Using A Podcast To Help Promote A Business

In a rapidly evolving landscape, brand managers are finding it necessary to serve content on multiple channels to keep consumers engaged. Although blogs are still quite popular, they carry a huge drawback in that they don’t give marketers enough room to convey their messages. And with the internet now chock-full of written content, one can’t help but wonder if there’s a more effective medium — one that doesn’t limit the audience on how they can consume content, for instance.

Could Podcasting be the Next Big Thing for Marketers?

Thanks to the internet, businesses now have plenty of ways to communicate with their audiences. However, it’s not often that you see a novel opportunity emerge as an alternative to the written ads that currently rule the online environment. This might be the reason why podcasts have become so popular of late, creating the need for advertisers to learn how to start using a podcast to promote a business. Even if you already have an established blog, launching a podcast could prove beneficial in a number of ways, including:

• Widening your reach: With podcasts, your followers have more flexibility on how they listen to your show. This gives you plenty of room to grow your brand into a household name.
• Bringing you closer to your audience: People listen to podcasts mostly because they share something in common with the speaker and, by extension, the brand they’re representing.
• Build trust with consumers: Speech carries more weight than written word and, with regular podcasts, your listeners grow accustomed to your voice and manner of presentation. Not only does this keep them coming back, but it also establishes your brand firmly in their minds.
• But here’s the best part: podcasting is a relatively new niche! This means that if you launch a show soon, you’ll face less competition than you would with most other channels. So, how do you approach the process of launching a podcast for your business?

Is Podcasting the Right Option for You?

It’s estimated that about 50{cb9ffc80fd914e7cab7f2103ec5d37663d7347ff13ef76ea564276abd94185d2} of people who launch a new podcast quit before the show can even make it past 10 episodes. And even for those who do make it past this mark, fewer than 50{cb9ffc80fd914e7cab7f2103ec5d37663d7347ff13ef76ea564276abd94185d2} of them manage to release more than 25 episodes. It’s only after this milestone that one can be sure that they have a good chance of lasting at least a couple of years.

But what does this mean for your case? Well, if you can’t come up with enough material to fill up at least 7 episodes, this medium isn’t for you. When using a podcast to promote a business, it’s just not enough to be passionate about the subject matter of your show — you need to have enough drive to talk about it for hours on end.

So before you can even start planning your launch, take a long, hard look at your topic(s) and see if there’s enough content to keep your podcast going for at least 100 episodes. You’ll need to come up with fresh ideas on a regular basis, depending on how often you will be releasing these episodes. This means you will need to cultivate a habit of reading about the topics you will be discussing on your shows. And that’s the easier part; keeping your listeners engaged is perhaps the most difficult challenge you will probably face when you begin podcasting.

Defining Your Audience

Obviously, your show will mostly revolve around topics relevant to the niche of your business. To create a show that engages listeners, you first need to define your target audience by examining what they might be interested in. This should make it easier to narrow down the key focus of your podcast, but don’t forget to work on your storytelling skills. Also, keep in mind that podcasting isn’t just about pushing a sales pitch; it’s more about keeping your listeners informed and entertained, so they keep coming back for more.

Put Together Your Recording Setup

Now that you’ve figured out what direction your show will be heading, your next step is to invest in the necessary equipment. While podcasting is cheaper than most other channels, you’ll still need a few items, some of which you may already have, such as:

• A good microphone
• A computer or laptop
• An audio editing program like Garageband or Audacity, as well as the encoding software
• Hosting and web publishing services

Get it Up and Running

Having checked that everything’s in place, now it’s time to put your show together using these steps:

• Create an intro and outro: These segments will appear on all your episodes, and you could choose to do them on your own or hire a voice-over artist. If you use any music, make sure you’re authorized to use the songs.
• Script: As a rule of thumb, you want your show to be conversational in nature, and this means you will need to outline a script.
• Assemble your studio: Beginners often don’t pay attention here, but it’s very important that you record your podcast in a small, quiet space. Also remember to test your tone on the microphone after setting it up, as well as checking the software to ensure it’s working properly.
• Record the first episode, after which you will need to mix and edit the audio clip. This process is often difficult, especially for those who don’t have any previous experience. Still, you must avoid the temptation to veer off the plan you made earlier. For the most part, this will involve leveling out sound, reducing static and improving its overall quality. Your goal here should be to make your podcast sound professional, but this doesn’t mean you must perfect everything.
• Name the audio file using the show and episode name, and don’t forget to tag it so that these appear on your listeners’ devices.
• Upload the episode to a hosting service, paying attention to the provided instructions
• Create an RSS feed to make your podcast visible to feed readers.

As long as you take the right approach, launching a podcast can see your business gain a significant advantage over the competition. To make the most of this medium, start by making sure you’re ready to do whatever it will take to make your podcast a success. This means taking time to understand what it really entails, its advantages and drawbacks, as well as what you can do to make it work for your business.

Looking for more help.  While not podcasting specific, this online training gives you some great insights into things like goal setting, building business relationships and a lot more.