Social media has long been heralded as the best way to grow your customer base and improve your brand presence.
However, in the new age of digital content, there’s a new way to build your business: podcasts.
Podcasts are the ideal platform to talk at length about your ideas, products, or USP. A podcast can also build brand trust in customers, as hearing you talk will reassure wary buyers and convince them that your business aligns with their values.
You don’t have to start your own podcast, either. You can appear as a guest or sponsor your favorite shows. Working collaboratively with podcast hosts is a great way to reach new audiences and build brand awareness without breaking bank.
Adding Value
A podcast is a great way to build your brand. However, it is not a great venue for hard selling. Consumers will not listen to you rave about your product for hours on end, and don’t want to hear an extended sales pitch when they tune into your program.
Instead, you must add value to the lives of your listeners by giving them insights or information that they care about.
For example, if you run a doctor’s office, a healthcare-related podcast might be a great way to grow your clientele and improve patient retention. Talk about your niche when possible, as this is an authentic way to build your brand without seeming sales-y. You can also host guests who specialize in some of the common issues that your patients face.
Adding value means that you should go outside of your specific niche, too. If you run a construction company, you probably shouldn’t host 30 episodes on concrete. Instead, branch out into the industry at large, and try to talk about the general patterns that you notice or the way you think businesses should respond to market pressures.
Establishing a Niche
Having a wide array of topics to choose from is a great way to bring more listeners to your podcast. However, that doesn’t mean you should avoid your niche altogether. Instead, aim to strike a balance between content that falls in your wheelhouse and content that pushes your boundaries.
Your podcast niche doesn’t have to align perfectly with the product or service your company sells. Take Allie Ward’s popular Ologies as an example. When Ward started the show, she was primarily a TV host, blogger, and actress. However, her podcast niche revolves around science rather than acting or the arts. Since gathering a large following on Ologies, Ward has grown her personal brand and now hosts science shows and edutainment programs.
You can follow suit by finding a niche within your industry that you authentically find interesting. For example, if you’re a personal trainer, you could start a podcast that covers unusual training methods and assess their efficacy. Or, if you work in finance, you could cover the rise and fall of different cryptocurrencies.
Whichever niche you land on, the idea remains the same: cover a topic that you enjoy, as listeners can always tell when you’re having a good time.
Brand Awareness
Podcasts are a great way to reach new audiences; 37% of Americans tune into a podcast every month and 47% of podcast listeners are more passionate about their favorite podcast host than they are about their favorite TV show actor. As a business owner, you can tap into this potential to build brand awareness and land loyal customers.
A great podcast can also help you position your brand and stand out from the crowd. Most industries are already crowded and it can be difficult to establish your brand identity against the competition. A podcast is a great way to bring interested, highly qualified consumers to your business and show consumers why you’re different from other businesses.
When writing your scripts, consider how your insights and opinions affect your brand identity and positioning. For example, if you’re covering a current event, consider how your insights will impact your listeners. Be certain that your opinions align with your brand identity and the position you occupy in the market, and try not to share any thoughts that will break with the listener’s expectations.
Launching Your Business
Podcasts are typically utilized by businesses that have already exhausted traditional marketing venues and are on the lookout for new consumers. However, if you haven’t yet launched your business, a podcast might be the ideal venue to start building a brand.
As a startup, you need to establish a strong digital presence before you start paying for hefty overheads like physical offices and salaries. A strong digital presence gives you a leg up on the competition and helps you build a buzz before you even make your first sale.
Start your podcast a few months before you launch your business to build the biggest following possible. Maximize the impact of your podcast by creating an SEO-optimized website with great UX. Run contests to correspond with your business launch and try to get featured on other podcasts that align with your overall brand.
Appearing as a Guest
Making a guest appearance is a great way to take advantage of the podcast boom without putting in the effort to create your own podcast. You’ll also have a chance to test the waters and see if podcasting is something that you’d be authentically interested in doing.
When looking for podcasts to appear on, try to align yourself with brands and businesses that target the same demographic as you. This is something that luxury brands like Mercedes do well. Mercedes AMG partners with other luxury brands like Tommy Hilfiger and IWC Schaffhausen to target consumers and build their brand reputation.
You can make similar moves by appearing on podcasts that are trying to appeal to the same listeners. For example, if you sell sports merchandise, consider appearing on podcasts that hinge on the interests that your clientele probably has. Try to appear on sport-themed podcasts, and bring your authentic insights and opinions to the table.
Conclusion
Podcasting is a great way to build your brand awareness and identity. You have the opportunity to connect with consumers and show them who you really are. If you choose to run your own podcast, make sure each episode adds value to your listeners’ lives — no one wants to hear an hour-long sales pitch for your product or service. Consider appearing on guest podcasts, too, as this will funnel listeners to your brand and help you connect with new audiences.
