How Podcasting Can Help Your Business Grow

Although podcasting has been around since 2004, its popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. According to Edison Research, podcasts reach over 100 million Americans every month. Brands must adapt to changes in how people consume content, but many businesses still leave this medium unexplored. With so many people listening to podcasts, ignoring them altogether puts your brand at risk of missing out on reaching potential customers.

But avoiding this risk might not be the only reason for your business to have a podcast. There are many advantages to using a podcast as a way to reach your target audience. Here’s how a podcast can help your business grow.

First things first: What is a podcast?

A podcast is a series of audio episodes focused on a particular topic or theme. Think of it as your company’s own radio program. It’s a way of offering information to target audiences specifically through audio, whether on mobile apps like iTunes or Spotify or streaming through an internet browser.

A manufacturing company might create a podcast that discusses new technologies in the industry or a variety of other topics related to their business. A healthcare company might talk about the latest healthcare news or interview physicians and other medical professionals. A financial institution could discuss anything from tips for managing money to the global economy. Ultimately, a podcast allows you to reach more qualified prospects who are genuinely interested in your products or services. Also, people want to buy from companies they trust, and creating a connection with them through a podcast is one way to develop that trust.

Podcasts are especially helpful for people on the go who don’t always have time to watch a video or read a blog post for information they may need. For example, a distributor who spends most of the day traveling between appointments might find a podcast focused on how to improve their sales technique useful. Your listeners can enjoy your podcast from anywhere, whether they’re driving to work, at the gym, or doing chores at home.

Using your voice to tell your story directly to your audience helps create a connection with them that can’t be achieved through writing like you do with your company’s blog. A good podcast combines storytelling with your own expert knowledge of your industry, offering educational value and a human connection to your visitor.

What you need to know when creating a podcast

There’s a lot that goes into planning a podcast. Your podcast probably won’t be successful without a solid foundation. When you’re ready to get started, you should:

1. Decide on a topic or theme for your podcast. This will help you determine what you want to talk about and how you plan to talk about it. Think about content that will inform and inspire your audience and keep them coming back to you for more info.
2. Determine how you will format your topic. Will you tell stories, interview experts, repurpose your existing content, or do something completely different? Regardless of the topic, be sure to offer a unique perspective to give your audience a different view of your discussion.
3. Understand the timing of a successful podcast. Make a plan for how much time you will spend on each aspect of the episode. Stick to your plan and ensure that your podcast is structured effectively so your listeners stay engaged.
4. Establish a schedule for when you plan to post each episode. Decide if you want your podcast to be ongoing or broken into seasons. If your format promises no shortage of content, an ongoing podcast might be a good fit. Otherwise, seasons allow for breaks to find inspiration for new content as well as additional production time.
5. Consider additional necessary content. Creating a written transcript on your website for each podcast offers an alternative to listening to make your content more accessible. Plus, it lets you reference links to websites that might be mentioned during your program and can help you squeeze in some important keywords for search engine optimization (SEO). It’s also important to understand that your podcast should supplement your other website content, not replace it. Just because your podcast achieves great results doesn’t mean you should abandon your website, blog, social media, videos, or other content.
6. Understand how podcasts can help with SEO. Just because podcasts are audio content doesn’t mean they can’t help improve your ranking on search engines. Google scans audio files for relevant content. Search engines will also look at the titles, descriptions, and transcripts for your podcasts as website text. So, if you include relevant keywords, these can help rank your company higher in search results.

Pros and cons of podcasting

There’s a lot that goes into planning a podcast. Your podcast probably won’t be successful without a solid foundation. When you’re ready to get started, you should:

Pros

• Connect with your target audience on a human level
• Reach a different audience and offer your company’s insights to a wider range of listeners
• Allow listeners to multitask while working, commuting, etc.
• Give readers a chance to spend more time with your content, building trust and loyalty to your brand

Cons

• Limited opportunity for SEO as opposed to long-form content
• Requires special equipment for recording high-quality audio
• Content creation and editing can be time consuming, especially for those who are new to the medium
• Readers are unable to skim the content for important information
• No opportunity to offer links or calls to action

Although podcasts are not the most popular form of content creation for B2B companies, the ever-increasing number of listeners makes a podcast an essential tool to reach a wider audience and grow your business. It’s also a great way to emphasize your industry knowledge and complement your existing thought leadership content.