I speak to a lot of small businesses who toy with the idea of having a podcast. It can be a daunting prospect – and even pose further questions over time, cost, and that elusive ROI of starting, running and managing a podcast.
But having a podcast can become a useful tool and essential part of your outreach strategy. Here are three quick reasons why you should think about launching a podcast:
- You have a huge amount of hard-earned expertise
- Your customers ask a lot of questions
- You’ve hit a brick wall with blogs and written articles
The proof for podcasting
Podcasting has boomed in recent years. In fact, in 2021 Statista reported that there are 19.1-million podcast listeners in the UK alone, reaching podcast consumption levels similar to the US.
That’s pretty wild, considering that number is expected to hit 28-million by 2026, with 40% of that audience aged between 26-35 and listen on a weekly basis.
And here’s my favourite stat – the reason why podcasting is such a successful platform: 44% of people who listen to podcasts do so while they are driving or travelling, while 34% listen while relaxing.
This is the reason why podcasting is so magical. You can consume information or entertainment while you’re on the go. It means you’re able to multi-task while listening and learning.
And as a podcaster, it means you can reach an audience at times when they can’t read your articles or watch your videos.
Here’s the big fact:
They don’t have to be hour-long, content-heavy episodes.
There are no rules when it comes to podcasting. There’s a common misconception that podcasts have to be long-winded conversations that entertain.
Actually, short-form podcasts in bite-sized episodes can be really useful for marketing your business. So here are three ideas to get started:
- Service/product explainer podcasts
If you provide services that are quite complicated or need a level of understanding, then short-form podcasts can be valuable to your audience. For example, if you provide legal services, short explainer podcast episodes can really help your customers (or potential customers) get their heads around complicated situations.
Think bite-sized learning, dispelling myths or answering FAQs.
You can then use the podcasts on social media, your website, even email relevant episodes to your new customers to give them a head-start on understanding complicated topics.
If budget and time is tight, these types of podcasts can be cost-effective and not take too much of your time to produce. They give you easy-to-consume audio that your audience can listen to any time that’s convenient.
- Opinion and news-led, time-sensitive podcasts
If you work in a fast-moving industry your customers could benefit massively from regular updates to keep them in the loop.
For example, accountancy firms could benefit from creating a regular round-up of legislation changes or even topical explainers and opinion. Financial advisers can keep their customers up-to-date with any market changes. Health and wellbeing experts can dispel the myths of the latest health trends… the list goes on.
Your customers or potential customers will respect your expertise, and regular output can become a crucial driver for outreach and lead generation.
- Internal podcasts for large teams
Internal comms is a big deal for large businesses. When you have teams spread out across the country, or even internationally, it’s important to keep everyone in the loop. Many large businesses will have internal newsletters or magazines, but an internal podcast can be a super effective way of engaging with your staff.
Think about company news, staff achievements, workplace wellbeing episodes, financial advice for your staff… any special topic or conversation that will give your staff added value.
