6 reasons your business needs a podcast

Before there was YouTube, there were podcasts. They have evolved from their humble beginnings and are now featured on countless websites. Podcasts are also new channels and opportunities for businesses to present their products to customers and gain their trust.

The main secret behind the popularity of podcasts is the fact they are essentially fun to listen to. If we take a look at the top free and popular podcasts that people listen to when they have nothing better to do, we’ll see that podcasts have an informative side too. Establishing your brand using the shoppers’ spare time are just some of the six reasons your business needs a podcast.

The power of the interview

The revival of podcasts came with sports shows that used posts for interviews. The halftime report would feature experts giving their opinion to an interview and this form of podcast became immensely popular among sports fans. The same principle is applicable to companies as well since they can use interviews to invite guests and experts that are knowledgeable about their products and related blog posts.

LISTEN NOW: Check out BestTechie’s podcast — TechieBytes

Furthermore, interviews are ideal methods of networking. The people who are guests at your show are also entrepreneurs so you are bound to make a bunch of new business contacts. In fact, if you are planning to cooperate with a certain entrepreneur but are reluctant about approaching them directly, a podcast is the ideal opportunity to talk to them in a leisurely atmosphere. After they take the headset off, you can engage in a casual chat with them that will lead to more serious topics.

Sharing your uniqueness

A podcast will allow you not only to show what you have to offer but also what is so unique about your offer. For instance, instead of bringing solely external experts, your own developers or sales personnel can talk on the podcast sharing their unique expertise.

They should look to bring your business closer to listeners/consumers by making it clear what is your business trying to accomplish and what part of society you want to improve. Understanding the why is important for potential clients because they are bombarded with marketing slogans that come to the incessant repetition of the words: buy, buy, buy! The podcast you start should serve to differentiate you from the competition so shoppers will recognize the true value in your offer.

Saving both money and time

Podcasting is all about passion; that’s why mostly business owners or loyal employees take care of them, acting as editors and hosts. When you come to think of it, a podcast is cheap to run. In under 100 dollars you can get the equipment such as an audio editing software (which is often free of charge), a mic, an affordable hosting service, and a quiet room to record in.

Most of the things listed you already have at your company so starting a podcast is cheaper and more cost-efficient than writing a blog or opening a YouTube channel. For the latter, you have to get a high-quality camera, a recording studio, perhaps hire actors and a marketing agency which all costs well over a thousand dollars. Writing a blog, on the other hand, involves hiring an experienced content writer that will charge you a pretty penny. If you try to cut corners, you’ll end up with a blog that doesn’t follow the SEO general rules and all your effort will go to waste.

A tool for building your brand

When you come to think of it, once it is up and running, your business podcast will become an integral part of your brand, much like the company’s name and its logo. However, unlike the visual identity of your franchise, a podcast provides the opportunity to explain your business strategy. In addition, when you include your employees’, your customers’, and ultimately your own story, the brand will get a human face that shoppers find easier to identify with.

Listening useful information from week to week, your listeners will actually learn from your brand. More importantly, they will start regarding it as an authority in the specific niche they are interested in. Instead of shady marketers linking your blog to their website, you will gain actual leads, as your podcast community starts spreading the word. After a while, your podcast could become the go-to location for those who wish to inform themselves on topical issues.

An alternative source of revenue

You are starting a business podcast with the ultimate goal of increasing total sales, i.e. the conversion rate for your website. However, if you approach the whole project with utmost seriousness, the podcast itself might start generating revenue. Namely, a podcast that becomes authoritative in an industry will generate a huge number of listeners that will in terms attract advertisers.

A really good podcast has the potential to make you six-figure amounts! Monetizing your podcast does not come easy as it will probably take a couple of years to establish yourself and gain an audience. There are numerous marketing deals you can sign with third parties, including audio ads, finding a sponsor (or sponsors) for your podcast, donations, a channel to sell merchandise, etc. Once you get the ball rolling, you will find novel ways to run a profitable podcast.

Don’t forget to have fun

Apart from all the valuable info listeners can hear at your podcast, don’t forget to have fun. This goes for everyone, from you as the owner, down to the listeners who can always benefit from a good laugh, regardless of the topic. In fact, an amusing podcast stands a higher chance of becoming successful, popular, and ultimately profitable.

We hope that now you have a clearer picture of what starting a business podcast implies and how it will help improve your business. If you do everything by the book, you can expect the podcast to become an integral part of your brand, even generating a profit on its own.