If you love listening to podcasts, chances are you are probably thinking of starting one of your own. After all, starting a podcast is a promising investment that requires little to no extra expenditure and if done right, is sure to yield fruitful results.
Podcast listening is booming all over the world, and the UK is no exception to its increasing popularity. So, if you run a business or are planning to start one soon, creating your own podcasts can be a great way to attract customers and rise to prominence.
Take a look at the following reasons why it’s essential for businesses to produce podcasts nowadays.
Why Your Business Needs a Voice – Literally
Efficient Way to Reach out to Potential Customers
Podcast listening has become the trendy thing these days. People really, really love listening to podcasts – it’s as simple as that.
According to a survey conducted last year, nearly 6 million people in the UK alone tune in to different podcast channels every week. And that makes this audio channel a highly promising avenue if you are trying to increase the outreach of your business.
Effective Way of Communication
Podcasting is not just a quick and efficient way to reach out to a large number of customers – it’s also one that guarantees the highest rate of successfully communicating what you want.
To understand this better, consider the best alternative you have for effectively marketing your goods and services in today’s internet-driven world. You are probably thinking of blogging, right? After all, it’s super trendy nowadays. But that’s where the problem lies.
Since every second person seems to be blogging these days, there’s a sea of blogs out there. So, producing something truly unique that’s bound to make you stand out can be a rather daunting task. Plus, an average blog is about 700 words long and takes around 5 minutes to read. Podcasts are typically 30 minutes long and allow you to deliver the content of approximately 4,500 words on an average.
Your audience doesn’t have to specifically set time aside to ‘read’ your message. They can simply listen to it on the way to work or while waiting for a bus. Thus, podcasts allow you to deliver more content and in a way that is easy to consume.
Align Yourself with Successful Businesses/ People
Podcasts are a versatile way to build a reputation for your brand. You can talk about interesting topics related to your field in order to draw attention to your business in a subtle way, directly promote your brand or even partner with others in the industry to be more successful in your endeavors.
For example, once you have gained sufficient listeners for your podcasts, you can do an episode in an interview style. Invite a business tycoon, a CEO or any other high-status personnel from your industry to be a guest on your show. This will vastly improve your overall brand image because close association with highly successful people improves the way people perceive you and your own business.
Starting a Podcast – As Easy as 1, 2, 3
Creating a podcast is not that difficult but if you think too much about it, you are unlikely to implement the idea and record the first episode any time soon. Thoughts like ‘my voice sounds weird,’ ‘I am not good at speaking,’ ‘I don’t have the proper equipment’ and similar fears might hold you back from taking the next step and starting your very own podcast.
When it comes to hosting and broadcasting a podcast, many people tend to think of a large studio, fancy microphones and complex digital soundboards with hundreds of buttons to change and control the dynamics of the audio. The reality, however, is quite the opposite.
If you have a desk, a computer and a set of headphones/ microphones (the ones that come with your smartphone will do), you already have everything you need to record your first episode. Additionally, you might require a podcasting software (Garageband that comes pre-installed with iOS does the job well enough).
As far as the topic of the podcast is concerned, that is completely up to your imagination. Choose whatever you like but make sure that it features a mix of something that your target audience cares about and what you ultimately want your brand to be known for in the long run.
Additionally, you need to consider the following things when starting a podcast for your business.
Format – Podcasts can be solo shows, interview-style or co-hosted. You can go for whichever style you are comfortable with but make sure to pick one that gives you the greatest opportunities to explore your subject matter.
Style – Regardless of what the main message you are trying to deliver is, your podcasts must keep the listeners engaged. Even if you are the sole speaker, keep your podcasts conversational. The listener shouldn’t feel like you are reading stuff off a teleprompter.
Length – Podcasts can be as short as 5 minutes each or even as long as 6 hours. Usually, it’s best to keep it around 20 – 30 minutes (the length of the average commute). Find what works best for you and your audience, and don’t be hesitant to record a longer or shorter episode when the need arises.
Frequency – How often you release new episodes will primarily depend on your main goal. For example, if you are trying to build a brand image for a newly started business, consider issuing a new episode every week or perhaps even daily. Moreover, try to record a couple of podcasts before launching the first one. This gives you a head-start and helps in keeping up with the schedule.
Music – If adding music or similar tunes in your podcast, make sure you are not overstepping any legal boundaries. Only go for files that are labeled free to reuse. Copyright infringement is a serious issue and can result in big problems for you and your business.
All it takes is a bit of careful thought and proper planning for starting a podcast. But it is one of the greatest assets for your business that’s sure to rake in some extra money.
