Whether it’s getting ready for bed, hitting it hard at the gym or that early morning commute, podcasts have become privy to our private moments.
The growing popularity of this platform comes after the huge success of the 2014 This American Life Serial podcast, and finally businesses are beginning to catch on to the commercial potential.
Adding podcasts to a marketing mix can allow you to intimately interact with your customers and secure a loyal following. With the ability to enlighten and educate you can create lasting digital relationships.
Done well, it can help promote your brand and benefit your ROI. Done poorly, well then, you’re relegated to the bottom of the podcasting pack.
Luckily, here are some dos and don’ts for podcast newbies.
1. DON’T expect your listeners to know who you are; DO add an explanation.
The beauty of podcasts is that they are free to listen to. Therefore, it is important not to alienate new consumers. By blindly focusing on your usual target audience you forget that podcasts can draw in a whole new range of people. However, these people will lose interest if they require a prior knowledge of your brand in order to enjoy your content.
Yes, you won’t be able to reach a universal audience, but by adding simple and easy to understand introductions about who you are and what you have to offer, listeners are more likely to stick around. So, make it interesting and make it fun. It seems simple enough, but many podcast newbies dive head first forgetting this basic rule.
2. DON’T forget to market your podcast; DO take it seriously.
Just like any other form of content marketing, podcasts require time and money. Too many businesses overestimate their reach and think referral alone will get them the listeners they deserve; you need to put the effort in even after you have hit upload.
You need to prepare, produce and promote like any other product. In order to get the best results, you will need to treat it like any other marketing content.
Simply: less effort, less listeners.
Therefore, you need a marketing strategy. This could include collateral such as email or social media to promote your show. Cross promotion and marketing campaigns can also create solid branding and maintain your listenership.
3. DON’T forget about the content; DO make it engaging.
You can spend big bucks on production and can market the podcast perfectly, but if you don’t have top quality content then you are not going to reap the rewards. Podcasts are time consuming and you don’t want to see your efforts wasted by ignoring the main event.
Ensure your podcast tops the charts by understanding what is a hit and what is a miss. Strip back on the gimmicky sound effects and the over-produced intro. Keep your focus on producing genuine and thought-provoking content that is in tune with your brand and your vision. Do this and you are onto a winner.
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