Is your small business podcasting?
According to the Small Business Association (SBA), more than 30 million Americans listen to podcasts each month and 80% of them listen to all or most of the podcasts they start. A podcast is a set of digital audio files that are available on the internet for downloading. In a podcast, you can talk about any topic without the restrictions on content, language, time limits, or participants. It is similar to other avenues of marketing in that you set a goal, find your niche, choose a name, plan, market, and get subscribers and reviews. It can be a very effective marketing tool for small businesses.
Still not convinced podcasts are for you? Here are 10 reasons why you should use podcasting for your business.
Increased Traffic to Your Website A podcast is another social avenue for your business to reach new audiences and to be seen (heard). People spend time on their mobile devices and are listening to podcasts. By offering them, you can get subscribers and return listeners who will be traveling to your website or receiving your emails when new podcasts are released.
Cost Effective No need to break your marketing budget. We have recently aligned with our new partner, A Shared Universe, for our client’s podcasts. Ming Chen is just amazing there! Contact us for a studio tour! You can promote, advertise, and sell your latest products and services, therefore, there’s an increase in your revenue.
It’s Fun A podcast can be something to look forward to and be creative with topics and guests. You can invite a mentor or influencer in your industry to interview and chances are they’ll say yes if they are marketing themselves. You can also connect and learn new things from your listeners – like the services they want or need.
Engagement It’s not just something we stick on our monthly reports, it is how a business grows. Interaction is where marketing is going and a podcast can be a welcome break from the barrage of written content your customers are hit with every day. Remember those statistics from earlier? These are people you may not have ever interacted with and now that they have heard your podcast, they are following you on all of your social media channels. Here is another number to convince you – 63% of 300,000 podcast listeners surveyed, said they bought what the host promoted.
Building and Establishing Relationships People want to engage with other people. Through podcasting, listeners get the feeling they know that person speaking. They may already be listening because of something they have in common with the speaker/brand and the more consistent you are with publishing and the more an “expert” you become, the more your audience is engaged and interested which leads to sharing. The more your listeners share – the more listeners you will acquire thus expanding your business community. You may reach more qualified prospects for your business and enrich and expand client relations. That’s what business is all about, right? Building meaningful, lasting relationships.
An Alternative to Video Remember how video killed the radio star? Video has become a more crucial marketing option since the days when MTV was actually full of music videos. But, if you don’t have the resources for video, podcasts are a great substitute. You’re still getting your brand out to your target market and building your brand with trust, expertise, and up to date media.
Content Marketing We all know that Google and other search engines reward brands who create useful and relevant content to their users and are going to put the active and engaging business at the top of their search. The more your listeners listen and share, the more Google is going to promote your brand in searches. In addition, the content on your podcast can be repurposed into blogs, tweets, ads, Facebook posts, etc.
Build Authority You’re podcasting, your prospects are listening, and you’re building a presence and name in your niche or market. If you present a topic you know a lot about, you will be viewed as an expert and your audience will continue to listen. The more you present useful content, the more you engage, the more your podcast is shared and you are seen as an authority in your field. This will then result in furthering your reach beyond your local market.
Easy to Create As mentioned before, podcasting is something you can start on your own. You’ll need a good quality mic and headphones and the ability to talk about something interesting in 30 to 60 minutes. It’s also fun to bring in a client or colleague – and have that live banter! Once you have created a podcast or a few, you can then promote it to increase your exposure and reach a larger audience.
It Fits Into Your Busy Schedule (and everyone else’s) You record the podcast when you have the time and you choose how much time you want to put into it or if you want to outsource things like editing, booking, transcriptions, etc. And, your audience can listen when they have the opportunity to listen. No more worrying about when your audience is online or the best time to run your ads.
Once created, podcasts are available anytime your audience, listeners, prospects, customers, clients, and the world wants to listen to them. To succeed as a small business, you need to be where your clients are and they are listening to podcasts on their mobile devices. Businesses need to be relevant in order to survive and according to data, one way is by podcasting.
Even if you choose to not host your own podcast, it can still be good for your business to become involved in some way. You can consider being a guest on a non-competing podcast or advertise or sponsor a podcast in your niche or desired niche. Get out there and get heard by those 30+ million Americans listening to podcasts each month!
Contact La Magra Consulting, so we can get you started on your first (or next) podcast!