A new era
of Podcasts
I
n case you missed it, podcasts are back: big time! These oldie-but-goldies, which first became popular back in the '80s, are an exciting and extremely beneficial tool for any business to utilise. Find out how you can reach your full podcast-potential in our latest blog post.
So, why use podcasts?
Painting a Picture for your Target Market
Releasing podcasts can help to 'humanise' and add character to your business, as the content is personal and tailored for the audience.
Having your ideal target market listening to you talk about what’s relevant to them helps to build relationships and followers. People will begin to listen to podcasts regularly if the content is original or thought provoking. According to Adswizz, in the UK, 61% of adults listen to podcasts regularly. It's important to find your tone: are you going to be entertaining, and entice listeners back with the promise of something light-hearted they can laugh along to; or are you going to produce something informative to inspire them whilst on their mundane commute to work? Whatever you create ensure it aligns with your brand values.
Improving Engagement
Podcasts allow you to engage with your audience in another way. The more that people engage with you on your platforms, the more they will get to know your personality and your brand's values, therefore feeling they can rely on you and your products and services. Building relationships with existing and new clients is a vital way of building trust. Trust leads to sales. Sales make you happy.
Reach
Podcasts have a vast reach, which spans many demographics and allows you to connect with people from any geographic location. In a report conducted by Ofcom, it was found that the number of people who listen to podcasts on a weekly basis has almost doubled in five years – from 3.2m in 2013 to 5.9m in 2018!
Credibility
By releasing podcasts, you allow yourself to show you have the comprehension and experience in your field by being able to talk about it freely to an audience. Your content can allow you to express your precedence in an area, and through sharing knowledge of the industry, you can give yourself and your business a name of being a reliable and credible source of up-to-date information, which again can introduce loyal listeners and may lead to recommendations for your brand.
Accessibility
Podcasts are a really diverse way of interacting with your audience - their flexibility means that they can be listened to wherever, whenever. Did you know, that research published by True Native Media has found over 63% of listeners are also in full-time employment? Nowadays, people just don't have time to sit, and watch a video for example - their fast-paced lives means they need something that can fit around them whilst on the go. Walking the dog? At the gym? On the commute to work? Cleaning the house? These are all prime examples of when your audience might have a spare few minutes to tune into your podcast. Reports from Podcast Fast Track show that around 70% of podcast listeners tune in with their mobile phones above any other device. Podcasts should be easy to listen to and therefore the audience can fit in some listening around their busy schedules.
How to construct an engaging podcast:
We’ve addressed the benefits of why you should be utilising podcasts to promote your business, now let’s take a look at how best to create one. It's really important that your podcast is well structured, exciting and unique in order to help it stand out. Due to the popularity of podcasts rising, Podcast Fast Track claim there are currently around 350 new podcasts being released every day, so it's paramount to ensure your podcast is relevant, entertaining and captivating.
Top Podcast Tips:
- Stay Concise, whilst having the confidence to occasionally venture off script. Having a script will ensure you address all the points you want to. However, it's important not to sound like a robot whilst reading off a script, so telling small anecdotes is a great way to keep interest, yet you don't want to continuously go off on irrelevant tangents and alienate your listeners when they become bored.
- Publish a summary of your script! Through posting a carefully thought out summary of what your podcast entails, you can help to boost your presence on search engine results pages, which can help to drive traffic to your website.
- Special Guest Appearances - including appropriate guest speakers to your podcast can help to potentially draw in new listeners.
