The Benefits of Podcasting as a Marketing Tool

It’s no secret that the digital world has been a game changer for marketing products and services. It has given more people access to market their business without the hefty prices and competition typically attached to traditional marketing methods.

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, blogging, and any other content-sharing platform you can think of have all become practical and accessible tools for businesses of all sizes. They allow companies to connect with their audiences in a variety of meaningful ways and could be an invaluable step along their journey towards marketing mastery.

But they aren’t the only digital marketing tools out there: podcasting is another key tool that is hugely valuable in the digital marketing sphere. This content form offers a host of powerful benefits, ranging from its affordability to its ability to build trust and brand loyalty with audiences.

Below, we’ll dive into the benefits of podcasting.  

Affordability

When it comes to podcasting, the start-up costs are relatively low. You don’t need a host of fancy tools to try it out. All you need is a phone and laptop, which, odds are, you already have at your fingertips. For small businesses, this means podcasting is an affordable way to connect with their ideal audiences.

Time Savings

A podcast can present a treasure trove of content for other platforms simply by repurposing what you’ve said. You can achieve this by transcribing your podcast episodes and turning them into blog posts, taking key points and turning them into several social media posts, or even filming yourself recording the episode and uploading it to YouTube.

Because all these things can be pulled from creating a single episode, it saves you a lot of time by not having to make a bunch of new items for all the platforms your business is active on.

Increased Brand Awareness

With over 20 million people listening to podcasts in the UK alone, having your own can help expose your business to a new audience you may not have organically reached with your social media or blog presence.

Podcasting also presents the opportunity to create interview-style episodes, which become an amazing opportunity to expand your reach beyond your own audience by connecting with other influential personalities in your industry. This gives you the opportunity not just to meet peers in your industry but to reach their audiences as well.

Trust & Credibility

Showcasing that you have the knowledge and skill base to deliver on your offer can take you a long way in your marketing efforts. Doing this instils trust and credibility in your expertise for your audience.

Whether you’re one of the world’s major online poker sites or a service-based business owner sharing an in-depth Q&A about your services, podcasting presents an opportunity to display your know-how and savvy in your industry.

Humanises Your Brand

People love to connect with people. When a company or small business creates an opportunity for its audience and customers to connect with the people (or person) behind the company, it appeals to our social side. (And, let’s be honest, it also appeals to our curiosity to know more about the behind-the-scenes of our favourite brands.)

In fact, the feeling of connection is so appealing to people that it can increase their spending by 57 per cent.

Podcasts allow you to take advantage of this natural desire to connect with others by providing a space where you can share a bit of background into who you and your team are, your business’s story, and what goes on behind the scenes of your company. It makes your content feel more personal and relatable for your audience, which goes a long way in building a customer relationship.

Brand Loyalty & Community

That sense of human connection that podcasting allows you to build means you can develop a strong customer-brand relationship that leads to lasting brand loyalty and a thriving online community.

According to SproutSocial, that feeling of connection is a key player in developing brand loyalty that can increase the likelihood your audience will choose your business or brand instead of a competitor by 76 per cent.

On top of this, when people feel connected and understood by a business, it invites them to consistently engage with your business, share your content, and tell others about what you offer. (And yes, if you’re wondering, the age-old referral and word-of-mouth marketing method is still effective, even in the digital age.) All these brand qualities that podcasting can help you achieve come together to form and shape an active online community.

Opportunities to Sell Your Offer

Podcasting gives you another platform where you can make a full-blown sales pitch for your offer or bring it up through the natural flow of a narrative or conversation (so you don’t have to feel like a full-blown salesperson if that’s not your thing).

In addition to giving opportunities to sell your offer, podcasting also allows you to potentially earn ad and affiliate revenue. Having advertising slots on your episodes can become another revenue stream. Just as you can naturally bring up your offer through the narrative of the podcast, you can also bring up affiliate offers that earn your company a commission.

Regardless of which benefits appeal to you, podcasting can help you meet your marketing goals. It’s a valuable tool for many of the moving parts of business marketing, making it an incredible opportunity for businesses to take advantage of.