Always Be Casting
Nine ways podcasting can help business owners connect with their audience
Whether you’re a multinational global brand or a sole-trader consultant, podcasting is a fantastic way to protect and promote your brand, while winning new business.
It’s easy to get started and opens up several unique ways to connect with your target audience:
1. Get undivided attention
Consider your current marketing efforts. Tweets. Facebook posts and ads. AdWords. Magazines. Billboards. How much control do you have of context, of who else will be competing right beside you for your very audience?
A whisper in the ear, not a shout in the crowd
Podcasts, by definition, command singular attention. Most podcasts are listened to with headphones plugged in, meaning the listener is in a private bubble, blocking out the outside world, physically connected the source of your voice.
2. Be truly authentic
Humans are sensual.
The fastest way to communicate information is visual, but the most sincere way is oral. If you’ve ever owed a loved one an important apology, or wanted to congratulate them on their life-changing news, you probably called them. No decent human has ever dumped their lover by text.
3. Be long-winded
140 characters is more than enough to capture attention — for ~2.3 seconds. As you scroll through your feed, how much time do you spend considering each tweet or post?
Breathe
Most podcast episodes are over 30mins long (the median number of minutes has increased to 40 mins).
That’s plenty time to elaborate on context and re-iterate your core message.
No other medium offers a comparable opportunity for such sustained communication with the audience that’s chosen to tune in to you.
4. Tell a story
Do you remember how much money you’ve spent on coffee this year?
Of course not! That’s information.
But that time coffee spilled everywhere?
That’s a story. Stories stick with us.
We simply don’t retain facts well. We are born story-telling creatures.
With the extra time and space that a podcast affords you, you can move beyond broadcasting quick facts (“Now with X monthly users! And feature Y!”).
Instead, share a compelling narrative with your listeners. Interview a customer who’s got a good story; let them explain in their own words what the new feature means for them. Not only will the interviewees themselves go on to be even greater evangelists after the podcast, but everyone who hears the show will hear the authenticity of their endorsement.
5. Show the personality behind the brand
Amidst a sea of A/B tested headlines, standard-format rectangles of pixels and Re-Tweeted quotes, podcasting gives your audience an invitation to connect at a much deeper, engaging and memorable level.
Email blasts and flier drops are effective… They show how well you can follow the status quo. They have their place.
Podcasting lets you break from the mould
and show your audience what makes you different.
6. Be stumbled upon
Podcasts help fulfil every business owners dream: be discovered by a new target customer who instantly hears the best side of you and becomes a fan. Consistently producing shareable, valuable content will automatically find its way to new ears, discovering you via search or via social recommendation.
The new default Podcasts app in iOS 9 puts an even greater emphasis or surfacing individual episodes in search results, so expect even more casual tourists wandering in off the street, who may not have subscribed or heard of you before happening upon a particular episode.
7. Pitch and Convert
On many platforms, companies must drastically tailor their own identity, in order to fit in with the expectations of the audience. Brands post irrelevant (though potentially inspiring) quotes on Twitter, arbitrary (though potentially hilarious) photos on Facebook, a forced (though potentially hashtag’d) photos on Instagram. Some sponsor their local sports team only for good PR.
Podcasting lets you be you. It allows you to stay on topic and keep discussing whatever it is that you do so well. If a listener has tuned in, they already care about this… so you get a rare opportunity to pitch yourself to a willing audience.
Many small business owners use podcasts to boost their exposure and credibility, while systematically driving traffic to their main website or directing listeners along the path to becoming customers.
8. Monetise directly
If you’re got premium content you’d prefer to not give away for free, you can sell premium episodes to those listeners directly via the default iPhone app . This is a great way to connect with your audience on their terms — no special app to download — bringing your sale to them, rather than asking them to visit your web-store or app.
Alternatively, if your podcast download numbers are high (say, ~20k real weekly downloads), you could choose to monetise via advertising. Sell the ads yourself, or outsource this task to a company like Midroll or Awesound.
9. Network
Many podcasters have told me:
“My podcast has given me an opportunity to interview guests I would never otherwise have had the opportunity to meet”
Hosting a podcast gives you an opportunity to bring top influencers into your world, align their reputation with your brand and connect with them on a personal level.
About the author:
Mark Moriarty is the founder and CEO at Awesound. For more tips, follow @AwesoundApp on Twitter or here on Medium.
