Thanks to recent smash hit Serial, podcasts have suddenly come into the mainstream in a big way. And, it’s not just entertainment. Podcasts have become critical components of small business marketing strategies. Is it right for your brand? Let’s find out!
Bringing Your Voice to Your Audience in a New Way
In his Entrepreneur article “5 Reasons Your Small Business Should Start a Podcast Today,” Daniel Newman shares a pretty compelling argument for starting a podcast. We’ve broken it into its key points below.
If You Start a Podcast:
You can create a more powerful connection with your audience.
Content marketing is no longer a one-size-fits-all approach. In fact, the same strategy may not even work from week to week! With podcasts, your brand has a way to be different, and to use its unique voice to connect to your target audience on a deeper and more personal level. A podcast helps you stand out in this crowded sea of the same branded fish.
You can have the stage mostly to yourself.
While every brand is on Facebook or Twitter, not every brand is doing a podcast. Yet. Podcasting is still relatively new to the scene, making it the perfect time to become a marketing pioneer and lead the charge. While it’s likely to become a more competitive market over time, gain the lion’s share of the market and receptive audience base now.
You can tap into endless possibilities.
Podcasts are far from a one-trick pony. Don’t think of a podcast as a block of time where you simply speak at your listeners. Instead, think of the possibilities of creating a true show with exciting avenues such as product reviews, in-depth discussions with industry experts, or even interviews with consumers. It’s an exceptional way to bring exciting views and thoughts to the forefront.
You can give your podcast wings.
Podcast broadcasting is not limited to your website or blog, but instead can reach global audiences through huge channels like iTunes and other various social channels.
You can connect employees to the brand.
Podcasts aren’t limited to your target customer audience. Podcasts can be used for employee training, company announcements, and important employee recognition. Strengthened employee loyalty and dedication will improve your small business.
It All Starts With a Concept
Now that you are convinced it’s time to move forward with a podcast, how do you do it? Joe Donovan breaks this down in his Digital Trends article “How To Make a Successful Podcast,” summarized below.
Here’s what you need to iron out as soon as you decide the podcast is a go:
- Theme: If you aren’t passionate about your distinct theme, no one else will be either. Choose something that covers an untapped niche, and don’t worry that you will be “locked-in” to one topic for the duration of the podcast. You can talk about anything relevant once it gets rolling.
- Format: Decide on the length of your show (don’t exceed 60-minutes) and your general format that you will follow each episode. It’s always great to prepare scripted written introductions for each show. Be sure to have a bulleted format of main points to cover and key talking points, especially if you have a guest lined up. Speaking of guests, stick with people you know and are most comfortable with when you are starting out and still working out the kinks. Along those same lines, start-up with a monthly podcast until you get into the swing of things; a weekly podcast is probably too ambitious while you are a novice. Another “good to know” tip is to always obtain artist consent if you want to play songs or videos during your podcast. (Bonus tip: You can nab licensed media files from Creative Commons Search or Freesound.org).
- Equipment: Luckily, you don’t need to make a huge investment here. Instead check out podcasting kits that typically come bundled with a microphone, headphones, microphone cable, and a compact mixer. Recording software runs the gamut between free options and high-end recording programs. You can even purchase pop filters as an inexpensive way to decrease explosive breath sounds that are common with speaking – especially with the “p” and “b” bass pops. Lastly, if you have any friends in the sound engineering field, hit them up to help you get up and running pretty quickly!
Step two: Record an audio file
Take a deep breath and go! Remember your podcast set-up and aim to stay on topic. Give yourself room to make errors – this is your first time after all! Open up your recording software, making sure that your USB microphone can successfully interface with your recording software. You will undoubtedly be immersed in some troubleshooting in the beginning, but see it as an opportunity to learn more about this process instead of an outlet for frustration.
Once you have your audio file(s), it’s time to go into post-production. You’ll want to make important edits such as ensuring vocal volumes are the same across different speakers, tightening dead space between phrases, and making sure the background music and sound effects don’t overpower the speaking. While editing takes time (and practice), it can be done without pricy software.
Once the file is edited, upload it to a host site. (The options for sites and price points are huge so do your homework). Some content management sites (like Squarespace) can generate a podcast XML feed. Once your XML file is online, use an RSS validator (i.e. feedvalidator.org) to make sure it’s error-free before submitting the feed to the iTunes store.
Once you finally reach the holy grail of the iTunes Store (if that’s your end goal), go big or go home! Let everyone you know about your podcast through your website and social media channels. Maintain the momentum in between episodes with links to related content such as your guest expert’s recent book launch giveaway and content updates (i.e. was there an exciting piece of news that came out after your podcast that sheds new light on the story?). Above all, enjoy this newfound success and exposure!
Building an Audience One Podcast at a Time…
Now that you are an official podcaster, put in the time and effort to plan and develop great content for the year ahead, with plenty of guest speakers. Keep an extensive list of back-up topics if a planned show falls through. Are there any other tips that you want to share with the readers out there on how to execute a great podcast? Or, do you have any leads on great small business podcasts to follow? We’d love to hear them!
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