Considering a Marketing Podcast? Here's What You Need to Know
If you're looking to branch out to additional forms of content marketing, you might be considering beginning a podcast. After all, everyone else seems to be -- but how much do you really know about the marketing podcast marketplace, and moreover, is starting a podcast as easy as the professionals make it look?
Podcasting is serious business
Though podcasting is still something of a mystery to many people, the popularity of programs like This American Life (and its wildly popular spinoff, Serial), RadioLab, and Planet Money has helped the medium reach new heights. Listenership for the most popular shows is easily in the millions -- and podcast ad spending has followed suit; it’s estimated to reach $36 million by 2016.
Plenty of companies have taken advantage of the audio revolution as well. Marketing podcasts have become an especially large niche, and some of the largest names in SEO and online coaching -- like Gary Vaynerchuk and Seth Godin, just to name a few -- have expanded into the medium. But why?
Why marketing podcasts are smart as heck
A podcast serves a similar marketing role to a blog. Marketing podcasts offer a way to exercise your authority in the marketplace, to discuss topics important to yourself and your clients, and to boost your SEO by adding new distribution channels, like iTunes and Stitcher. They’re also potentially a new revenue stream if you decide to incorporate advertisements.
However, the big difference is consumption. Unlike a blog, which a person can’t easily read while walking, cycling, or driving a car, a podcast can provide a hands-free form of content to commuters, fitness enthusiasts, or just people cleaning their home, working, or out taking the dog for a walk.
Consistency and quality are key for marketing podcasts
Another big difference between blogging and podcasting are the barriers to entry. While blogging is fairly simple to begin -- you create a blog, then you write posts or hire a copywriter to blog for you -- podcasting needs a little more startup capital, and a bit more of a time investment.
A marketing podcast could be a good fit for your business if you or your company can meet three conditions. You must:
●Have the proper equipment to record a quality podcast, or have someone who can help you with that end
●Be prepared to create content regularly and predictably
●Create content that is interesting, easy to listen to, and informative
Though the really great podcasters make it look as easy as stepping up to microphone and starting to speak, for your marketing podcast to offer real value to listeners, it has to be listenable -- which means the content and the actual production must be top-notch. For every one Social Media Happy Hour, there are dozens of similar podcasts that are less well-produced, and offer less relevant content.
Many companies think creating a podcast is as easy as just pulling audio from their videos or other recorded media, but that doesn’t add enough value for your potential listeners. A podcast is an investment of time, energy, and even money (recording equipment is not cheap) -- but if you’re prepared to really commit, it can be a great idea for your marketing firm or business.
Need help with your digital content marketing?
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