Podcasting seems to be all the rage these days, and that may have organizational leaders questioning whether or not they need to develop and incorporate a podcast into their marketing strategies. If you’re wondering whether or not a podcast can help your company, the short answer is: yes, absolutely. Podcasts are an audio-based show that offer almost as much versatility as YouTube. There are many, many podcasts on the market, and people listen to them through a number of services. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Amazon/Audible are extremely popular spots from which consumers get their podcasts.
As far as genre and style go, podcasts are just as limitless as they are in number. This makes them extremely versatile and appealing to a broad consumer base. There are comedy podcasts, thriller podcasts, fantasy podcasts, informational podcasts, the list goes on and on.
Developing the right podcast within your company can lead to some major benefits.
“Recently, podcasts are increasingly growing in popularity with the number of users currently estimated at 90 million every month. The mobile-friendly content provides interactive options for the audience.”
– Janice Wald, Mostly Blogging –
The Era of Content Marketing
We are currently in the era of technology and information. It is a digital age, and the virtual economy is both healthy and robust. Following the emergence of the digital age came content marketing, which now dominates the marketing landscape. In general, content marketing is the use of digital content across a brand’s comprehensive virtual presence in order to garner, connect, and converse with a specific target audience. In the short time that content marketing has been a major player, it has already proven itself as an incredibly influential and powerful marketing tactic.
“Content marketing changed the game for us. Before we started doing content marketing there was such little traction with our brand. Then we started thinking about other ways to get our info and our brand name out there. We started blogging, we developed a podcast, and suddenly, we feel like we’re huge.”
– Lina Miranda, VP of Marketing, AdQuick –
Connecting With Consumers
One of the biggest reasons to develop a podcast is that it gives brands a way to more directly connect and commune with their target audience. Again, it’s important to note that there are a lot of different styles of podcasts, so finding the right design for yours can take a bit of trial and error.
As long as the podcast is packed full of interesting and high-quality content, listeners will continue to find the time in their otherwise busy lives to listen. There are even ways to entice listeners into coming back for the next episode by writing them as a series. Just like you would for TV or a film series. Leave the audience wanting more.
“It took us a few tries to get our podcast exactly right, but now it’s a ball-of-fun. Our consumers love it based on the feedback we get, and we try to bring on a special guest or an expert guest at least once a month. Yeah, I’d say formatting is very important when it comes to designing a good podcast.
– Ryan Rottman, Co-Founder and CEO, OSDB Sports –
Establishes Industry Authority
Another really great reason to invest in the development of a company podcast is that it can help brands establish a sense of industry authority. This is sort of true when it comes to all content-marketing, but can especially be the case for podcasts. Because podcasts feature audio-based episodes, there is even a higher emphasis put on the quality of their programming and writing. As such, an industry based podcast has to be gripping in order to keep bringing consumers back.
There are multiple ways that a company can make their podcast even more authoritative, like investing expert guest speakers, and being sure that the dialogue is well-informed and factual.
“Maybe it was the podcast, I don’t know, but people definitely started taking our brand more seriously right around the time we released our 3rd or 4th episode. It seemed like it was getting immediate attention, and it’s just kept growing since.”
– Brian Munce, Managing Director, Gestalt Brand Lab –
Affordable and Marketable
One of the best selling points of a company podcast is their price tag. Podcasts are traditionally extremely cost-effective and easy to produce. This is especially attractive to start-up organizations, and companies that need a way to build their audience for relatively cheap.
However, this also makes podcasts an excellent addition to the content marketing strategy of a bigger-budget-program, because additional dollars can be used to curate a list of high-quality guests and writers that will ensure a well-produced and top-tier podcast.
“Yeah, it was super simple to get off the ground, and then once it was rolling it just snowballed. It was really fun to see how quickly it took off, actually. Then we just started investing more into it, more time, more money, and it just kept getting better. So, yeah, getting into podcasting was definitely worthwhile for us, I’d say.”
– John Cheng, Co-Founder and CEO, Baotris –
Gaining Traction Fast
Podcasts are gaining traction fast, and have already exploded in the marketplace a bit. There are thousands and thousands of podcasts from which consumers and enthusiasts can choose, ranging any number of topics. That being said, there is still plenty of room in the market for new podcasts to be developed.
Organizations serious about content marketing should be seriously considering developing a podcast.
“If people felt like they could sit down and chat with you over a cup of coffee, it’s probably more likely that they would buy into whatever your company offers. Letting people have an insight into what your day to day looks like gives them a new way of getting to know your company without having to step into your office.”
– Ryan Sylvestre, Writer, Pepperland Marketing –
Some Final Thoughts on Podcasts
Content marketing is an important part of any modern marketing strategy and is likely to continue as such far into the future. Developing various lines of content marketing, like a company based podcast now, can give you a great headstart on the competition.
