Podcasting: A New Secret Sauce To Your Marketing Buffet

Is podcasting really creating its space in the digital marketing Legoland.? In a broader sense, it is a YES. Since ages, political leaders, journalists, and magazine interviewers have been podcasting to talk to their audience. And as the industry has grown, now it has marked the benchmark of a multi-dollar market. But, there are 40% of the people in the world who do not have a clue about it.  So, for them and many of us who want to start podcasting, this blog will clear what really podcasting is, how to quickly launch it, grab that 40% of your market share, and some sure short tips to create a successful podcast.  Now, let's start by understanding what a podcast is?

What Is A Podcast? 

(An Easy and Definitive definition) A Podcast is an audio broadcast that lets the user listen to you while doing something else. I.e., a podcast can easily seep into a mundane activity, making it your inspirational opportunity for you to bridge the gap between you and your user.  Interestingly, it is seen that people really like listening to podcast series. 

Some key stats that support the above statement 

Edison Research 2019 - the podcast consumer 2019 70% of Americans aged 12+ are now familiar with the word “Podcasting.” 32% of Americans report having listened to a podcast within the past month. 51% of Americans reported having listened to a podcast at least once in their lives. More than half (53%) of monthly Spotify users aged 12-24 report being monthly podcast listeners, up 32% last year. The average number of podcasts consumed in the last week among weekly podcast listeners has stayed at seven. Podcasting grew slightly as the “audio source used most often in the car” — now at 4%, up from 3% last year.

 

But, What Makes Podcast An Attractive Marketing Strategy?

(To Podcast or not to Podcast) Podcasting is a powerful marketing option that is trying to fulfill the ever changing customer requirements and market demands. Well, you ask how? 

1.It is an alternative to Video Marketing 

Not everyone has the skill and budget to shoot a video. As Video requires a lot of equipment and a professional who could correctly deliver the true meaning of the video. This is where a podcast can become an ideal choice.  Depending upon your podcast quality, the cost can variate. A robust initial setup can be relatively cheaper than video production. 

2.Your audience won't need a phone or tab out to connect to you 

In a schedule, where we are always on the screen, podcast is a great way to stop that screen stare and listen to the information.

3.Very easy and cheap to create  

Building a podcast does not require a lot of steps. The devices that are required are reasonably cheap and easily available. You just need a high quality microphone and a pair of headphones to create a good quality podcast. While the editing tool is free and very easy to use. You can even get your app developed from an expert mobile app development company that could record, edit, and launch your podcast directly in the cloud. 

4.Quick Uploading

Drafting, editing, and publishing a video or a blog post is a tedious task, whereas uploading an audio file with a little description of what the podcast covers is way easier than other content marketing strategies.  Concluding  Easy to create + Quick Upload = A lot of Content 

5.Increasing Traffic 

Podcast helps in reaching out to new audiences as it helps in building familiarity with a wide range of audiences. Listeners are likely to subscribe to the series of audios. Until a series finishes, the listener will stick to the podcast to learn all about the topic.  Additionally, these listeners may recommend these podcasts to their friends and acquaintances, thus increasing your reach significantly. This will lead to increased traffic numbers. 

6.Highly Engaging 

Podcasts, if built with the right user intent, can prove to be highly engaging. As we have already witnessed that the internet is cluttered with a lot of textual information, developing a podcast can prove to a fresh breeze to the content monotony.  Additionally, it has given an opportunity to present the information in a way that is highly interactive or in a conversing manner. And once you have subscribed applicants, your podcast audience will download your episodes without even thinking twice. 

How To Create A Successful Podcast?

(Handing down the Secret Recipe)  A successful podcast is a mix has  [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Source: Pexel[/caption]

Successful Podcast =                  Interesting Content + High Production Quality + Engaging Host

  Three most important things that you need to keep in mind while developing a podcast is -

1.Setup 

Start the first episode by establishing the goals of the series, introducing yourself to the listeners, the background of the series, and your relationship with them.  This is the episode that sets up the base for your listeners. The first episode should have the potential to grab your listerner’s attention. This is the place where you can actually hook your users. 

