How to Grow Your Business With Podcasting

One of the most important ways a business can help grow their brand today is to provide value to their customers outside of simply selling products to them. Consumers want to know that a brand cares about what they want and need, and providing valuable information is a great way build that trust with them. One strong tool you can use to deliver that information is podcasting.

But Why Podcasting?

24% of Americans listen to podcasts regularly, and 51% have tuned in to a podcast at least once. While that may not sound like a large portion of the population, if your target audience is in that percentage you have a tremendous opportunity to build trust with them through podcasting.

Not sure if your audience is listening? Ask them! Find out if they currently listen to podcasts or if they would be interested in listening if the right topic came along. You may find that your audience is an untapped market for podcasting because nobody has piqued their interest. Research current podcasts that match their interests, too. Starting your own can be a large time commitment, but you may even be able to reach them as a guest speaker on someone else's platform.

How to Start Podcasting

Once you know what you'd like to share with your audience, all you need is the right equipment and a platform to get started. It can get expensive to produce a quality image for viewers in video advertising, but with podcasting you can start posting with a good quality microphone and headphones. As for platforms, about 62% of podcast users listen through Apple, 10% through Spotify, and a combined 8% through Google, Stitcher, and Podbean.

Once you're done recording, start using promotion tactics like email funnels and social media to reach a larger audience. The more places you promote, the more people can find and share your content.

The Benefits of Podcasting

1. Making Connections- By providing valuable, engaging content to your target audience, your brand earns their trust and makes them more likely to buy from you in the future. Podcasting can also be a great way to connect with influencers and network with others in your industry. You can use those connections to spread the word of your brand to each others' audiences.

2. Convenience- You can listen to a podcast anywhere. They are easily accessible on phones, tablets, and computers. And you don't need to watch the screen, people are more likely to tune in while they're doing something else or listening while on their daily commute. You can reach listeners who would normally miss your other forms of marketing.

3. Alternative to Video Marketing- Not everyone is a fan of being in front of a camera or has the funds to purchase video equipment and editing software. But, you can still make your audience see the real you (or rather 'hear' the real you) through podcasting. Blogging can help your audience get a feel for your voice, but it only takes a few minutes to read a blog post. An average podcast can be an hour or longer, giving fans time to hear you message and feel connected to you.

4. Take Content to a Bigger Market- If you have a highly performing blog post, you can make it work even better for you by turning it into a deep-dive podcast. You already know the message in engaging, so share it with more people who may not have time to read.

5. Podcasts Are Highly Engaging- Written and visual-only content is everywhere online and on our phones. It can feel refreshing to receive value from a brand through a more interactive media like podcasting. A study in 2018 also found that 63% of respondents who tuned into a podcast live ended up buying what the host promoted.

6. Improves Your SEO- Referring to your products or services in a podcast will encourage more people to check out your website, like you on social media, and engage more with your company. And being a guest on a popular podcast with links to your content can raise your SEO rankings with backlinks and referral traffic.

Creating your own podcast can be a big commitment, but it also can be a great asset to your brand's credibility and authority in your niche. If you've done your research and discovered your ideal audience listens in to podcasts, you'll find that it opens many possibilities for reaching them. Whether you decide to start your own podcast for full control of the content or simply want to collaborate with established podcasts in your industry, don't wait to get started turning those listeners into subscribers.