The Ultimate Guide To Using Podcasting As A Marketing Tactic

In the hustle and bustle of this age, having to squeeze everything to accomplish your daily agenda is necessary. From cooking food, washing the dishes, going to work, or doing the laundry—being able to multitask is simply a luxury that not everyone can afford. Because of this, it’s already becoming increasingly difficult to cram in hobbies in such a tight schedule.

This is why ‘convenient’ versions of typical recreations have gained fame in the past years. There are audiobooks for the bookworms, idle games for the gamers, even automated cooking gadgets for single parents who have to do multiple gigs for a living, and the list goes on.

The same thing could be said true for the marketing ecosystem. Since consumers have to spend most of their time trying to strike a balance between work and life, outbound marketing strategies are now nearly outdated. Directly interacting with customers and selling services right at their faces is obsolete, if not invasive.

Because of this, marketers need to find a new avenue to kickstart effective marketing strategies. Some make use of social media to get more brand exposure while others leverage the fast-paced world and mix advertisement and entertainment as one thru content creation for videos and podcasts.

Podcasts: Answering The What And The Why

The word ‘podcast’ is a portmanteau of Apple Inc.’s iPod and the term ‘broadcast.’ It’s considered the digital successor of radio shows back in the day. Essentially, podcasts work in a similar fashion as radio shows, except users can locally save a copy of each episode and listen to them anytime since radios didn’t have yet that capacity before.

In its earlier stages, podcasts were primarily used to cover a variety of topics such as different lifestyles, discussions, and some even deliver the news. It was just when different technologies like video cameras and USB microphones had become affordable that the public had been more involved in podcast creation.

Ever since the necessary hardware for creating podcasts became more accessible, a relatively increasing number of users decided to enter the podcasting industry. This created traction which largely attracted listeners; therefore, the demand for podcasts had reached a new all-time high.

Aside from the hardware, many podcast recording software and streaming software popped up in the market, making them more available for everyone. Some are free of use while others offer more advanced options for a certain amount of fee.

In the context of marketing, business owners and marketers alike can leverage podcasting for wider brand exposure and bigger reach. To further elaborate, here are some tips on how to use podcasting as a marketing tactic:

1. Don’t Scrimp On Planning

Just like with all kinds of endeavors, careful planning makes or breaks a project. Carelessly venturing into podcasting without prior preparation can do more harm than good—something that may even cost you your business. That’s why laying out the groundwork is the first step to make.

A few things that you need to consider in the earliest stages of your planning are your goal, your audience, and your format. Do you want your soon-to-be listeners to get aware of your brand or do you want the podcast to act as a supplementary service for your already existing goods?

Regardless, the goal of your podcast should be clear from the get-go. Lacking a clear and simple goal at first will make the podcast less attractive and its content would be all over the place. You can check out the S.M.A.R.T acronym to aid you in setting your goals.

2. Set Your Target Audience

While it’s tempting to make podcasts and have your listeners enjoy your content, you must first know your prospective listeners. Since the podcast will primarily be used for your brand, integrating your customer profile and their buyer’s persona is necessary.

For instance, if your goal is to create a five-episode podcast, the next thing to do is to tailor-fit its contents to the preferences of your customers. If you work in retail and your client base is mostly comprised of young adult females, then the tone, language, and even the host of the podcast must match the trend among young adult females.

This is to ensure that the podcast doesn’t derail from its main topic and to make sure that the listeners become more interested in your podcast. In addition, extracting data from your customer profile is readily available in most cases since it’s an integral part of any effective business model.

3. Don’t Forget Your Brand (But Don’t Overdo It)

Incorporating your brand within the podcast can be done in a number of ways. You can make it seem like you sponsor the entire podcast, you can explicitly mention your brand in set intervals during the episode, or you can even interview customers who have prior (positive) experience with your business. Regardless, the goal of your podcast is to enhance your brand image, but remember to do it sparingly.

Over-advertising during the episode will most likely make listeners annoyed and apprehensive about following your podcast. For one, podcasts are meant to be informative about the topic, and another is that no one proactively listens to podcasts just to be bombarded with ads.

That’s why smoothly and seamlessly mentioning your brand goes a mile more than repeatedly glorifying it. While it’s easier said than done, this is one of the vital aspects of marketing podcasts where you should listen to feedback and improve from thereon.

4. Decide On The Format

Deciding on the format of the podcast is as important as other steps. This is because you’d want your podcast to have consistency and standard since those are two things that listeners often expect from any podcast.

If you want to set it up as an interview podcast, for instance, drafting the interview questions as well as recruiting the guest are some of the preparations you must make. If you want to tell a story or create a narrative podcast, then deciding on the whole story to cover is the first step to do when it comes to writing its content.

Deciding on the format won’t only provide standard, consistency, and quality to your work; it’ll also help you prepare the necessary equipment and software as needed by the chosen format. Co-host podcasts and interview podcasts, for example, will require more than one microphone.

5. Expand Your Reach

One of the glaring advantages of podcasting is there’s a multitude of hosting sites out in the market where you can upload your podcast. Creating your podcast smartly is one thing, but wisely uploading it is a different story.

This is another reason why choosing your target audience is in the earlier stages of the planning stage. Different demographics of consumers use the internet for various purposes—some use it mainly for social media while others for reading on forums. Identifying how your target audience uses the internet can give you a gist on how to position your podcast on the internet.

For instance, if your target audience is comprised of teenagers, chances are their students have schoolwork to do. Uploading the episodes on YouTube or Spotify won’t only expand your reach, but it’ll also make it more accessible to your target audience. Check out this post to read more about different hosting sites.

6. Incentivize Your Podcast

When it comes to tackling your consumers, nothing beats promotions, gifts, and other forms of reward. Luckily, you can apply this same concept in your marketing podcast.

You can hold per-episode quizzes or Q&As whose questions are based on the previous episodes or the services your business offers. This is to make sure there’s a call-to-action in your podcast, as well as something to look forward to in each of your episodes.

There’s also the option of providing subscription giveaways like a premium subscription to Spotify, Apple Music, or other famous podcast hosting sites.

7. Don’t Be Afraid To Collaborate

Given the interdependent network in the digital ecosystem, as a business owner or a marketing officer, you’re not limited to just showcasing your brand in your podcast. You can take on sponsorship from other brands and vice versa. This usually helps in reaching a bigger audience, and in some cases, collaborations offer financial support.

In addition, doing collaborations or partnerships in your podcast will help your company’s supply chain. You can have the partnership extend in your business proceedings such as resources procurement and sourcing, among others.

Conversely, you can make podcasting an additional service you can offer to other businesses. What this means for your company is additional clients in a completely different business unit, and for them, it’s a means to advertise their brand.

Conclusion

Podcasting is a novel and advantageous way of expanding your brand exposure. Having to create a podcast that reflects your goals and your brand image isn’t easy, but it doesn’t mean impossible. With the right resources and careful planning, you can start uploading your first episode in a breeze! Consider the ideas mentioned here as you prepare and strategize.

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