A lot of business owners connect with me and ask how to start a business podcast.
Podcasting offers an affordable spoken word content marketing strategy to business owners.
Particularly solopreneurs, coaches, consultants and professionals who are looking to position themselves as key people of influence in their industry.
Perhaps you are looking to build a personal brand, demonstrate credibility or network, whatever your reason for starting a business podcast, it’s a platform of opportunity for business big and small.
Across the last 3 decades there has been a significant change in how we do business, particularly online commerce.
Of course, this is largely due to the advent of the internet.
It has never been easier to promote yourself or sell your products and services.
You can quickly reach millions of individuals and potential clients with the click of a mouse or push of a button on your phone.
The power to grow now resides in the pocket of almost everyone on the planet, with an estimated reach of 7.7 billion people expected to own a mobile phone by 2028.
With so many people carrying mobile phones and devices, access to the world of information is now in almost everybody’s hands. In Australia alone, for example, 94% of all people have access to or use a mobile device.
The fact you are here considering how to start a business podcast, you probably already understand the value of marketing to your target client and how easily you may be forgotten.
But have you considered podcasting as a powerful marketing opportunity and strategy?
Making a podcast allows you to reach people with the information they want, when they want and where they want.
For a business, the marketing strategy is one of making good audio content that can teach people a variety of important lessons and provide them with ongoing value connected with your brand.
There are many different types of formats from informational and interview to dramatic and entertaining.
A business podcast as a content strategy
Podcasting is already proving itself as an established medium when it comes to building awareness.
It is estimated 6 out of 10 people in the US aged 12 or over have listened to a podcast. Many continue to listen regularly.
The projected industry growth in the United States alone is said to be 28% CAGR to 2032, so it really is a growth opportunity for early adopters.
It has never been easier for someone to start a podcast and it has never been more affordable.
For those asking how to start a business podcast it can be as simple as recording a monologue and sharing your wisdom and uploading to podcast aggregators direct from your mobile phone.
But, while this may be true, sound quality, good structure, topics and production all play a big role in any podcast show’s success.
Equally as important is identifying who your target audience (or market is) or who you may be trying to attract to your brand.
How to make money with a business podcast
Not everyone who starts a podcast does so to earn income. In fact only a handful of creators will make significant money directly from podcast advertising revenue.
Most businesses that have a spoken word audio strategy or podcast do so for brand awareness, networking and generating leads.
They also choose this medium to reach new prospective clients or customers, position themselves as industry or thought leaders and build legacy or a body of work.
If you take the appropriate steps, podcasting may help you quickly expand your business if you want to be a successful business owner.
Having something beneficial for your visitors and listeners is a part of that strategy.
There are several tactics you may employ while using podcasts to expand your business.
The more listeners you have, the more people you may be able to make offers to.
By positioning your company as an industry leader through podcasting, you greatly influence people’s purchasing decisions, which eventually results in online sales by converting listeners into clients!
Keep people of influence (influencers) fully understand the benefits of sharing content and information to create inbound opportunities to sell and scale.
You too can achieve the same growth and profit from your influence as a business leader in your industry.
In fact, if you have been in business for some time, you probably have already identified potential topics to discuss on a podcast.
You may choose to share knowledge in a monologue format, or perhaps have guests to give insight on a particular topic.
Niching down and remaining specific on the topics you choose to cover will keep people coming back and help grow your audience over time.
Look at questions you have already received from customers that could perhaps be covered in podcast episodes.
Use content you have already created and that resonated with your existing clients and repurpose it in a novel and interesting manner.
Consider podcasting as a type of internet advertising. You may use material for your audience on a number of channels even if your podcast is classified as a business podcast.
Not only are you creating something for podcast platforms, you can also share it or clips and snippets of your podcast across other channels including social media and email.
A successful strategy aims to produce content that users who are searching for can find. While trending topics can be a good way to gain short-term attention and awareness.
Evergreen content, that remains relevant over years, is usually a better approach for business in building a digital asset that works for the business 24/7.
your clients are listening
Why podcast? The same reason you are probably already on other social media platforms.
Your clients and potential customers are already listening. But if you don’t have a podcast, guess what?
They’re not listening to you, but maybe they’re listening to someone else in your market.
Your podcast listeners may be past, present, or future customers. These are those who have tried out your goods and services or may not have yet.
They are folks you already know and who all have fascinating things to say about their fields, industries, or lessons learnt.
Having interesting guests who are industry leaders or influencers in their own right is a good strategy.
Interviewing people over the internet and therefore the globe also has never been easier or more cost effective.
Great guests can share personal experiences and stories with potential clients which may leave a positive impression and provide listeners with insightful information, persuading them that you are a trustworthy source of information.
podcasting for profits?
It is not a case of just ‘build it and they will come’. You need a clear strategy to identify your goals.
Two considerations are what is in it for them (the listener) and what is in it for you. Set realistic and measurable goals. Goals must be achievable.
Getting industry related guests can also help you network across industries and build new access to industry knowledge and or supply/service chains.
Having your own industry related podcast will position you as an authority and sharing accurate information helps build trust.
Trust undoubtedly generates amazing results and additional recommendations.
You can also pitch or sell products on your podcast once you have built an audience, making offers and benefits to listeners.
This too can be used to assist in developing a sales funnel to bring in new customers.
Try to figure out how to best serve your listeners and set goals to convert some of those listeners into customers.
You may discover more about your prospects and their needs by looking at the reviews and comments linked to your show.
Once you have a good-sized audience, converting some of those listeners into clients or paying customers becomes somewhat easier because you understand what resonates with them and they have built rapport with and now trust your brand.
As long as your offers and call to actions are relevant and provide value, you should see conversions.
Do you need help with spoken word audio?
Applaudable Media founder Coach Craig Rowe can help you with your spoken word strategies. If you wish to book a consultation email enquiries@applaudablemedia.com in the first instance and we will arrange an agreed time and cost.
