Podcasts are a challenging form of marketing as they rely upon building a fan base through content that is both informative and interesting. These are sound recordings, so you don't have the benefit of showing pictures or allowing customers to read something at their leisurely pace. Instead, you and your company must develop an idea within the imagination of your listeners.
Your business can benefit from the use of podcasts if developed properly. You should plan out your scripts and invest the time and energy to develop podcasts just as you would put together any other type of ad campaign. Unlike radio advertisements, you don't have to pay for a 30-second slot or develop your entire ad around financial constraints.
Podcasts Are Flexible
With podcasts, you can speak for as long as you want-on the condition that you retain the attention of your listener. This can be both a blessing and a curse because you must learn to use your time effectively and to develop strategies for writing entertaining content.
Whatever you produce, it should be related to something you are passionate about and something you would be interested in sharing with others. Since the only thing that your listeners will be able to do is to hear your voice, you don't want to go on talking about something that bores you. Your listeners will be able to pick up on this, and when you go to make your call of action, you'll end up sounding to gimmicky and turn some people away.
No matter what you talk about, provide some benefit to the listeners for listening. Give them useful insight or information that they can take with them and feel like they haven't wasted their time. The better information that you give, the less your listeners will worry if you happen to be a poor quality presenter or lack consistency with your podcast schedule.
Subscriptions Make Customers
The more subscribers that you get, the better; for every user that subscribes is one more potential customer that you can reach out to every time you post a new podcast. These will be your "regulars" that follow up with your materials. Try to schedule out your podcasts to once a week or a usual time each month. This will give your subscribers something to look forward to and reason to come back and check for new content. Developing a habit among your subscribers is crucial to developing engaged listeners who take action.
Create A Connection
Develop a connection with your customers so that they trust you and see you as an individual that has their best interests in mind. Use social media to interact with listeners on a one-on-one basis, answer any questions, and continue the conversation even after the podcast has been released. Make sure that you share your content regularly through social media and do your best to answer or respond to inquiries regarding the materials. Developing these and creating a personal connection with others will reflect positively on your sales and business.
Pamela Wigglesworth, CSP, is an entrepreneurship and marketing consultant, international speaker and the author of three business books. A resident of Asia for over 20 years, she is the CEO of Experiential Hands-on Learning. She works with organizations across multiple industries to help them increase brand awareness, increase leads and ultimately increase sales.
To learn more about Pamela, visit the Experiential website at www.experiential.sg or email her at courses@experiential.sg