Podcasts are having a moment, and businesses are taking notice. Recent research shows that podcasts have seen a staggering growth in listenership over the past few years, and this means there’s a lot of room to reach an engaged audience through podcasts and podcast marketing. But before you can get into podcast marketing, you need to understand what podcasts are all about and how they fit into the content marketing spectrum. Read on to learn more about podcast marketing and how you can use it to grow your business!
1) Why Podcasting is So Effective
A podcast is a syndicated radio show that you can access and listen to whenever and wherever you want. Think of it as on-demand radio. If you already love your local radio station, then good news—podcasting is basically just more of what you’re already enjoying! Plus, podcast listeners tend to be tech-savvy individuals who are willing to spend their hard-earned money on products they learn about through podcasts. The results? According to CoRepo Research, 40% of Americans have listened to at least one podcast in their lifetime, so there’s definitely an audience for your business if you start producing podcasts.
2) Improve Brand Awareness
A podcast is a unique marketing opportunity that lets you reach your audience with audio. Listeners are able to hear an advertisement while engaged in another activity, making it easier for them to remember what they heard later when they’re ready to buy. Even better, podcast listeners are more engaged than your average TV or radio listener. Most podcasts provide episode transcripts so even if someone doesn’t have time to listen at that moment, they can still consume your content.
3) Improve Customer Engagement
Capturing and monetizing listener data can be a great way to improve customer engagement. For example, you could survey your listeners and offer them discounts or giveaways based on their responses. You could also create an email list for your podcast, allowing you to communicate directly with interested listeners. Either way, segmenting your audience based on their interests will help you connect with them in ways that are more relevant than broad-spectrum advertising could ever hope to achieve. After all, who better knows what they want? You or them?
4) Boost Sales
If you own a business, then you understand that your main goal is to boost sales and generate leads. These days, more and more consumers are turning away from traditional advertising methods, such as print advertisements and TV ads, in favor of online marketing. This shift has created a whole new market for businesses looking to expand their reach—and podcasting is one of those effective methods. While some see podcasting as simply talking on air, there’s actually a lot more behind it. By hosting your own podcast and promoting it on various platforms, you can generate leads and convert those leads into paying customers with consistent branding.