Why podcasts should be used in your marketing strategy

People are listening to podcasts in record numbers, with the percentage of new podcast listeners and subscribers growing steadily. 

This could be because consumers generally have short attention spans, which means that brands need to come up with ways to capture the attention of their audience quickly and in an engaging format. Adding podcasts to your marketing strategy offers a new avenue to reach your consumers with a human voice that can help you to be heard above the crowd, literally. 

So, what exactly are podcasts?
Before you implement podcasts in your marketing strategy, you will need to know what, exactly, they are. A podcast can be simply defined as an “on-demand internet radio talk”. The word itself is a portmanteau, a combination of the words pod and broadcast. Here, “pod” refers to the devices used to listen to the broadcasts, such as the iPod and other portable mobile devices, allowing you to listen to the podcast wherever you go. “Broadcast” is inspired by the medium of radio, as a podcast can be consumed in exactly the same way. 

Usually, a podcast is a recording of a conversation between a host and a guest, but can also be a monologue of someone sharing their thoughts on a certain topic. The topics of many podcasts tend to be more controversial, but some stations include banter about fun and interesting topics, such as health and wellness. 

Nowadays, podcasts have become one of the most popular forms of consuming radio on the go, which is great news for any marketing agency looking to improve consumer engagement. 

Why you should include podcasts in your marketing strategy
Now that you know what podcasts are, you must be wondering why you should use them as part of your marketing strategy. After all, your strategy has been effective until now. But having a podcast could give you an edge on the competition, allowing you to reach your clients on a more “human” level. 

Podcast subscribers are engaged
If there is one thing that every marketer craves, it is an engaged and interested audience. This is one of the major perks of podcast audiences: the subscribers are engaged. The downloads or plays of your podcast will come from subscribed applications, such as iTunes, which automatically download your latest episode upon release. 

You do not have to worry as much about trying to get in front of your audience in the way you do with social media and email because listeners will automatically receive your content. Most podcast subscribers can be thought of as “super listeners”, meaning that they consume up to an hour and 45 minutes of audio per day. This listening could include your content. 

It can help to establish trust
Creating audio content literally gives your brand a voice. It provides your audience with an opportunity to hear your passion for your brand and industry. It can help to give you an element of authenticity and credibility. When a listener in your target audience hears your podcast, they will feel as if they know you, which can help to build trust between the listener and the host. 

Listening to someone’s voice can help people to connect emotions to the content. Whether listeners laugh, gasp or wonder aloud, they will be establishing a connection to the host. Podcast listeners often find hosts to be trustworthy, which means that they will likely find your brand trustworthy, making them more likely to become return customers. 

It increases your reach and grows your audience
When you publish your podcasts on platforms like YouTube or Podcast Studio, you are exposing your content to thousands of potential listeners, both locally and potentially internationally. These platforms work like search engines, and people use them to find podcasts that suit their interests. Often, they will subscribe to a host or a brand if they enjoy their content. 

The organic exposure of using a podcast can help you to significantly increase your reach and grow your audience. This means that you will have a larger pool of people who are genuinely interested in your brand and who are more likely to use your services and buy your products. Because you have given your brand a voice, your audience will connect more and grow exponentially. 

Stand out from competitors
Using a podcast as a brand will make you stand out from your competitors. You will have a unique avenue to reach your audience, and you will be giving your brand a literal voice. This will build up your audience’s trust, increase your reach, grow your audience and open you up to an engaged group of consumers. The world is becoming more and more geared towards voice when it comes to marketing, isn’t it time you joined the movement?