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Benefits of adding a podcast to your digital marketing strategy

Podcasts have become a very popular way to connect with your target audience. They are easy and convenient which is always a win-win situation when it comes to digital marketing!

Today, we are going to be covering a few tips on Why Podcasts need to be implemented into your digital marketing strategy!

00:01 Amber Irwin: Hello and welcome to the Social Speak Network Podcast, I am your host Amber Irwin. And today, we are going to be covering tip number nine: Podcast Marketing. We’ve covered a lot in these past tips of how to really create that content strategy. And I wanted to talk on [00:22] ____ really about just podcasts in general, and how and why they’re so important to your content strategy. So let’s jump into the why. Why are podcasts so important? And why have they gotten so popular? And let’s start with number one. They’re engaging to your audience and convenient. So when we’re thinking of our digital experience for our audience, we wanna think of what are the things that are convenient for them, that are easy for them to consume, and still give that value, and show that we are the experts in that industry. Whatever industry that is.

01:09 AI: And you have to think, podcasts are such a great way to really be able to package all this information into one setting. So, convenience is key. People that are listening to podcasts are usually… Maybe they’re driving, they’re walking, they’re cleaning the house, they’re working… They always have them on because it’s not something… They don’t have to watch the video, they can have it wherever so it’s the convenient piece for your audience is key. Number two is that mobile experience. We talked about this with… A few of the other tips is making sure that the digital experience is mobile-friendly because most people are using their phones to do the work.

02:03 AI: And so 69% of people listen to podcasts from their mobile device. So this is a great way that they’re able to listen to your podcast. Again that convenience piece, it’s mobile, they have it wherever they’re at. And thinking of your audience, what does their day look like? Are they in the car for an hour a day or maybe two hours a day? Are they family, are they mothers where they are sitting in maybe car line [02:35] ____, are they… Think of who they are, and how much time are they spending in the car or what does their lifestyle look like? Are they active? And so they always have their phone with them, so it’s mobile-friendly.

02:52 AI: And they’re becoming… Podcasts. And number three, they’re becoming more and more popular. And this is… So according to Search Engine Journal, there were 48 million weekly podcast listeners in 2018, 48 million. And Statista data says that there will be over 115 million listeners before 2021, a 115 million. What’s really cool about this is it’s growing and growing every day and the type of podcast… It’s really like your YouTube channel. We’ll get into that a little bit later on in the tips I’m giving you, but just thinking of how many people you can reach and your target market by creating a podcast. And it’s very simple, so that was tip number three. They’re becoming more and more popular. A lot of people have their favorite play lists of podcasts in different varieties. If you talk to people, most people will have, I would say, between 5 and 10 podcasts that they listen to, and for different reasons. It may be personal podcasts they like on the personal base. They have their work ones, things that are within their industry, that they stay up-to-date with. They may have, if they are a part of different organizations, a lot of people are requiring or recommending them listen to certain podcasts.

04:27 AI: So these podcasts are… There’s everything out there. So you’re looking at what is your audience struggling with? And so if you are a paediatrician and your audience is mostly mothers. Most of the time, that’s who’s bringing the kids in to the doctors. And are those moms looking for healthy eating, are they looking for… Maybe tips for… Parenting tips. Are they looking for podcast on vaccinations, are they looking at holistic medicine, like what are they struggling with? What questions are they asking you?

05:04 AI: And to be able to put a podcast together around that, that brings me into tip number four: Brand Loyalty. You have this convenience piece, you have the content piece of talking to your audience, and now you’re building this brand loyalty. And so a podcast is something you’ll have interviews, you can find out from your audience, you know what are those topics that they wanna learn more about and be able to interview someone on your podcast. You can just talk about a certain topic just like this on your podcast. So you’re building that brand loyalty. And like I said, most people have between 5 and 10 podcasts that they listen to on a daily or weekly basis, so they’re building that brand loyalty. They are really, they feel like they know the people that are putting on or the businesses that are putting on these podcasts.

