As of April 2021, there were over 2,000,000 podcasts globally – proving the enormous influence of this audio-based content. People enjoy them during work or car commutes, at home while doing household chores, or on any occasion they have a few moments to learn something new. 

Podcasts are also a great opportunity to diversify content and strengthen a brand’s digital presence and strategy. 

Numbers show in 2020, Americans spent an average of 1 hour and 29 minutes listening to recorded digital audio. In addition, time spent tuning in to new podcasts is forecasted to continue to grow.  Furthermore, it is reported that in 2020,  over 70% of US adults listened to audio content at least once a month.

In 2022, this trend is expected to increase to 1 hour and 37 minutes per day. 

The statistics and data are clearly in favor of creating and maintaining a podcast for your brand. This strategy can help attract new audiences, build brand awareness, and support existing customers with more helpful information. 

What else can producing podcasts help you with? 

Let’s look at the opportunities. 

What Is a Podcast?

Podcasts are digital forms of audio content. They can be viewed as recorded conversations between two or more people discussing their expertise and variety of topics. The very first podcasts appeared in the 1980s and were referred to as audio blogs. 

Podcasts can cover a myriad of topics from educational – language courses, documentaries, philosophical dive-ins, to hobby-related, or funny sketches content.

Created and produced by a single person or a group of creators, podcasts are ideal for anyone looking to share knowledge, expertise, or simply build a community around shared interests, values, and opinions. 

This type of audio content can be set in an interview form, a monologue, a table talk, and can fit a brand-specific goal like raising awareness and providing tips on a brand’s product or service. 

Usually divided into episodes, each episode of the podcast is formatted similarly to deliver coherent experiences to its audience. This type of content is either focused on discussing different topics like culture, sport, hobby or is set as a series of episodes, covering one topic in detail over the course of a season. 

It’s important to mention that podcasting should always be consistent. If your show focuses on fun and entertaining discussions around mountain bikes, for example, you probably should not suddenly  start podcasting about true crimes.  

Now that we’ve covered what podcasts are, let’s jump into how they can be useful in your brand’s digital presence. 

Why Are Podcasts an Effective Marketing Strategy 

Podcasts have the potential to move people to action by exposing them to concepts, opinions, and recommendations shared by others. 

They are especially influential when the podcast author is someone trusted and considered a peer. If your brand is new to podcasting, you should expect to spend some time building an audience and getting familiar and comfortable with being on air. Enjoy this time while you gain your audience’s trust and connect with them authentically. In addition, make sure you engage with a reputable podcast production company to ensure you get started on the right foot. 

Once you advance into your podcasting journey, you will be able to fully demonstrate to your audience how you can deliver quality products and services and convert them to loyal customers. 

Here are 6 tips on how to start building the foundation of trust with your audience using podcast content.

1. Podcasts Are Personal & Engaging 

Podcasts feel intimate and personalized. After all, the listeners get the information straight from the host and that helps them feel part of the conversation. 

Unlike written blog content, podcasts don’t require much more from the audience than pressing play. Almost effortless, they’re ideal for anyone looking to learn something new or simply listen to a pleasant conversation, while waiting in traffic, for example.  

They can be used to discuss topics related to your niche and educate listeners on what’s new on the market. The goal is to have your listeners associate your podcast with a source of valuable information and want to learn more about your brand. 

2. Podcasts Are Interactive

Podcasts help you create interactive experiences for your listeners by allowing them to participate in your discussions. 

Similar to radio shows you can create audience polls, take calls on air or while recording, answer questions left as comments on your social media channels, and invite listeners to participate in live shows, and real-time chats. 

It is a great way to encourage engagement on social channels and increase audience participation in order to grow a community of like-minded individuals. 

A great aspect to podcasting is the ability to interview other industry experts. This presents a two-fold advantage – further establishing your brand as invested in bringing valuable information from your industry and helping you build professional networks. 

3. Podcasts Create Loyal Followings 

Once you start actively interacting with your listeners, they will be more inclined to come back and listen to more of your podcast content -establishing a loyal community of followers. 

A brand that has a considerable amount of followers is more likely to be recognized and even preferred by users- even the ones that are just now discovering your brand.  

The more followers you have the more authority your brand will hold on the market and influence the choices of customers.

4. Podcasts Help You Establish Credibility 

Podcasts are great in offering value to your listeners but they can also help you establish yourself as a thought leader with a credible reputation. 

Offering content that discusses research, scientific breakthroughs in your field, and case studies in a more digestible and easy-to-understand form, will help you establish your brand as one that provides solutions to your customers’ challenges.

This type of content presents you as a forward-looking company interested in developing beyond just selling products — a market leader who is interested in helping out to its audience. 

5. Podcasts Support Other Marketing Channels

Podcasts are also useful in boosting engagement with content on other marketing channels. 

The loyalty around your podcast will translate to other social platforms because people always want to learn more about the companies that bring value to their lives. 

In addition, how you interact with followers on social media will demonstrate how engaged you are in your followers’ feedback and that, in turn, will help people evaluate your commitment to more than just sales. 

On your social platform, you’ll be able to continue the conversation and grow your relationship with audiences, improving discoverability for new users.

6. Podcasts Are Time & Cost-Efficient

People like to listen to and engage with podcasts because they are time-efficient and perfect for multitasking on the go. 

Podcasts are always available and can encourage your listeners to spend more time on your website browsing through old episodes or learning more about your brand. In turn, people spending more time on your website will increase your chances of converting them to customers and help out with SEO.

In addition, podcasts can also be a great way to cut costs for marketing. They can easily be scaled and produced with little equipment. There is plenty of good quality and affordable audio gear on the market.

Furthermore, you can record the podcasts episodes anywhere (your office, home) with no additional cost for big production teams and renting spaces.

Once you get some traction with your podcast content you can invest in more equipment to answer the growing demands of your audience – but you can easily scale the expenses then too, allowing for a gradual and stress-free operation. 

To Wrap It Up 

Podcasts are an information-packed, entertaining, and easy-to-digest form of content. They give the listener a break from the highly saturated and visual social channel scene and educate them at the same time. 

Ideal for multitasking, or just a heavy traffic day,  podcasts are a useful medium for listeners and businesses alike. 

They support a brand’s image, help raise awareness and establish companies as thought leaders. Podcasts support other social media channels and easily bring more traffic to your website.

If you have been hesitant about adding it to your marketing strategy now is the time to re-evaluate its importance- podcasts are steadily growing and will soon become a necessity, so get a head start today.  

Author Bio

Terry Tateossian, Founding Partner of Socialfix Media is a fourth-generation entrepreneur who is recognized as an Inc. 5000 America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies, Forbes’ Top Women in Business, Fastest Growing Women Presidents by WPO, and 40 Under 40 Business Leaders by NJBIZ. Terry has been featured for outstanding leadership and career accomplishments in numerous industry publications as an engineer, a thought-leader in technology, and an innovator in the field of marketing. But her favorite and toughest earned title is being “Mom” to her 2 children.