Businesses always need to stay ahead of the game with marketing strategies. Marketing needs to encompass a whole range of outlets including advertising, social media, trade fairs, website online presence and traditional forms of advertising such as TV and radio. Your aim is to get your brand “out there” and “seen”! Many businesses are now realising the power of podcasts and are including them in their marketing plan.
Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular. People love how podcasts use the spoken word instead of written information. They are powerful storytelling platforms which encourage a good relationship with listeners. The average podcast listener stays focused for around 20 minutes, plenty of time to convey your business message.
What are podcasts?
Podcasts are audio or video files that are downloaded from the internet. They can be downloaded in MP3 format which is great for listening to “on the go”.
Podcasts are perfect for marketing businesses, as you can communicate your brands mission and values in a clear way. It is important to make the information informative and interesting to maintain interest, so as not to sound like blatant advertising. Like youtube your listeners can subscribe and be notified when you release your next podcast.
Using your own voice to communicate is the key to forming a relationship with your listeners. As a business owner this is imperative as customers always love to know the face or voice behind the brand. Podcasts enable emotion to be shown and passion in your brands mission.
Why should I record a podcast?
By recording a podcast you will be able to connect with customers interested in your business on a personal level. Once you have a captured audience you can maintain interest by regularly publishing further podcasts. Podcasts are also easy and cost effective to produce. You can integrate podcasts into your website and social media platforms. You can personalise the podcasts further by integrating music from royalty free music sources.
What equipment do I need?
Surprisingly it is easy to create a professional podcast with little equipment. In fact you probably already own most of it! You will need a laptop or PC, a good quality microphone, editing software, MP3 encoding software, a host and a web publishing area.
Is it easy to create?
Once you have set up your equipment, you need to plan how it will be presented. Register your podcast domain name and plan your topics. You need to segment what you are going to say into short sections. Start with an introduction followed by the topics. End with a short conclusion and thank your audience for listening.
Once recorded, then begins the editing and uploading process. It would be a good idea to tap into the oodles of information on the internet regarding the technicalities. Make sure you share your podcast throughout all the appropriate platforms.
Ignoring the power of podcasting would be losing out on potential customers. It is definitely worth considering podcasting as part of your marketing strategy. According to research 32 million people listened to a podcast last month alone!
