Did you know podcasts can actually be used as a marketing tool?
Sharing your company’s story, establishing a closer-knit community of customers, and educating people about your products and services are just some of the things you can do with this powerful communication tool. Today we’ll be going over some helpful advice for utilizing podcasts in your marketing efforts!
Why Use Podcasts In Marketing?
Podcasts have the ability to be fun, engaging, and educational all at once – not to mention there’s a lot of creativity involved in running one.
Podcasts can also be an attractive option for those looking to target more specific niche audiences, particularly the high-interest and untapped ones. It certainly doesn’t hurt that competition levels here can be lower than for channels like social media, either.
Using a podcast to promote your existing brand and/or products gives you a way to connect on a deeper level with your audience. Think about it – it’s the perfect channel to present things like Q&As, interviews with other people in your industry, and behind-the-scenes content!
To further audience engagement, you can even allow listeners to submit questions and comments via email and dedicate a section of each episode to sharing and responding to those.
In all, though, you will be utilizing a channel that taps directly into the things your current and future customers are already interested in and allows them to come together and share those things as a community.
Podcast Elements – Things to Establish
There are many different podcast hosting sites and platforms out there, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and lots more. One of the first steps in beginning your podcast is to choose which one of these works best for you. Each one will have its own set of pricing plans, features, pros, and cons.
Another thing to decide early on is the kind of equipment you’re using. Do you want to keep it simple and cost-effective by sticking to an affordable recording mic and your chosen platform, or do you want to invest in a more sophisticated set of podcast equipment?
Either way, be sure to do your research on the types of software and equipment out there so your choices will be informed ones and you’ll be able to get the things you need. There are lots of choices, after all, even if you’re just looking for a mic and nothing more.
Your brand strategy, goals, and target audience are important things to establish in the planning process, too. Logos and brand colours should be consistent with what you already use for your business, of course, but what will your strategy and goals be for this particular channel compared to your other ones?
Also, how long do you want your episodes to run? Most podcasts usually sit somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes per episode, but the time frame you choose should depend on what you’re hoping to achieve and fit into each one. You can even have your podcasts be as short as 10 minutes if that’s all the time you need to fulfil your goals.
Speaking of time, how often will you want to release your episodes? Weekly? Monthly? You’ll want to have a consistent schedule set. This will help you stay organized but also allow you to create a sense of excitement and anticipation for your audience, similar to how you would get people excited for a virtual event.
Publishing on a weekly basis is the most common choice but be sure to choose the schedule that best fits your company’s objectives and strategy.
More Decisions – Getting Creative With It!
Another thing to consider is the format you decide to use. Multiple types exist, including strictly interview-based, freeform discussions between co-hosts, scripted fiction or non-fiction story formats, and more.
Not everyone is going to want to include the same types of content or delivery, and it’s important to choose these based on what would fit most with your brand’s existing approach. What is your overall messaging and delivery style? What’s the vibe you normally go for in your branding? How can these things be translated into your podcast?
Keep in mind that you can achieve consistency and still get creative!
Here is an example. Suppose your company is an independently owned bookstore whose content is focused on sharing various authors, books, and other stories with the audience. An obvious choice here might be to try a non-fiction story format for your episodes, which would be a very good fit for this type of content. This means telling stories about your experiences with books, your brand, moments from your job that stand out to you, and/or whatever else you plan to share.
Additionally, though, you could dedicate a small portion at the end of each episode to interviewing local authors rather than making the story fill the entire thing. This shakes things up and keeps things interesting, plus it introduces the idea of combining formats in a way that maintains consistency!
Coordinating Your Podcast with Other Communication Channels
Social media is a good option when it comes to promoting your podcast, especially since it can be another way for people to submit any questions and comments they have for you. An additional effect of this is that any customers who aren’t yet familiar with your podcast but follow you on Instagram may see those comments and have their interest piqued. Thus, engagement goes up even more.
You also might want to dedicate a section of your main website to promoting or even just listing your podcast episodes, similar to how you might display blog posts. This can help the SEO performance of the site itself, especially if the Google search results for it contain extensions linking directly to the episode list page. You can even go a step further by creating paid search ads that have these types of extensions.
Another thing that boosts your SEO ranking is when other sites and sources start linking back to and crediting your podcast when discussing topics related to it. It also looks good in terms of your credibility and authority, especially combined with ratings and reviews. You can then share these reviews and references with your audience on social media or during the podcast itself!
At AIM Social, we strive to help our clients reach their target audiences and optimize their marketing efforts. To learn more about our services or if you’re interested in hiring us, contact us today!