Podcasts have made their mark as a popular and innovative platform that offers immense potential for marketing. Estimates suggest that there are now more than 3 million active podcasts and those numbers are only going to grow, particularly for the business podcast sector.
Done well, a business podcast can be a fresh, diverse, and valuable tool for firms looking to engage with an audience, share their thoughts, experiences, and promote their brands.
The process of starting a business podcast
1. Think about your USP
Stick with what you know and think about what sets you apart from other businesses. Will you offer sector advice, leadership advice, personal stories, insights? Whatever you do, keep it fun and engaging.
2. Who will listen?
Your audience needs to be wider ranging than your customer base. What will draw new listeners in? What are they likely to be interested in?
3. Do some planning
Look at what’s already out there and, more importantly, what’s not. What can you offer that others aren’t doing. Step by step, plan a little way ahead. Once you start, you’ll have to deliver regularly, so don’t use all your good ideas in one go.
4. Do something different
Try to develop a clear concept. What value can you bring and what will be different about yours alongside others in the same sector?
5. Choose the format
Solo episode, series, interview podcast, group discussion? What platforms will you use to host it, who will front it, where will you record it? Get several episodes together before you start. Then analyse what works best and gets the most engagement as you go.
6. Do it properly
Invest in some decent podcast hosting equipment so that it looks and sounds professional, you’ll need good microphones and recording software. Also, what will it look like – it needs a distinctive feel that will help build its presence on video platforms and social media.
7. Engagement
Once you go live, ask your audience to leave reviews and comments. Remind them to follow your podcast and maybe submit questions. Invite anyone posing a great question to join you as a guest on a future edition. Once you can demonstrate that it is growing in popularity and engagement, you can look at finding a sponsor.
8. Be consistent
Sticking to a regular schedule and delivering high-quality content is key to building and retaining an audience. A podcast doesn’t have to go quiet for long before people forget about it.
Why start a podcast for your business?
With careful planning and commitment, a business podcast can deliver excellent rewards. You can increase brand awareness and reach new customers. This can also increase your website traffic and income through sponsorships. These are just a few reasons why podcasts are good for business.
At All Things Business, we have our own business podcast. A platform for the business community to tell their stories and share their successes in print, online, and on video. Past guests include marketing maverick Rory Sutherland and charity champion Sherry Adams. You can watch and listen to learn more.