06:03 AI: And number five is they are low cost. We’re not talking a big recording studio. I’m in my home office, I have a good microphone, I have my computer. You can use an external camera or your computer camera, you may need to, depending on lighting maybe get a little light, but honestly, it’s low cost if any. The only thing you’re really gonna pay for is where you’re going to put your podcast when it’s done.

06:36 AI: And so, we’re on Podbean. And Podbean I think is like 14.99 a month. And that also allows you… That syncs with iTunes and so that gets you on to iTunes. It gets you onto the other podcast networks as well. So it’s a really good tool. But $15 a month for being able to share information that you’re already talking to your audience about already… It’s brainless, you gotta do it. This has to be a part of your content strategy. And number six is you are building that expertise and value. So every podcast… Again, a great way to start is start serving your patients asking or writing down, what are they asking you when they come in?

07:29 AI: What issues are they running into? What are their pain points? What type of lifestyle are they wishing that they would have or that they’re working towards or what are they struggling with on the home side with their family? So thinking of your industry and your audience and you’re building these podcasts around those topics, you’re providing valuable information to your audience that they wanna know about. So this ties in with tip number four of that brand loyalty. If you are providing them value and you are showing that you are the expert in that industry, that’s building that loyalty.

08:08 AI: They are going to be listening to you. And then going into tip number seven, this is content creation. So one thing I love about podcasts is when you’re thinking of your digital marketing strategy, you wanna be able to think of how people comprehend information and podcasts are obviously auditory. Videos are visual. If you have a white paper, a free download to go along with something, those are gonna be the kinesthetic learners. And so, with podcasts, if you do… Let me give you a little insight tip here.

08:49 AI: We use Zoom. There’s a paid version and a free version. And one thing I like about Zoom is you can record it, and do a video, and it also records the audio. So when you’re creating this podcast, you can put the audio file onto Podbean or your podcast platform, and then you can take the video format and upload it to your YouTube channel. So you’re able to use this content in multiple different ways. And then, what’s really cool about this too is with your podcast, you can have… Your podcast can be shared out onto your social media platforms, you can have a link onto your website that says, “Join or subscribe to our Podcast.” So it’s really creating this community of people. And again, you’re already talking about these things to your audience.

09:46 AI: So, it’s just recording it and being able to package it in a podcast, wrap it up in the box and put podcast on it. And your audience is able to get it from their phone. They can listen to it from their computer. But again, you’re providing that information to them that is valuable and that is key. So if you’re thinking about starting a podcast in the new year and implementing that into your content strategy, I would start by opening up a document or opening up… Getting a piece of paper and start writing down what does that podcast strategy look like? What are you blogging about? What are you talking about on social media already? Those blog posts that you’ve already written, we were talking about how important blogging is, and how those blog posts should be 2,000 plus words and around that keyword foundation. Your podcast should be the same thing. And you can turn those blog posts that you have already taken the time to write, you can turn those into a podcast and then take the audio file and implement it into that blog post.

10:57 AI: So people can either… They can read it, they can listen to it or they can watch it. So it’s really… Again, you’re touching every type of learning style, so your audience whichever way they wanna consume your information, it’s there for them to do. And I think that that is really important for your digital marketing strategy. So start looking at what are those pieces you’ve already written on your website and on social media? What’s your audience, your patients, your current client list, what are they talking about? What are they asking you?

11:29 AI: And start writing down some topics. And your podcasts don’t have to be super long. Again, think of your ideal, your target market, are they on the go quick, quick, quick? So they do they need to be between 15 and 20 minutes long. Maybe you do your interviews, maybe 30 to 40 minutes long. I would say whatever you do, to keep them under an hour, under 30 minutes if possible. You gotta think of… If they’re listening to them while they’re driving, what’s that drive time like? So just keep your audience in mind. But anything under 30 minutes is gonna be great. And if you keep ’em between that 15 to 22 minutes, even better.

12:11 AI: So, if you have questions or need help creating this podcast strategy, please let us know. You can go to socialspeaknetwork.com and schedule a free 30-minute consultation. And while you’re at it, subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or Podbean, Social Speak Network. And we are here to help you thrive with your content strategy. Have a great day.