Is A Podcast A Good Marketing Tool?
Everyone and their mother seem to have a podcast these days. With so many podcasts and ease of production and distribution, is having a podcast a good marketing tool?
Before investing your time and mental energy on yet another marketing strategy, consider the following:
Are you already executing a consistent valuable content strategy? If you already have a hard time executing your marketing plan, why jump into something new? When was the last time your blog was updated? How often are you posting to social media? Are you known for jumping into things that you don't have the bandwidth to see past three months? Really asses the consistency and frequency you are able to complete your current marketing strategy and then consider if you have the time and desire for the long-term commitment of recording and producing a podcast.
What type of podcast will you record? What unique angle will your bring to the marketplace and what will inspire people to want to listen to you? Will you be the only host, will you have a co-host or will you interview others? Will it be educational, lifestyle or news focused? If you are unable to answer these questions, it's likely people won't be interested in listening.
Do you have the equipment and staff? Recording a podcast requires rental or purchase of equipment and staff to both produce and promote. Who will write the content, who will find and schedule the guests and who will publish the content. Trying to put it all together yourself is a lot of work and it will result in a less than professional sounding output, which could affect your credibility.
How will you build your audience? If you don't have the means or a strategy to market your podcast, you won't have many listeners. Without listeners, how does a podcast help grow your business? The best way to build an audience is utilizing guests, promote it on social media, create unique hashtags, create a special page on your website, email marketing and use keyword marketing. Remember, in addition to marketing your business, you will need to spend time marketing your podcast.
How often can you create new content? Will you be releasing weekly, bi-weekly or monthly shows? Or, will you create a mini series? How much time do you need to research, arrange for guests, record and produce your episodes. Determine how often you want to create and release new content so your audience knows what to expect.
Is a podcast a good marketing tool?
The key to successfully incorporating a podcast into your marketing strategy is:
Careful planning to make sure your podcast goals are in alignment with your overall marketing strategy;
Creating brand-consistent and valuable content; and
Generating a marketing plan to promote the podcast.
After making sure you are able to meet the commitment required to produce a podcast and you have determined a podcast will help you build community and brand-awareness among your customers, this can be a very effective marketing tool for your business.