Today our podcast marketing agency want to talk about.. well you’ve probably already guessed.
Radio advertising is expected to stagnate in 2021, whilst podcast marketing spend is projected to double in the same period. 10% of us listen to podcasts once a week or more; that number is still growing! Additionally, podcast marketing is set to rise by 120% in the next twelve months, so how can you use this marketing medium to your advantage, and grow your business?
So why are podcasts so popular?
The drive to learn something new and enrich our lives is prevalent in most of us; but that’s especially true when it comes to business owners. We are, by our very nature, keen to grow our own empire as much as we can.
Podcasts are a great way to do that and they slot into our busy lifestyles. When listening to one we don’t have to dedicate time to it like we would most other methods of self-education. Podcasts are the perfect for our commute, jog, gym time, whilst cooking… the list goes on.
If you need any more convincing, think about radio. Did it die out when television became mainstream? Absolutely not. Radio, for the same reason as podcasts are still popular. They are entertaining and easy to listen to. The prime difference however is choice. When you turn on the radio you don’t always know what you are going to be listening to. Someone listening to a podcast however has made the active decision to tune in to that specific topic. As a result, you have a completely captive audience. 6.1 million adult listeners in the UK alone every week in fact.
Why else should I use a podcast in my marketing?
Starbucks and Natwest are two brands who are harnessing the marketing power of podcasting, but how can you? Our podcast marketing agency, as ever, have a couple of ideas.
With podcasts, in direct contrast to video, if you jump on board now you are a relatively big fish is a currently still small(ish) pond. Becoming a trusted voice on a podcast is presently easier than YouTube.
If you have someone in your team who is comfortable in front of a microphone, you already have the advantage. Admittedly, it won’t be perfect first time round, but it will quickly become second nature. Podcasting, as a natural by-product of what it is, will help your team become better communicators and allows them to practice those ever-important media skills.
How should I start podcasting?
Before you begin you need to narrow down what you offer, it’s value, and who your ideal customer is. As with any marketing medium, if it is to be done effectively, you need to make sure that you are offering something that will offer knowledge and expertise to the people you want to buy from you. You should, if you carry out any marketing already, have an excellent idea of your target demographic.
Once you have this, write yourself a list of topics that you intend to cover and try to align it as closely as possible to the expectations that your customers will have. Perhaps try and invite a few of them on the podcast too, offering them that added company exposure will almost certainly be welcomed.
Make sure you use branded cover art too. The power of brand continuity should not ever be ignored! It should include the name of your podcast and link directly into your existing branding guidelines.
Record a professional introduction that will be consistently used on all your audio. It should tell the listener who you are, what your expertise is, and provide them with a call to action.
Before you launch, upload between 5 and 10 episodes. This shows off your expertise and shows you aren’t likely to be a flash in the pan. In addition, people are much more likely to subscribe to a channel with more content.
Why not double up?
We know we said above it can be difficult to stand out on YouTube, but if you are recording content anyway, it can’t hurt to film the process and put it on there too. Additionally, as you can read in another blog that we wrote by clicking here; YouTube videos can drive traffic to your website and increase your SEO value. As far as our podcast marketing agency are concerned; It can’t hurt to try and if you’re recording anyway, the additional effort required is minimal.
Furthermore, make sure every episode is transcribed so that it can be used as social media content, eBooks, Blogs, or other forms of content marketing. If you send out email marketing shots, add the link to your podcasts on there too!
Other advantages to podcasting.
Podcasts also increase your SEO value. If you use iTunes, for example, it’s a highly credible website and seeing as the show will link back to your website (if you optimise it right) you can enjoy the benefits of that link. Increased website traffic is a clear benefit. If you put out really great content, people will want to know more about you and one of the main aims is, of course, to increase your sales.
Hand in hand with that is the increased brand visibility and awareness that a podcast brings. Finally, your podcast will show up in branded searches. This shows potential and current customers that you are an active brand who are not afraid of putting their thoughts and opinions out; which of course, you wouldn’t do if you weren’t an expert in your field.
Now the ball is rolling.
Once things get going, don’t take your foot off the gas! Make sure you target your existing and prospective listeners differently. When you have a podcast, you will need to promote it in the same way that you push your existing products or services. As with anything that’s worth having; you can’t put it into the world and just expect it to be found.
Just make sure that new listeners get a full overview of what you are doing. The chances are that they will not have come across your content before, so an explanation is vital. You can do this through written captions or audio snippets.
Contact us.
If you are struggling for time, why not contact our Essex podcast marketing agency? We work with brands across the UK, helping them to increase their customer base and basically, make more money! Just click here to fill out our contact form; one of our senior management team will be in contact within a matter of hours!