A podcast provides a format for sharing your expertise in your industry. Regular podcasts with accurate information or ideas help you establish you, or your company, as an authority in the niche.
Before we dive into why your business needs a voice, let’s confront a few of the reasons why people typically avoid a podcast, and why those reasons should no longer stand in your way.
“I Don’t Have An Audience.”
The number one reason why people don’t want to start a podcast is that they don’t have an audience, and I definitely get it.
Why would you start one if there’s nobody to listen to it, right?
This is one of the most common objections, but the irony is, a podcast is a great way to begin building your audience. The rising popularity of podcasts combined with the fact that they’re easily consumed – unlike reading a long article or an e-book.
This means you’ll have a far greater chance of building a loyal audience that likes, trusts, and feels like they know you.
“I Don’t Have Room For Studio Recording.”
Objection number two is, “I don’t have the room or a business studio for recording,” but if you have a desk or even a quiet room anywhere in your house, you have all the room you need.
Since podcasting is still pretty new our minds tend to link the concept of podcasting to radio broadcasting, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Some of today’s most popular podcast is being created in a small corner of a room in somebody’s own home.
And you don’t need that fancy microphone and headset to get started either. Believe me, I just use my Apple headphones and my iPhone to record most of my episodes.
“I Can’t Afford The Equipment.”
And then, reason number three is because you can’t afford the expensive equipment, but you’d be surprised how little you need to begin.
All you need is…
- A microphone that your phone can take care of.
- Podcasting software which there’s an app for that (Anchor.fm).
- A good topic to discuss which a few Google searches can take care of.
Now, let’s get to the good stuff.
Why Your Business Needs A Voice, Podcast, [or] Different Medium To Connect With Your Audience?
People Love Podcasts
People really REALLY like podcasts nowadays. According to a study conducted by Edison Research, podcasting continues to show strong growth over the past 10 years.
In fact, many people believe that in the coming years there will be a breakout for business podcasting.
Podcasts Are Easy To Produce
It’s easier to produce a consistent podcast than blog posts.
A lot of people aren’t ready to write a few thousand words every day, go through revisions, and then publish the content for only a handful of readers. Which is why podcasting is so amazing!
You can create a stunning piece of content without going through countless edits. The more conversational and casual it is, the better it will connect with your audience.
Not Enough Time To Read Or Watch
Not everyone has time to read thousands of words.
The average blog post is about 700 words long, which can be read in about five minutes. However, the average podcast is 35 minutes and around 5,000 words the equivalent of seven blog posts.
Not only does this allow you to deliver more content to your audience, but it’s also delivered in a way that’s easy to consume.
If you’re not taking advantage of listening to podcasts during a drive, while taking a walk, or on a plane, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to leverage your time.
Podcasts Stick
Podcasts are sticky.
When someone decides to listen to a podcast they’ll usually listen to the entire show, and if they like it, there’s a good chance that they may listen to another and another and another. And that’s a lot of content consumption!
What’s great about this is they’ll either feel closer and resonate with your message, or they’ll decide that this isn’t the right place for them – and that’s a good thing!
The whole point of getting your voice out there is to attract and build the right audience for you and your business.
One-On-One Attention
When someone decides to tune in to your podcast, you’ve suddenly become the invited guests within their home or office.
No different than sitting across from them and having a face-to-face meeting with their undivided attention. That’s some pretty powerful stuff!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of email marketing, video marketing, and consistent content marketing, but there’s nothing like the level of intimacy podcasting creates.
Your Personal Brand Benefits From A Podcast
I’m a huge believer in building a personal brand, which is why I spend most of my time doing it.
But having an impressive logo and a catchy slogan will only qualify you as being average in today’s digital marketplace.
What’s most important for your business is having a personality, and I can think of no better way to give your business a personality than by giving it your voice.
Elevated Perception
As your podcast grows, you should align yourself with successful people.
All those guests that you’re going to chase down to come on your show will make a difference to your overall brand.
The more successful people you have on your show from your industry or niche, the closer aligned you’ll be seen to them and their success.
Perception is key and the perception of success is often very very contagious.
Podcasts Develop Speaking Skills
Developing speaking skills is on everybody’s improvement list, but it often gets the least amount of attention. What’s great about podcasting is that it allows you to continuously work on your craft.
It also helps you to build confidence in your speaking ability without needing the approving laughter or applause from a live audience.
It can be a bit strange speaking to an invisible audience, but that same skill will help you deliver engaging and entertaining live streams and webinars. A skill every digital entrepreneur should be improving on.
Gives Your Existing Audience Variety
The ongoing engagement of your existing audience is vital.
No matter how big, or small, your current audience is I guarantee many are listening to your podcast.
If they’re going out of their way to open your emails, read your blog posts, and register for your webinars, why not serve them with a podcast?
Not only will your podcast help form a deeper relationship, but it can also serve as a platform to spotlight members of your audience who were putting your teaching into practice. Some of the best content you can create are case studies that demonstrate what you teach actually works!
Podcasts Open The Door To New Opportunities
Podcasting isn’t your content endgame. It’s the beginning.
Each of your podcast episodes can be repurposed into so many additional pieces of content. You can have your podcast transcribed and distilled into multiple blog posts.
You can have the best points of your podcast turned into infographics. And you can even turn your podcast into an engaging YouTube video – finally cracking down on video marketing.
The opportunities for repurposing are literally endless.
