7 reasons why your business needs a podcast

It’s no secret; podcasts are an incredibly popular form of media. Whether it’s a murder mystery podcast like Serial, or the award-winning podcast options from NPR, listeners consume a vast array of podcast content each and every day. In fact, it’s been projected by Insider Intelligence that by 2022, podcast listeners will account for 20.3% of all internet users, which translates into 424.2 million listeners across the world.

I don’t know about you, but I think that sounds like a massive market with huge potential. With so many listeners, anyone paying attention to the industry would come to the conclusion that creating a podcast for your business is a no-brainer. Wouldn’t you like to have 424.2 million new customers? (OK, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. But, the point still stands.)

If you’re trying to grow your company’s online presence, reach a wider audience, and create content that appeals to your customer base, you’re in the right place. Podcasts are an effective tool for your biz, and there are plenty of reasons why.

but wait, What exactly is a podcast?

Ah, silly me. Not everyone knows about podcasts. For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of listening to podcasts, let me fill you in: podcasts are a series of audio-based shows, like episodic programs, made available to users through various podcast marketplaces. To put it simply, it’s kind of like talk radio except users subscribe to it instead of just tuning in at a certain time. Podcast marketplaces serve up your podcast episodes to subscribers as you upload them, and then they are available anytime for your listeners.

Podcasts are usually sorted into different topics or categories, and they often have a theme. Themes can include business, comedy, news and politics, and much more. They can be fiction or non-fiction, and there are a wide variety of options to choose from. You’ll often see them in interview format, where podcast hosts bring on different guests with each episode. Other times, there are solo podcasts, storytelling podcasts, and even panel shows with a bunch of contributors. The possibilities are endless.

How do listeners find and listen to a podcast?

Finding and listening to podcasts is pretty simple. Most people find out about new podcasts through word-of-mouth; they ask friends, family , and even work colleagues for recommendations. Others simply search on the internet for their next favorite podcast. The best way to make your podcast available to the masses is to leverage popular podcast marketplaces like Spotify, Apple Podcasts (which is built into iPhones as a default app), Stitcher, Audible, Google Podcasts, etc.

Once you upload your podcast to these platforms, listeners will be able to find you. Most, if not all, of these platforms offer recommendation engines that match listeners with podcasts that should interest them. As long as your topic, keywords and metadata are relevant, you should be in business. They’ll listen to an episode, and if they like your content, they’ll subscribe to get notified when you post more episodes. Pretty cool, right?

here’s why your business needs a podcast

Getting back to my original point, a podcast can be used as a tool for a business to accomplish a number of goals. Whether you want to grow your customer base, create a better connection with them, or just create more brand awareness, a podcast is an incredible tool in your marketing arsenal. Here are seven key reasons why your business needs a podcast:

1. Podcasts are incredibly popular

   Many of us listen to podcasts during our morning and evening commutes. Others throw a podcast on when they clean the house or cook dinner. Whatever the situation is, podcasts enable consumers to listen to content while they perform other tasks, which is extremely valuable and accommodating. It’s this ease of use that has, in my opinion, propelled the format to such meteoric heights of popularity. All your listeners need to do is throw in an earbud, and they can go about their business while your messages hit their eardrums.

   If you’re statistically-minded, pay attention to this stat: 62% of Americans have listened to an audio podcast in the past. That’s huge!

2. A professional podcast production is great for your public image

   When listeners consume your content, you get to craft the messages they receive. You influence their perception of your brand and your products/services and you generate a more casual, professional public image. To put it simply, a podcast breaks down barriers between you and your customers, helping your brand seem more down-to-earth and personable. This builds trust, and trust is the foundation of good business.

   Regarding professionalism, make sure the audio quality and production value of your podcast are top-notch. Invest in the right tools for the job, and the help you need to make your episodes sound great. In fact, you can outsource the entire process if you need to do so. You can hire scriptwriters, voiceover talent (like me! 😜) , and you can even outsource all of the audio production elements to professionals. In fact, if you’re busy running your business, I recommend doing things this way. Professionals can produce your content and make it sound better than if you tried to do it all on your own (unless you have an extensive audio production and voiceover background).

3. You’ll create better connections with customers

   Podcasts offer many opportunities to connect with customers. You can do Q&A sessions, where you answer important questions on the minds of your customers. Or, you could narrate real stories about your customers or team members. This is an opportunity to think outside the box and get creative. How can you involve your listeners and create engaging content for them?

4. Podcasts help you share important information

   At its core, a podcast is a good tool for sharing information about new and existing products in your lineup, events you have planned, or any other important information you need to get out there. Now, you might think to yourself: why don’t I just run an ad when a new product launches? My answer to you would be: continue to run those ads. However, you can think of podcasts as an additional FREE way to generate more attention and interest in what you have to offer as a company. What business wouldn’t benefit from another free way to disseminate information?

5. You can use your podcast to leverage popular platforms and grow

   Depending on the size of your company and its influence, you might be lacking the SEO needed to improve your standing in search results. I’ve got good news, though: a podcast is a great way to generate some backlinks to your company website. Think about it: as you upload your podcast to various platforms, each episode can have your business website in the show notes. That means you’ll get backlinks from your listings on Apple Podcasts, Audible, and even sites like YouTube if you upload there. And, the more episodes you upload, the more these backlinks will grow. This will help increase your reach in a number of ways.

6. Podcasts can turn into additional revenue streams

   Depending on the type of business you’re running, a podcast can actually turn into its own revenue stream. Monetizing a podcast usually takes a variety of forms:

   • Third-party sponsorships and advertising throughout the episode (pre-roll, mid-roll, etc.)

   • Guest appearances. A guest can pay to be on your podcast.

   • Affiliate marketing

   • Online course sales

   • Offering services that tie-in with your podcast.

   • Coaching and consulting

   • Crowdfunding and donations (if it makes sense for your business)

   • Premium content (additional interviews, behind the scenes content, early access, etc.)

7. You can use your podcast for content marketing

   Rather than making your podcast a straight-up sales pitch, you can engage in content marketing. This type of marketing may seem counterintuitive, as it takes the focus off of sales and does not explicitly promote your brand. Instead, the intent is to stimulate interest in your products and services by providing relevant content that is useful to the listener.

   You can consider my blog an example of this very tactic. The focus of this very article is not to sell my services directly (though I’d be happy to voice your next project, or help with your podcast) but instead to provide helpful content that is relevant to my website visitors. The type of people that normally seek me out, visit my website, and consume my content are likely to find this information useful, so it’s provided as a courtesy. And then, while you’re here, you might think to yourself “Hmm… you know, I actually DO need a voiceover for that explainer video I’m working on” and you’ll reach out to me. That’s the power of content marketing. The strategy is simply, here’s some useful content… and hey! while you’re here, I’d love to help with X Y and Z. It’s sneaky like that.

conclusion

Your business needs a podcast, and the reasons for it are endless. If you already have one, you’re off to a great start. If not, there’s no better time than the present to get started with your first podcast episode. If you have a well-defined theme and some good ideas for episodes, make them a reality. Your business will thank you for it.

And hey, while you’re here (see what I did there?) I’d love to help with your new podcast. I can be the voice that shares your content with your faithful listeners, or help you edit the episodes. I can even do both! Drop me a line today to discuss your podcast production needs.