Apple podcasts alone host over 1.74 million podcasts spanning 42.9 million episodes, and those numbers are climbing daily. The world of podcasting and the podcast network has offered marketers and business owners a new way to reach their target audience.
Podcasting has become the preferred method of content delivery for some marketers because of its huge reach and popularity.
Podcasting is a global market
Podcasts are very popular among younger audiences. According to the Digital Reuters Report of 2019:
- 55% of South Koreans listen to podcasts
- 39% of people in Spain enjoy podcasts
- 37% of Irish people love podcasts
- Monthly podcast listening in the US has increased from 35% in 2019 to 37%
- On average podcast listeners subscribe to 6 podcasts a week
The advantage podcasts have over other content delivery methods is that listeners can go about their day while consuming them. Users can listen to podcasts on-demand, unlike radio programs. Podcasts can be streamed or downloaded so the listener can enjoy the podcast whenever is convenient for them. Unlike vlogs or video content, listening to a podcast doesn’t require the audience’s undivided attention. Podcast listeners can work, drive, do housework or travel to work all while listening to a podcast.
- 70% of podcast listeners do not do anything while listening to a podcast
- 59% do housework and chores while listening to podcasts
- 52% listen to podcasts while driving
Because of this using podcast marketing to promote your business is beneficial because growing numbers of people are tuning in and spending an increasing amount of time listening.
Why use podcasts for marketing your business?
All businesses need various marketing tools and strategies to reach a large and diverse base of potential customers. While having a website is a good starting point, it’s no longer enough in the modern age of marketing. Customers want products and services at their fingertips. They don’t want to spend hours browsing the internet and some customers may find you due to the unpredictability of search engines.
Nowadays you need to reach a potential customer more than once to convert them to a sale. The best way to achieve this is to your business with a full arsenal of marketing techniques to increase reach and frequency that includes podcast marketing. Here is how people react to podcast marketing and advertising:
- 81% of podcast listeners pay attention to podcast ads
- 60% of podcast listeners visited the website of the product advertised to order something
- 45% visited the website for more information about the product advertised in the podcast
- 7% purchased the product at a retail location having listened to the podcast advertisement
With monthly podcast listenership on the rise, investing in podcasts should be a vital part of any business owners marketing strategy.
Here are 10 ways podcasting can further benefit your business and marketing:
Tip #1. Low cost
Like blogs, podcasts offer marketers the opportunity to create relatively low-cost content pieces and deliver them on-demand to their target audience.
At Tall Tales, we look after everything; music licensing, artwork, hosting, talent sourcing, guest scheduling and remote recording. Our Ranelagh studio is fully equipped to welcome up to five people per show.
Maintaining a podcast is more cost-efficient than vlogging or video marketing. From equipment to post-production, podcasting doesn’t require much compared to video services. This makes podcasts a better alternative for small businesses.
Tip #2. Convenience
Podcasts are perfect for our on-demand, on-the-go world. They offer marketers a revolutionary way of communicating with customers. Listeners can take podcast content with them anywhere, anytime, wherever they’re going: on their commute, on a run, in the car, the list is endless. They can stream and download podcasts at the touch of a button on their smartphone devices.
With podcasts, your voice is your tool to connect customers to your business and brand, becoming a convenient alternative to face-to-face relationships.
With digital listenership moving largely to the self-curated, on-demand model, it’s a safe bet that podcasts will continue to enjoy an extended renaissance and widespread popularity amongst consumers.
Tip #3. Grow your audience
Podcasting can help your business reach new audiences. Podcasts can build familiarity with a wide range of audiences. Podcast listeners usually subscribe to a podcast series and, as long as the series continues, are likely to keep listening.
Your loyal audience may recommend your podcasts to others, thus increasing your reach considerably. Using social media and other sharing platforms to share your podcast content is another great way to increase the size of your podcast audience. You can use social media to promote new podcast episodes by providing preview clips and a synopsis of the podcast, so listeners know what is in store for them.
Make it as easy as possible for new subscribers or customers to access your podcast by making it straightforward to stream or download. Don’t forget to include a call to action in your podcasts episodes and ask new listeners to subscribe and rate your podcast.
Tip #4. Build a personal connection with customers
Even though a podcast is a one-sided medium, it helps in building and maintaining effective relationships with listeners. Podcast listeners are usually repeat customers, with the average listener subscribing to 6 podcasts a week. Maintaining long-term relationships with customers reduces your cost-per-acquisition and ultimately drives profits.
