Podcast Marketing: What it is and how it can Help You
How would your business benefit from podcast marketing? What is it anyway?
To answer that, let’s break the components down first: podcast and marketing. What is a podcast? There’s a good chance that you already know. If that’s the case, then you may skip the next paragraph. Otherwise, read through.
To understand podcasts, you should look into its history. Apple first designed podcasts late in 2004. The original objective is that it will serve as a digital radio downloadable into people’s iPods and other types of MP3 players. Instead of music, they contain other forms of audio. Podcasts were then used for different purposes, discussing an array of different topics such as radio shows, news, and TV show recaps. Later on, businesses started to see its potential as an advertising medium.
A podcast is basically a digital media file that users can download directly from Internet stream. The authors and/or hosts of podcasts are called podcasters. These podcasts are then distributed over the internet through free-use websites or syndication feeds. The podcast files can be downloaded on a desktop PC, Mac, iPod, or other digital mobile devices. You can also encounter a lot of people who are contented with this simplified definition: pre-recorded, online radio program.
The second component is marketing. Marketing is a really wide concept. There is a whole subject, or even a series of subjects, dedicated to it in college. That means we can’t delve in it completely here. However, for the purposes of this article, the basic definition is enough. Marketing is the process and the techniques involved in promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service.
Much More…
Now, you are probably aware of this: “The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” Podcast marketing is not just “podcast” and “marketing” combined. Although we can be sure it is at least more specified than marketing. But the definitions of the two words give an idea what it’s about. It is the use of podcast as a technique for your marketing. It is just one of the ways you can utilize the power of the internet to expand the reach of your business. The wider your reach, the more profits you gain.
But the concept is more than just that. It has the potential to gain you a following that can make your business strong and stable. More than just advertising, the process enables you to establish a relationship with your audience, your potential customers. You provide an alternative way for them to get information about you and your products or services. Really, there are many things you can achieve by using this marketing method. Listing them all might take a long while. The important thing to know is how it enables all these.
The Power of Marketing through Podcasts
As mentioned before, podcasting is just one of the ways to utilize the internet for marketing. There are a lot more out there and each is different. What makes it different from the other marketing techniques on the internet?
The Importance of Attention
What do businesses really want from consumers? That would, ultimately, be their money. Of course, if a business doesn’t generate profit, there’s no point to its existence. The problem with some businesspeople is that they try to gain the customers’ money the wrong way. This may be intentional or not, but mostly, they are looking at it the wrong way. They just keep selling and selling. While it is indeed the ultimate goal, it is not as simple as that. Instead of simply aiming for them to buy from you, what you want to really get is their attention. Not just get it, but also to keep it.
Well, many advertisers and businesspeople understand this too. As a result, the competition for customers’ attention is fierce. This is especially true for the internet: video streaming, fancy websites, clever ads, etc. Podcast marketing provides you a good option to compete with these attention grabbers of the web.
As a marketing medium, podcasts offer a competitive advantage due to two distinct characteristics:
- Podcasts provide the ability to multi-task for users. People are busy. What they are busy with will have different purposes. Imagine if they’re doing something and your information is presented through a text article. They’d need to put down other things they are doing to read it. With podcasts, they don’t need to. They just plug in their earphones or turn the volume on speakers and listen away while doing other things. People can listen to a podcast while jogging in the morning, or driving to work, or taking care of some paperwork.
- Podcasts fulfil the society’s need for self-improvement. With a podcast, people experience a one-on-one lecture with this age’s experts. People who are looking towards improvement with their health, money, family, and other aspects of life are almost a guaranteed audience of podcasts.
Podcast marketing can contribute greatly into your development in the field of internet business. You can share information, advice, insights, and guides about your industry. This would build your reputation as someone that people can turn to for help. This gives you a great deal of opportunity to let people know of your expertise and communicate directly with your audience regarding topics relevant to them and your market as a whole. Moreover, the cost of producing podcasts is relatively low compared to other forms of marketing.
The 4 C’s to Make Podcasts Effective
Podcast marketing has great potential. But don’t go thinking that it’s fool-proof. The keyword here is “potential”. Simply producing a podcast series for your business won’t take you far. You have to remember some things to make them effective: the 4 C’s.
- Don’t ever try and cram everything into a single podcast. It will go on forever and while your audience can multi-task, their attention will probably fly off elsewhere. Make sure each podcast has a clear focus.
- Construct the podcast as if you are talking to people. As much as possible, use simple words. Make it engaging.
- Your points would not get across if your words can’t be understood. Remember, you only have audio to work with. The audience has no other means of knowing what you said. Speak clearly.
- Consistency is important in both your topics and schedule. The audience must be able to follow along nicely with your podcast series and they should know when to expect you – daily, weekly, or monthly?
Podcast marketing can be really powerful as long as you use it correctly. Also, you can practice it alongside other marketing methods and techniques. There’s practically no reason not to try it out.