Have you ever thought of connecting to your audience on a more personal level? We mean blogs and Instagram stories are fine, but why not be an edge over in the industry?
We know that the human voice has the power to captivate its listeners and allow them to discover the emotions behind the words. As a business owner, your primary goal is to connect with your audience and provide them with something useful. Writing blogs, creating videos and reels to engage your audience is great, but to establish that ‘connection’, Podcasts can be an effective tool too.
Internet users have advanced their demands for unconventional mediums for their entertainment. Podcasts have secured a fair amount of support from the audience.
A podcast as defined by Wikipedia is “an episodic series of spoken word digital audio files that a user can download to a personal device for easy listening”. It is somewhat similar to that of radio except for the benefit of being played at the listener’s convenience.
Podcasts are appreciated by all age groups
Whether it is recalling the historic tales, or being motivated by your favorite artist’s success journey, or getting educated on your subject interest, Podcasts have found a loyal fan base worldwide. According to Spotify’s Culture Next Report 2020, 86% of Indian parents have declared the medium of podcasts to be a helpful educational tool. Also, 60% of millennials and GenZ have stated that they have been inspired by podcasts. India constitutes more than 22% of women being engaged in unpaid labor, their job designation being housewives. With children going to schools and husbands going to workplaces, women who don’t work 9 to 5 jobs are left to themselves. Various Podcasts targeting these women were released that received massive positive responses.
Podcasting as a marketing tool
Since podcasts are moving towards the spotlight, they can be used as an effective marketing tool for your business. They help you communicate better with your audience and drive traffic to your website and social media platforms. You have the scope to deliver your brand’s stories to your audience and keep them connected with your brand.
Interview with industry experts
Audiences want information through your content and what can be more engaging and informative than expert lectures. Podcasts are effective platforms where you can collaborate with industry experts and share their diverse knowledge with your audience.
Current trends and topics
Internet users are constantly searching for burning issues on various channels. Amidst this convention, an informative and engaging podcast can captivate the attention of users more than a mere article.
Inspirational and relatable stories
As stated earlier, the human voice is more versatile and powerful in captivating the attention of the audience. Communicating motivational stories through enchanting voices can arouse inspiration in the listeners.
Here are some popular brands that have already started using Podcasts as a part of their marketing strategy.
Sephora collection’s #LIPSTORIES
Source: girlboss.com
Girlboss Radio Network in partnership with Sephora Collection has brought forward a series of episodes celebrating their “40-color-strong- line of lipsticks” inspired by real-life stories of women. Each episode casts a woman sharing her beautiful memories from childhood, and highlighting the importance of self-confidence.
Blue Apron’s Why We Eat What We Eat
Source: fastcompany.com
Blue Apron in collaboration with Gimlet Creative has yet another podcast for the residents of America diving into the mysteries of different foods and grains, investigating the forces that shape our eating habits and devise solutions to picky eating habits.
eBay’s Open for Business
Source: gimletmedia.com
eBay in partnership with Gimlet Creative produces encouraging and informative podcasts featuring entrepreneurs and capitalists sharing their journey of building transforming an idea into a full-fledged company.
Spotify, Inshorts, Audible, Google Podcasts, Laughable, etc. are the leading podcast platforms today, with Apple podcasts leading the queue.
You are open to a myriad of possibilities to connect and engage your audience. The cost of production involved in podcasting is much lower than other channels. Moreover, it is not very complicated to create your own podcast. Spotify’s Anchor has made it possible for anyone to create a podcast and host it online. You can even collaborate with other networks to host your podcasts on their channels. Overall, you can include podcasting in your marketing strategy and promote brand visibility among your audience.
