How To Use Podcasts To Grow Your Business
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years I’m sure you’ve heard a podcast (or at least heard of a podcast). There are actually over 900,000 podcasts out there, and that number is climbing as we speak.
Despite their popularity, however, many business owners are worried that podcasts are outside their abilities. They think a podcast would be more work and stress than they can handle. The truth is, even as a small business owner or marketing director, you can create a podcast for your business. You just have to do it the right way.
I know, that sounds like a daunting task. You already are juggling so much. But what if I told you that instead of being another workload of content to create, it would actually help you refine your message? Or that your podcast could help you create more intentional content that you can use holistically across all of your social media efforts?
That idea is becoming a reality. Just consider Gary Vee’s Reverse Content Pyramid. In the Reverse Content Pyrid, Gary Vee starts with a piece of long-form content, which he chops up into small pieces and then distributes outward to social media. This system helps refine your content, making sure it starts with a core pillar of what your company is about.
So how can you create your own podcast and ensure it’s a success? I’ve got a few tips on how you can get started, and start pushing better content with a podcast of your very own!
Starting A Podcast
Starting a podcast is as easy as getting a microphone, your computer, and just recording the thing. However, people will be more likely to listen to you if your audio is great and your content is well thought out. Before you do anything, it’s a good idea to create a content calendar planning out your podcast topics. Having an outline with talking points doesn’t hurt either!
Once you have your content down, you can get started on production by signing for services like https://anchor.fm/ that let you record straight from their app and edit. Or you can use Garageband/Audacity to record and edit your episodes yourself if you are a bit more tech savvy.
You can then use services like Podbean & Buzzspout to distribute your podcast to all of the podcast services out there.
*Note: if you do decide to go the route of recording your own podcast, we recommend the Scarlett 2i2 if you are doing in house interviews paired with 2 of the Audio-Technica BPHS1 headsets.
Or if you are doing this via Zoom or Skype, you could use the Blue Snowball iCe USB Mic and recommend your guest do the same, or at the least use a pair of headphones with a microphone on them.
Repurposing The Podcast
Now that you have some episodes recorded, you can use your podcast for just more than an episode.
Blogs
Instead of drumming up content and forcing yourself to create new ideas for your content strategy, you can now refer back to your podcasts and use that as inspiration for the topics you want to write about.
You can turn that long-form content into a more detailed blog where you can even go more indepth in topics you don’t. You can even include links to relevant podcasts to existing blog posts and republish them to maintain freshness.
Social Media
Whether you did audio only or included video, you can also chop pieces of your podcast up into more short-form content that you can distribute across the proper social media channels. You can share this on youtube, even if it is audio only, by making a Waveform Video that plays while you talk.
You can share sound bites that would interesting your audience into learning more about what you do or offer on Instagram Facebook and Twitter even TikTok for the younger crowd, if thats where your audience hangs out.
Create Lead-Generating & Converting Podcasts With ROI Online
Whether you run a one-man shop or small business, podcasts aren’t just a possibility. They’re an excellent tool you can use to connect with customers and nurture leads. Don’t think of a podcast as just one other thing to do. Think of it as a holistic way of creating content, that you can then repurpose, reuse, and even expand upon to help your customers see your true value.
Not sure how to get started? We are here to help! Sign up for a free strategy session to learn about how to create a podcast strategy for your business.