Podcasting is a powerhouse of talent that’s becoming increasingly popular among businesses. What once used to be a modest platform for opening conversations about social topics has become central to creating a brand image. Brands who can accrue the advantages of podcasting can benefit from a new audience, brand loyalty, a thriving conversation with those who matter, and a bridge of trust.
While podcasting has never claimed to or can eliminate the need for textual content, it acknowledges the need to tap into other forms of content. They build on the information that written content promises to offer and makes it more entertaining and accessible for everyone. Therefore you can milk more value from podcasts than articles and blogs.
While they have been likened to radio shows, they’re really not the same. And the major difference is its popularity statistics. Research shows that 80% of viewers follow through almost till the end of each episode and consume seven podcasts weekly.
Let’s look at what’s driving this explosive growth in numbers for podcasts.
The Growth of Podcasts
Statistics show that the viewership for podcasts increased by a whopping 180% between 2009 and 2015. In fact, in 2017, a quarter of the population older than adolescents was following podcasts. Midroll Media, the global leader in podcast production, has pioneered this trend. Their chief business development officer, Lex Friedman, shared their views on the exponential growth in podcast consumption. They confirmed that in the last 12 years, approximately 67 million people have become hooked to podcasts.
But most importantly, podcasts are an invaluable marketing tool because they address the concerns of the 18-34 demographic group. This sect is the hardest to reach for any B2C business, but podcasts have achieved the impossible. This group is still the most coveted market segment for brands because it’s the biggest in numbers.
Middle-aged persons have staid investments, whereas Baby Boomers have either spent all their savings on their child’s college education or saving on retirement funds for medical emergencies. The age group we’re talking about is ready to burn money on frivolities and have the right attitude to engage with marketing content.
Here’s why businesses should revert to podcasting for better business.
Alternative to Video
There’s no denying that video marketing is the backbone of social media campaigns, which are fundamental to winning contemporary marketing challenges. However, video production is a costly venture because it’s based on a series of processes that lead to the culmination of a viewer-worthy video. You need shooting material, a shooting crew, actors, voice artists, editors, graphic designers, and a development team to post them on the right channels.
This can seize up a lot of your time and effort that could be positively invested in a more lucrative avenue. Unless you put all the right ingredients in making videos, your end result would be trash that puts your brand reputation at risk. You can’t afford to make such glaring errors.
Plus, video marketing excludes small businesses because they just don’t have the capital to make it happen. They can’t invest in expensive equipment or hiring a crew. That’s where podcasting comes in. Podcasts are a series of digital audio recordings that can be easily downloaded on phones on the go. With no hassle of making and editing a video to go with it, it’s considerably less work garnering greater views.
More Traffic Generation
Ever miss that time of childhood when you’d lay in bed, listening to bedtime stories, wishing they’d never end? That’s the kind of pleasure viewers find in podcasts. Once listeners subscribe to a channel, they’ll follow the series to the end as long as there’s something that comes next.
The persistence comes from viewer’s vested interest in what comes next that keeps them hooked. However, since it’s not one long sermon but chapters broken down over a series of podcasts covering one issue, it’s easier to watch.
These bite-sized audio lessons can be used to the benefit of businesses. What more do you want than an audience that listens? If it’s the engagement you want, the engagement you’ll get. Traffic generation touches new heights as your podcast viewership increases through continued support and referrals.
A Human Connection
Even though podcasts aren’t a conversation between the speaker and the listener, it opens dialogue on a range of topics. How? The audience may not be thinking along the lines that the podcast speaker urges them to think about. Therefore, the effect of the speech doesn’t end when the episode ends; the after-effects stay long after, becoming a part of the listener’s personal life.
There’s also a vote of trust given to the speaker when a listener chooses to listen to them. They trust that the speaker has a like-minded stance on the issue, represents the brand fairly, has insightful opinions and incisive comments on business practices. They trust that the speaker is more learned, experienced, and intelligent than the average person and have something more to offer. They trust that the speaker won’t go against the best interests of the listeners, and always be honest about their recommendations.
This relationship of trust translates into forming a human connection with the brand, one that’s hard to find when business logos are separated by multiple screens and barriers from the audience.
Do you need an expert to help you with podcasting? Novices in digital marketing who need an expert’s opinion on their marketing strategy can get in touch with me. Contact me today.
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