Podcasts are an incredibly convenient medium through which to acquire new information and learn about nearly every topic under the sun.
All you need to do is find a channel and listen. Because it’s portable and readily available anytime, listeners can tune in while driving to work or getting chores done.
Chances are, you’ve listened to at least one podcast episode yourself. And you’re not the only one. All over the world, there are more than 400 million people who listen to podcasts.
But what does this all mean for a little-known business that wants to take up space online?
As it appears, a great deal.
The Importance of Podcast Marketing
Compared to traditional media, podcasts are able to increase brand awareness up to 79%. In contrast, channels like TV and print are known to lift awareness no more than 3%.
This alone should make businesses think about capitalizing on the huge podcast market if they want to compete against well-known brands.
It’s not surprising, therefore, that businesses are starting to notice podcasts as a marketing gem. And they’re putting their money where their mouths are.
This brand of digital marketing is projected to have a value of $4.1 billion, with businesses expected to spend around $2.5 billion on podcast marketing campaigns, by 2024.
From a marketer’s point of view, podcasts are extremely effective at lifting brand awareness, mainly because of three things.
Podcast hosts are generally perceived to be authentic and trustworthy. Episodes appear to be more spontaneous than your typical TV or radio show.
One reason for this is that the platform allows hosts to speak their mind freely and to do so in a way that a targeted niche relates to.
This fosters trust between hosts and their audience.
Businesses that promote their brands through podcast, therefore, have a higher chance of gaining the trust of the hosts’ listenership by extension.
Podcast Ads Have Better Audience Reception
This is especially true when ads are seamlessly integrated into the shows through host-delivered promotion.
Let’s say you’re listening to an episode about sports, and in the middle of the discussion, the host mentions a brand of sports gear that he thinks very highly of. That’s information that audiences will think is valuable information.
The response is most often something like, “Oh, that’s interesting. Let me check that brand out.” Instead of becoming impatient or skipping the ad altogether.
Unlike other platforms, audiences don’t mind the ads that pop up on podcasts.
Why? Two things:
● Podcast ads are relevant to the topic
● Audiences trust the hosts’ opinions about the brand
You Get to Advertise to a Captive Audience
Another reason why podcast ads are received better is that the audience is already captive.
Most podcast listeners like the medium because they are able to gain knowledge while doing something else. It saves time and allows them to be more productive.
So audiences are most likely busy with some other activity while listening to an episode.
What this means is they are less likely to skip the parts that they might perceive to be less important–just because they can’t or doing so would be more of a hassle than listening to a 30 or 60-second promotion.
Talk about a way to keep people’s attention.
Tips for Creating and Promoting Podcasts
If you have not created or used podcasts to promote your business yet, you should get working. Here are some tips to help get your content noticed:
Collaborate with a Relevant Podcaster
Working with podcasters that have a large listenership or that have authority in a specific niche is key. It communicates that, by affiliation, you are a credible brand and will help give you a headstart.
Another effective way to do this is to do guest interviews with notable people, such as experts, celebrities, and other authority figures that command attention by simply being present in your podcast.
Optimize your podcasts in order to get your content to rank and gain visibility online.
Failing to implement podcast SEO best practices is a huge lost opportunity.
There are millions of podcasters streaming content every single day. If you’re a new voice in the crowd, there’s no way for people to know you exist unless you show up among the top search results.
Ways to optimize your podcasts include:
● Conduct and utilize keyword research for podcast summaries and descriptions
● Highlight important details, such as information your audience will most likely want to know or interesting people featured in the show
Employ podcast analytics to measure how well your podcast is doing in terms of leading listeners to your website, as well as converting listeners to income-generating customers.
One way to do this is by providing a promo code that audiences can use when making a purchase. This will help you accurately measure how much of the traffic is converted into sales with each podcast episode.
Benefits of Podcast Marketing for Brand Awareness
Podcasts are an effective marketing tool, arguably even more effective than advertising through traditional media. Here are some of its most notable benefits when it comes to brand awareness and engagement:
Podcasts create a connection between your brand and a specific niche. This will help targeted audiences notice you more quickly.
This also opens up plenty of opportunities for collaborations with other podcasters, speakers, and experts in the same niche, which further expands your relevance among your target market.
Boosts Traffic to Your Website
Done with the right SEO strategy, podcasts are able to drive not just traffic but warm leads to your website. The trust factor makes listeners more ready to engage with a brand, which means amazing conversion rates.
Establishes Your Expertise and Credibility
Podcasts are great at helping brands establish their expertise and credibility within a targeted niche. It’s also effective at reaching audiences that are yet unreached through other marketing techniques.
This is because podcasts are more engaging and personal–as if you were sitting right beside your listener and giving expert advice on a field where other experts recognize you as an authority.
If You’re Not Advertising on Podcasts Yet, You Should
According to a study by Edison Research, 56% of all podcast listeners consider making a purchase after listening to a podcast ad.
Given the massive number of people that listen to podcasts worldwide, that’s an astounding statistic–one that you should act on right now, or else you lose the chance to take a bite off the growing podcast market.
The best way to make that happen is to work with a trusted digital marketing agency that will help you create campaigns that are not only personalized and tailor-fit to your business, but also impactful and able to generate real results.
Article written by Jossaine Nuñez