Points to grab your listerner’s attention 

• Strong Opening
• Sound Dramatic 
• Be surprising
• Add small stories in between or make it conversational 

In the end, make them feel that they need to hear the entire series, and it is significantly going to add value.

 Basically, this is important to make your series a success. 

2.Actionable Advice

This part of the series should consist of tips where the users can leverage your advice to solve their challenges. In this section, you can also tell about your previous failures and how you overcame them.  In the next episode, you will have to serve them your secret sauce with the main dish, otherwise, they will lose their dietary in between of your series.   You have to be a chef that knows what your client needs when to serve them a buffet they will never forget. And keeps on coming back! One of the main points that need to be discussed is - Authenticity.  Authenticity means that whatever you are telling your listeners, be it challenges or failures either you faced or someone famous; it must be like spilling the tea. All out, loud and clear. Never be afraid to weave in the failures; these experiences are the common things that most of the audiences relate to. 

3.Solutions 

The last episode is the clouser. It is a phase till where you have created all the tensions and now it is time to reveal it all.  The aim of the last episode should be that your listeners find the entire series rewarding and it pays-off all the time that they have invested. In the last episode, you should reveal all the solutions or the aftermaths after implementing actionable advice. The clouser should be presented in a way, the final piece of information solves the problems or gives out a lesson. Always plan every episode before you start a series. You should always know where your podcast is heading to. And, always remember not to expose the climax early in the episodes. Otherwise, you won't be able to get your listeners until the end of your podcast.

How to Quickly Launch your Podcast and Grow your Subscribers 

(Psst…..Also, get featured on iTunes’ New & Noteworthy) If you are a podcaster, you know what it means to be featured on iTunes, but if you are someone new, then I must tell you that iTunes for a podcaster means sitting on the #Trending on Youtube.  And, well, like Youtube, it is also not an easy task. Like uploading a video or a blog, you want your podcast to have immediate listeners. For that, you will have to launch your podcast like an event, create a lot of buzz around it, and plan marketing strategies to viral it. This is to grab the attention of immediate listeners. If you get immediate listeners to your podcast, and some of their reviews.  You have a lot of chances to be featured in the New & Noteworthy section. Even though this is not a guarantee, but this way, you can grow your podcast organically.    [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Source: eofire[/caption] Gathering a small audience prior to launching a podcast will give you an opportunity to provide your users with content that you want your audience to listen to. The idea is to launch a debut and later on give out small series of episodes to keep your listeners all hooked up to your podcast.  Another way is, send emails to your audience about the launch, ask them to subscribe to your channel, and leave feedback or comment after listening. It is a good sign to have reviews on the first day as it makes your podcast more liable to get noticed by iTunes.

3 key lessons to keep in mind 

Keep track of your analytics 

Starting analyzing your data from day one and keep a note of every small change that you see in your analytics. This data will help you in knowing your audience, what they like and listen to. Another thing is to trust your gut for your first season. And later on, make use of analytics to compare your seasons. 

Try and keep your podcast from 9 to 15 minutes 

If your podcast is too long, your audience will struggle to listen to all of your content. Resulting in losing their interest and your listeners will not return for any further engagement. Therefore, keep your podcast short 9 to 15 minutes is the ideal time. 

Recap

Recap your previous episodes to remind your listeners about the important things in the podcast. Most of the listeners drift off from what they have lately listened to. This happens all the time. That is why it is important to recap. Sounds too much for creating a podcast?  But let me tell you, it is all worth it. Podcasting is a new way of representing your content to your audience. Some time invested in podcasting, and voila, you will explore some of the most amazing benefits that it has brought.  So, do not think more about it, jump start your idea of podcasting and explore what works for you and your audience.