Well, you can! It is called podcasting and is easy to do on a regular and frequent basis!
A recent study by Midroll Media, which conducted an internal survey of 300,000 podcast listeners, found that …
63 percent of podcast listeners bought the product or service!
And like videos, podcasts can be distributed across the Internet at podcast hosting sites, as well as at your company website, attracting a wider online audience for your products or services.
What Is a Podcast?
We have all listened to a radio interview of some local celebrity. A podcast is just that, except on the Internet. The word ‘podcast’ is a combination of the words ‘broadcasting’, meaning communications across the airwaves, and iPod, the once popular device for listening to downloaded music.
President George W. Bush used podcasts to deliver his weekly address to the nation across the Internet. Large corporations, such as the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, have used them for some time. But podcasts are not just for the “big guys”. Small and medium-sized companies, regardless of industry, also are finding them to be a highly effective marketing tool.
These online radio interviews are casual in their conversations and engaging for the listener. They are made easy to listen to on-the-go with the onslaught of smartphones and tablets, along with convenient Internet connectivity through hotspots and free Wi-Fi locations.
By being an audio-only presentation, potential customers can listen to them while driving in their cars, riding on metro transportation, working out in the gym, walking, shopping, running errands, and any other activity where they can listen while accomplishing another task. That gives podcasts a leg up from videos, which require you to focus your total attention on the presentation.
You can see a sample podcast on our website at:
http://webmasterforhire.us/category/podcasts.
Look at the Facts
Two other recent studies also support the effective use of podcasts as an Internet marketing tool.
Pew Research studied the use of podcasts at the Libsyn podcast hosting service. They found that:
• Libsyn hosted a total of 28,000 podcasts in 2015, compared to only 16,000 in 2013, and
• Listeners downloaded only 1.2 billion podcasts in 2012. Though that sounds like a lot of podcasts, they had 3.3 billion download requests in 2015. That is a 275 percent increase!
Edison Research conducts a study each year that analyzes consumption usage of media and technology. Part of that study covers podcasts, and the 2017 study is eye-opening! Here are just some of those interesting statistics that show how podcasts can impact your company:
• Who is listening?
o Podcast listening grew 23 percent between 2015 and 2016.
o There have been 112 million Americans who have listened to podcasts at one time or another. That is 40 percent of Americans between the ages of preteen to adults.
o Previously, their studies showed that the majority of podcast listeners were less than 25 years of age. The largest percentage of podcast listeners now are between the ages of 25 and 54 years. That is the target audience of most businesses!
o Additionally, the majority of today’s podcast listeners are affluent and well-educated, fulfilling the dreams of most business marketers. These listeners understand what they need and desire with money to spend to get it!
• How much are they listening?
o There are roughly 42 million Americans who listen to podcasts on a weekly basis, and an amazing 67 million who listen on a monthly basis.
o The study found that most podcast fans listen to at least 5 podcasts each week.
o They found that, of those who download podcasts to a computer, tablet or cell phone rather than listening online,
79 percent said they listen to the podcasts immediately.
o 85 Percent of the listeners also reported that they listen to all or most of the podcasts!
• What effect do podcasts have on listeners?
o Of those the study surveyed, 60 percent of the listeners also frequent some form of social media. If they like a podcast enough to share with their social media friends, that adds up to a lot of free advertising for your business!
o The biggest effect shown in the Midroll Media study, of course, is the 63 percent conversion rate from podcast listeners to new customers!
Further Benefits to Your Company
There are other benefits to your company, as well:
• Podcasts give you the opportunity to educate your web site visitors and others about your company and your products or services. This is especially important if your product or service is something with which many people are unfamiliar. Or perhaps there is a use for it that is not typical. Being able to put forth its benefits and answering the question “What’s in it for you?” for listeners is a powerful selling tool for any product or service in any industry.
• Podcasts also allow you to develop a relationship with potential customers – sight unseen! If you produce interesting and informative podcasts on a regular and frequent basis, listeners begin to feel that they “know” you and your company. They feel comfortable and develop a trust with you, because a good podcast sets you up as the knowledgeable and authoritative expert - the go-to company on your particular topic, product or service. It instills confidence for a future business relationship.
• Typically, if a listener likes your podcast, they will visit your company’s website, whether they plan to buy or not. They will find out more about your company and the products or services you offer. You may not always convert a listener immediately into a customer, but you have made contact with a new potential customer. Just ensure your website is as engaging and interesting as your podcast.
• You will reach new target audiences, expanding your market reach and sales potential. Even if your business is restricted to local sales, people from all over the world, including from your area, are listening to podcasts today. And the upside is that many of these listeners will share your podcast with their different social media friends.
Easy to Create
Scripting. When working with an Internet marketing company, you only need a topic and a company representative to answer questions prepared beforehand.
Whether you use a script or not, is totally up to the individual answering the questions. You come across more naturally if you only jot down some notes for each question that will be asked, especially for non-actors.
Length. The average podcast is about 22 minutes in length, though they can range from 5 to 10 minutes or over an hour or so. It needs to be long enough to get out your message about your product or service, but short enough so listeners remain interested.
Length. The average podcast is about 22 minutes in length, though they can range from 5 to 10 minutes or over an hour or so. It needs to be long enough to get out your message about your product or service, but short enough so listeners remain interested.
The length is typically dependent on your topic. The shorter 5 to 10-minute podcasts work only if you can quickly and concisely sum up your product or service. The longer hour or so podcasts work only if your topic is engaging enough to hold a listener’s interest for that length of time.
The Interviewee. One of the biggest advantages for you is how comfortable the actual interview is. There are no concerns over what to wear or how the individual will look on camera, as in videos.
Podcasts can be done over a phone, so the individual can be dressed or not, at the office or at home, anywhere with a low to no background noise level. It means no commute to a studio for videotaping.
The interviewee can refer to notes for each question being asked. That is much harder to do on video since referring to notes makes it seem as if the individual does not know the topic. Potential customers expect you to ‘know it all!’
The Interview. The actual interview is casual and comfortable for your company representative. It is like having a conversation with a friend over the phone. The Internet marketing company interviewer takes care of the opening introductions and asks the beforehand prepared questions. Your representative only has to relax and respond.
A really good interviewer makes it fun and lively. Podcasts need to capture and hold a listener’s attention, so they listen to the complete podcast.
Distribution. Once the podcast is completed and ready for distribution, it first should be placed on your company’s website and a press release sent out to appropriate cyberspace distribution sites to let all the Internet community know that the podcast now exists. After that, it should be distributed to select marketable podcast hosting sites.
Podcasts hosting sites are to podcasts as YouTube® is to videos. And like YouTube, they have a high volume of users, looking for podcasts on all types of topics. Unlike YouTube type sites, where you have to view the video at their website, podcast hosting sites allow them to be downloaded to your computer, tablet or cell phone. You then can listen to them at your leisure.
Podcasts are here, and they are being used quite effectively for businesses with a presence on the Internet. Shouldn’t your company be taking advantage of this powerful marketing tool?
Brought to you by Webmaster for Hire, LLC, a global Internet marketing company. Webmaster for Hire is based out of West Palm Beach, Florida (http://webmasterforhire.us, 561-822-9931) and has been creating podcasts for business clients for several years.