Podcasts have taken the world by storm, and it seems like everyone is creating them. From humorous personal anecdotes to chilling tales of true crime, podcasts are popular and a great marketing tool to grow your business. While podcasting may seem daunting, this form of media is more accessible and affordable than using methods like radio or television advertising. For example, investing in podcast equipment and editing software (or using a company that can help construct a podcast) will be worth the money when you reap the marketing benefits. Producing a podcast is beneficial for a business, it can boost brand awareness, connect to customers, build brand trust, and establish you as an industry expert.
Increase Brand Awareness
Podcasting is an excellent way to introduce your business and share your goals and ideology. By explaining company philosophies, you can build brand awareness through your podcast. This means customers can hear what you are passionate about and better understand you and your business. If your company sponsors local events, a podcast can share that focus with the community. Plus, podcasting effectively expands your reach and results in gathering a larger audience. While promotional items and slogans can give hints about a business’s beliefs, a podcast highlights what your company does best and establishes you as an expert in the field. Podcasting is a way to make your products and services known and is a new tool to make your company more recognizable.
Connect with Customers
One misunderstanding about a podcast is that it is solely meant for advertising your business. When building episodes, concentrate on providing value and building relationships with listeners. People will tune out after one 30–40 minute episode boasting about how great your business is. For example, a garden shop that posts regular updates on seasonal lawn care tips and native plants ideas will develop a loyal following while providing ideas for what to buy and perhaps landscape services. Developing a relationship with listeners is crucial and is a great way to understand your customers. Although listeners will likely never meet the hosts, they form a connection and relationship with the podcast host. How does this grow your business? Having those authentic relationships and meaningful connections with listeners establishes a level of trust. A podcast should display how customers can trust you and your business instead of solely advertising.
Build Trust
Along with building brand awareness, a podcast can be valuable for building trust with customers. Being passionate about what you are discussing and sharing knowledge about your niche is a way for listeners to be confident in your business. Listeners can learn more about your business and hopefully will internalize your excitement for your brand. Utilizing a podcast to build brand trust will strengthen that connection. Creating trust requires a different approach for each business, but sharing meaningful content and having an intentional message is a great starting place. For example, reviews of products, Q&As, and helpful tips are all ways you can provide thought leadership in your field.
Establish Yourself as an Industry Expert
While you may know the ins and outs of your industry, customers may be skeptical, as they should. What better way to display your knowledge than creating a podcast? When using a podcast to grow your business, your priority should be establishing your authority. Listeners are more likely to trust a company with expert knowledge in their field than a business that isn’t confident in its knowledge. To establish yourself as an industry expert, you need to be generous with the information you know and provide value to your listeners. Another way to achieve this is by inviting guests to your podcasts. Including other industry experts in your podcast is a way to showcase you are well versed and informed. Inviting guests can potentially bring in new audiences and presents you as comfortable enough not to be intimidated by other experts.
Turn Listeners into Customers
Businesses want to grow their customer base and increase profits. While a podcast shouldn’t solely focus on self-promotion, there are tasteful ways to convert listeners to customers. Most podcasts include ads for products or services, so why not reward your listeners for tuning into your podcast? Offer promotional codes and discounts to your listeners to entice them to invest in your business. This also drives website traffic and can bring in new emails for email campaigns. In your podcast, it is imperative to get your listeners to act. Some examples of ways to drive listeners to action are:
Ask listeners to follow your social media accounts
Ask listeners to subscribe to the podcast
Encourage listeners to send in questions they might have
Inform listeners what platforms the podcast is available on
Ask listeners what they would be interested in hearing in the podcast
Creating a podcast may seem intimidating, but you won’t regret the decision when your business achieves new growth. Podcasting is a way for you to understand your customers and build your brand image. When starting your podcast, remember to be yourself and provide value to your listeners.
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