Podcasts are vehicles for customer retention. Podcasts give listeners the feeling that they know the person speaking. As a result, strong bonds form between listeners and podcast hosts. This provides ample opportunity to build strong, lasting relationships with your audience members. Such a good relationship helps build trust, which listeners associate with your brand. This leads to improved conversion. People are far more likely to buy something from a friend than a stranger.
Tip #5. Build authority
Podcasts are an attractive avenue for discussing topics and matters that relate to your area of expertise or unique niche. Whether you are the first or one of many to create a podcast in your industry, they can help you build a reputation as an authority in your field. When creating a podcast as part of your overall marketing strategy, take the time to think about what you or your business can uniquely contribute to the conversation.
Podcasts put the creator in a position to speak with authority on virtually anything. Compelling podcasts can easily establish your credibility and trustworthiness while providing valuable information to your podcast listeners. And when people have multiple ways to consume your content and hearing from you or others in your business, you become the go-to business they want to talk to.
Tip #6. Improve public speaking
Public speaking is an invaluable skill, it takes a lot of practice to become a confident speaker and hold the attention of a room, especially when it comes to marketing. Having a podcast is a great opportunity to improve your speaking skills. And to help your team members develop their public speaking skills. Podcasts are a safe space for individuals to try new public speaking styles, and any errors made along the way can be edited out in podcast post-production. This, in turn, will help improve their speaking skills when discussing your businesses products and services at sales pitches or marketing meetings.
Tip #7. Drive revenue
Creating a podcast worth listening to should be your top priority. However, once you have done that and established a podcast audience base, there is money to be made.
Podcasts create unique and profitable marketing opportunities, whether through selling advertisement slots in a podcast episode, podcast affiliate marketing, accepting sponsorship for a podcast or booking speaking engagements through your podcast.
These podcast marketing opportunities are effective. In a survey conducted on 300,000 podcast listeners, 63 per cent of respondents had bought an item promoted in a podcast episode. This suggests that podcasts and podcasting can be used to engage an audience and influence their buying decisions, driving revenue and returning on your investment in your podcast.
Tip #8. Boost web traffic
The competition within the online search field is fiercer than ever, the internet is saturated with different websites. Many businesses are looking for new ways to drive traffic. Creating high-quality content, like podcasts, and then promoting them across social media and sharing platforms can do more to increase site traffic than spreading large amounts of money on pay-per-click or search engine ads.
When advertising a new podcast episode online make sure to include a link to your website where visitors can go to purchase your products or services. is how podcasting can help you reach out to more target customers and grow your audience. Resulting in increased website traffic and conversions.
Tip #9. Strengthen your brand.
Content continues to play a huge role in brand building and is a crucial part of any successful marketing strategy. A strong content library that includes podcasts can help improve your search engine rankings and create new pathways for potential customers to find and engage with your brand or business.
Listening to podcasts does not require a person’s undivided attention. While this might mean that some of your podcast listeners are distracted while consuming your podcast content, it’s not a huge loss. Since your podcast is playing in the background of their daily life, your brand will reach their subconscious and that can help increase brand recognition and customer retention over time.
Many people love to multi-task, and most consume content while out and about. A podcast is a great medium that can fit into this on-the-go lifestyle. It’s an excellent way to make sure your brand stays in the consciousness of your podcast listeners.
Tip #10 Podcasts are the future
Being open to various marketing strategies and tools is the best way to grow your business. Likewise, being creative with your approach increases your chance of being remembered by potential customers. The more unique your style is, the greater the chance they’ll remember you.
Podcasts are making their way in the world of digital marketing, and if you know how to use podcasts for your business, then you increase your chance of success. Podcasts are not only used to promote your brand or your business, they are also a great medium to engage and build a rapport with your customers, which is an essential element for long-term business success.
Podcasting continues to see interest from investors. Streaming and on-demand podcast platforms like Spotify and Google are expanding their podcasting services and big-name celebrities, authors and influencers are podcasting in their droves. With all of these factors merging around podcasting, they solidify podcasts as the storytelling medium of the future.
At Tall Tales Podcasts, we look after your entire podcast needs. From recording and post production to artwork and distribution. Email us today Hello@TallTales.ie to get started.
Main image from Unsplash
