As times change in the digital world businesses have begun to implement various new solutions to improve the reach and impact of their brand. If you want to stay ahead of the competition in today's competitive landscape, then you need to have a strategy for connecting with your audience that not only establishes engagement but also helps to build brand loyalty too.
Podcasting is something that has created a significant amount of popularity and success over the years. Basically, a podcast is a set of digital audio files that customers can download from your website or another location on the Internet. Users can subscribe to a podcast so that they automatically receive the digital files as soon as they're uploaded.
Today's businesses are frequently turning towards podcasts as a way of building stronger relationships with audiences and diversifying their marketing experiences. When customers can't watch videos, they turn to podcasts as a simple and entertaining method of getting information from their favorite companies. Here are just some of the benefits of launching your own podcast.
1. Podcasts Are A Unique Alternative To Video
These days, it feels as though video marketing has emerged as a crucial way to garner more business for growing brands. However, not every company will feel comfortable spending the budget required to shoot their own videos. Sometimes, shooting videos without the right amount of brand growth can hurt your business reputation considerably.
If you don't have the equipment, or the budget to start your own blog or video schedule, then you can still access all the relationship-building benefits that video has to offer with a podcast. Podcasts are often far more affordable than their video counterparts, as they lack things like lighting, equipment, and even the actors required to make your videos stand out.
2. Podcasts Improve Traffic Generation
Adding podcasts to your marketing materials can help you to connect with a new audience for your business. Podcasts are effective at building familiarity with a wide range of customers from different backgrounds, because they allow you to show your own voice, and make your brand seem more human. Most of the time, listeners will happily subscribe to a podcast series, and listen to you every week.
Additionally, the more popular your podcast becomes, the more likely it is that your customers will recommend it to their friends and family, naturally increasing your company reach with the power of word of mouth marketing.
3. Podcasts Build Stronger Relationships
Although you can try to build a specific voice on your blog posts and articles, there are few things that can give your brand the same human touch that comes with a podcast. Although podcasts are still one-sided forms of marketing, they help to give your listeners the feeling that they know you personally, because they can hear all the unique nuances in your voice that give stories depth.
People listen to podcasts and continue coming back for more because they begin to feel as though they have something in common with the speaker. Usually, when done right, a podcast can help to build both trust and loyalty among your audience.
4. Podcasts Are Easy To Make
One of the things that makes podcasts so appealing to small businesses and startups, is that they're incredibly easy to make. There aren't a lot of steps involved, and the equipment required for a podcast is usually reasonably priced, and easily available. You might need a good set of headphones and a microphone for a podcast, but that's about it. You can even get the editing software you need for free!
Perhaps the most challenging part of creating a podcast is finding out where to promote it when you're done, to increase your exposure and reach a larger audience. This will mean making your podcast available on numerous distribution channels.
5. Podcasts Are Incredibly Engaging
Today's customers are no stranger to the problem of information overload. The Internet is brimming with written content, and audio information can be a great way to break up the monotony. Podcasts leave plenty of room for speakers to convey the message of a brand in a way that's highly interactive, and often more engaging than blogs.
One survey into the benefits of podcasts found that about 63% of the respondents bought whatever the host had promoted. This suggests that podcasts could be used to positively influence your customers towards making a purchase.
