasts every month. 

Brands can assert their thought leadership in their industry quickly, as many industries have little to no competition in the podcasting space. This lack of competition gives you a marketing edge for being top of mind. 

Podcasting also presents an organic way for your business to be found via search. By making your show searchable, you open your business up to a large potential audience. 

Since the average audio podcast lasts one hour, you will also benefit from holding listeners’ attention for a longer stretch of time. This provides additional value, contin­uously building a connection with your listeners and moving them towards a working relationship with you. 

Lastly, podcasts can be created virtually, anytime, anywhere. Not having to worry about on-camera visuals makes production much simpler. It also makes things less formal (and less stressful!) for podcast partic­ipants, leading to a more conver­sa­tional format.

Turn 1 Podcast into 7 Pieces of Content

One of the strongest selling points of podcasting is cross-channel marketing. Using a ​“big rock” content approach, you can ​“break up” a single podcast interview into micro-content for use across multiple channels, such as your website and social media. 

This gives you exponen­tially more content to share with your audience, helping you attract more subscribers over time. Micro-content can include video clips, transcribed blog posts, image graphics and audio teasers. 

For example, a single 1‑hour interview with a guest conducted over video chat could garner:

• One 1‑hour audio podcast
• One 1‑hour YouTube video
• Four (or more!) 30-second social media clips
• One written blog transcription 

You can use this supple­mentary micro-content to build stronger relationships with listeners and turn them into interested prospects who know and trust your brand. 

Interviews, Casual Discussion or Solo Shows?

There are several popular podcast formats. Similar to talk radio, podcasts can feature one person educating listeners on a topic or contain multiple people having a discussion or conducting a formal interview. 

Structuring a podcast with a guest can be partic­ularly advantageous for your business. This format requires less work on your part, as the majority of the interview content comes from your guest’s knowledge on a given subject. 

When selecting a guest, think about their existing audience. Ask them to cross-promote the show on their digital platforms, using the micro-content you will produce after the interview. This helps attract more ideal listeners to your podcast, inviting potential customers to learn more about your brand. 

If you are a service business, featuring a guest who is an ideal client can be a smart move, too. After having a lengthy conver­sation with them on air, as well as preparing for the show itself, that guest is much more likely to have a sales discussion with your team, as compared to a completely cold prospect.

Less Competition Means More Opportunities

Why choose a podcast over other content? Currently, there are only 850,000 podcasts listed on major platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Compare that number to the 31 million channels on YouTube! With less competition, your brand can launch a podcast and be recognized fairly quickly, without having to spend months, or even years, improving search rankings. 

With more than half of US consumers listening to podcasts, this platform strategy will only become more widespread in the coming years. Now is the perfect time to jump in and create podcast marketing content before everyone else does! 

Isn’t Distribution a Pain?

Releasing a podcast wasn’t always easy. Now, with the Anchor app, you can create and distribute a podcast, publishing it to major platforms — all for free. We use it for all of our clients. 

Integrated platforms include Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts and more. The Anchor dashboard also compiles your analytics and delivers reports on listen rates and trends.

The Bottom Line

Many podcasts don’t produce a business result because they are not strategic. Having a plan for your podcast and determining how it fits into your overall marketing is key to seeing success. 

If you need some help putting your podcast together, capturing and distributing your podcast episodes or any other related issues, reach out to us at ideas@​appliedart.​com.