Podcasts. Either you live by them or you’ve never listened to one in your life (if this is you, a great place to start is the eCom@One Podcast, not that we’re biased or anything ?). Now regardless of which category you fall into, if you run a business, it’s absolutely vital to understand the benefits that running a podcast brings.
With over 19 million listeners in the UK and an estimated 28 million listeners by 2026, podcasting is certainly not something to shy away from. While the idea may seem daunting at first, we’re here to break it down so you can understand how to get started.
Let’s Start With the Basics, What Is A Podcast?
A podcast is an audio broadcast that you can listen to online through streaming providers such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Just like TV series and films, you can get all sorts of genres, from comedy to business and sports. Think of the podcast realm like Netflix, an endless collection of shows just for your ears.
That is the beauty of podcasts – they only require one of your senses, making them easy to consume. In a world where we’re busier than ever, trying to do absolutely everything all at once, podcasts allow people to soak up informative content on the go. So whether you’re driving, running errands, walking the pet lizard, or skydiving (you get the gist), guess what? YOU CAN LISTEN TO A PODCAST!
So, Why Do I Need One?
As mentioned before, there are a whole host of online retailers who have started their own podcast. Now we’re not going to tell you to jump onto every shiny new marketing trend the big brands do, however they are onto something here. This blog’s going to show you just how easy you can get started and exactly what it can bring to your business.
Just Get Started – It’s Easier Than You Think
See this is what makes podcasts great, while they may seem daunting, they really are pretty straightforward to get started with. Here’s what you’ll need:
- A microphone – Ideally a good quality one so you’re giving the end-user the best listening experience possible.
- Audio editing software – Not to worry if you haven’t got any audio editing experience, audio editing tools like Audacity and Audiotool are great for beginners and they’re free!
- Design software – You’ll need a cover for your podcast and tools like Canva are ideal for this. They have a tonne of free features and pre-made templates, perfect if you’re not a born designer.
While this is all easy squeezy, realistically podcasting does take a lot of time and effort as it requires consistency to get any results from it. If you’re struggling to see how a podcast could work for your business due to capacity restraints, then it’s worth considering outsourcing things like editing, designing, guest booking and publishing. By using freelancing services like Fiverr and Upwork, all you’ll have to do is the talking (the fun part!).
So now we’ve got the technical bits out the way, here are some more bits you’ll need to think about:
Decide on your format. Do you want to go solo? Do it interview-style?
Going solo on your podcast can be a great option if you’re super knowledgeable about your chosen niche and feel like you can talk for long periods of time – the average podcast length is just over 43 minutes so it’s important to ask yourself whether you can keep up an engaging talk for that long.
Then you’ve got interviews, which are great for covering a wider variety of topics because you won’t have to rely on your own knowledge. By bringing guests onto your show, you can really pick their brains to get some in-depth discussion on a topic that you think your audience will be interested in. Interviews are also a good way of keeping your listeners engaged for longer periods due to the naturally more engaging dynamic when two or more people are talking.
Once you’ve figured out who’ll be doing the talking, you need to plan your structure. Consider whether you want to stick with the same format all the way through, for example, using the interview format for all of your episodes or whether you want more variety. In which case consider alternating between solo and interview-style episodes, or running seasons where you focus on one particular topic in all your episodes for a month and switch up your topics every month. There’s no right or wrong answer, it’s just a case of deciding what you think works for your brand and your target audience.
More things to consider:
- Stay on brand. It’s fun to play around with different topics but make sure you keep it on brand! If it’s not relevant it’ll confuse listeners and they’ll be less likely to tune in regularly.
- Keep on-trend. Now we’re sure you’re already on top of this, but as humans, we’re naturally curious about what other people think, so discussing current and upcoming trends in your industry will not only be super interesting, but it also demonstrates that your brand is at the forefront of its field.
- What does your target audience need? Ultimately your podcast needs to serve some kind of purpose or no one will have any reason to listen to it. Consider what your audience wants to know and use this podcast as a way of helping them fulfil that. If you’re an eco-friendly fashion brand then teach your audience about the effects of the fashion industry on the planet and how they can become more environmentally conscious. If you’re a supplements brand, then educate your audience on health and wellbeing. Whatever your industry, there’s always something people can learn from you.
Podcasts Set You Apart From The Competition
The eCommerce space is getting more and more saturated by the day, so brands are having to come up with innovative ways to outshine competitors. A podcast is a fantastic way of doing this as it showcases the in-depth knowledge you have of your industry. When people find your podcast, you’ve got highly relevant people listening, and if they like what they hear, you’ll be at the forefront of their minds when they’re making purchasing decisions in the future.
It Develops Lifetime Customer Loyalty
Getting people on your website and making a one-time purchase can be easy enough, but getting them to stick around and make purchases regularly is much, much more difficult. That’s when building content around your brand becomes really important.
Your customers may have already consumed plenty of visual and written content from your brand, but the connection between the two of you just isn’t that strong until you bring more human touches to the brand, like a voice. Think of it like dating. You wouldn’t fall in love from texts and photos, it’s the connection you get when speaking to the other person that’s the winner. The same applies between brands and their customers.
By adding the audio aspect to your brand, you can get your personality across, this makes the experience much more engaging than reading words on a screen.
On top of building that connection, brands that release regular podcast episodes are also demonstrating that they truly care about their industry. Not only are they dedicating their existence to building a business, but they’re also putting in a constant effort to research and lead the industry they’re in. And at the end of the day, people want to buy from brands who know what they’re doing.
You’ve Created A Space to Promote Your Products
The brilliant thing about having your own podcast is that you can do whatever you want with it. This makes it a fantastic place to promote the amazing products your business has to offer. Here are a few things to think about when promoting yourself in a podcast:
- When we say to promote your products, do it gently. People will soon get sick of constant promotion after promotion, so the key is to do it in a way that benefits the listener.
- It’s not uncommon for podcasts to have Ad breaks, so instead, you should be using this as an opportunity to talk about a product that’s relevant to that particular episode, offer an exclusive sale, shout about an upcoming sale and so on.
- Include a Call to Action to encourage people to take action after they’ve listened to the episode. Whether that’s to subscribe so they stay in the loop with your brand, sign up to a newsletter, follow your social pages, visit your store, check out your website – whatever it is, lead them in the right direction!
It’s Great Fun!
This is the number one reason why we started one in the first place! The joy of sharing your knowledge and passion with the world and knowing that you’re helping people learn more every single day. On top of that, it allows you to meet loads of like-minded people and further improve your own bank of knowledge.
We have generated leads from our podcast, strengthened partnerships and learned so much for our own business.
Now that you know exactly why creating a podcast for your brand is super beneficial, it’s time to order that mic and get started!
