Podcasting for Business in 2022 – Quick Starting Guide

Business owners are strongly encouraged to explore different avenues to market their products or services. This could be through creating a website or blog, email marketing, or creating informational videos.

And what about podcasting? Podcasting as a business is a fantastic way to promote your business, regardless of the size of your company. Podcasts are easy to use and prepare. They are also a great way to target the audience you’re looking to get interested in your product and to promote customer loyalty. We’ve put together this guide to talk you through the reasons why you should use podcasting for business, and how to do it!

5 reasons to start a podcast for business

As a business, having a podcast can be one of your greatest assets. As opposed to most other forms of social media, podcasts have a reputation for being mature, which makes them an excellent tool for your professional needs. Podcast listeners are more affluent than average, so this is a great group to approach if you are planning to improve your bottom line. This is why podcasts are great to use as a business owner:

1. Improve Brand Recognition

As a company, it should be of the highest priority for you to have your brand out there. People should be hearing about it regularly, seeing your logo, seeing your company name, and recognizing it. Of course, this is easier said than done. Among other strategies, starting a podcast is one of the best ways to get your brand name out there. Simply attract people with genuinely interesting, well-crafted content, and make sure to name-drop your business here and there. As your podcast grows, so will your brand recognition. Speak about your industry with passion and show that your company is most capable of delivering professional services.

2. Attract an Audience

Not only can your business podcast put your brand name out there, but it also puts it out there exactly for the people who need to see it. When creating a podcast on a given topic, you’ll naturally be attracting the type of people who have an interest in that subject. In that way, you can view podcasting to be a bit like advertising on a niche platform – but without having to spend any more money than the podcast costs you to make! Once you record your podcast and make it available online, it automatically promotes and attracts potential customers. 

3. Build Trust

Having a podcast for a business not only puts your company’s name and concept out there, but it also grants it a certain credibility. Podcasts have a reputation for being a serious medium for a mature audience. You can also decide to make your podcast very professional by using precise information, sound analysis, and including numbers and statistics into your programs. In time, you can even hope to become an authority podcast on a given topic. Being an authority podcast means that your podcast gets recognized in its industry as being particularly reliable and a source of expert information on the subject which you specialize in.  This puts you in a favorable position: if you are the authority in a given area, and you also sell products or services related to that area, you are sure to build your customers’ trust, which brings us on to our next point.

4. Increase in Sales

Simply put, having a podcast as a business is a great way to increase your sales. Setting up and recording a regular podcast requires some time, effort, and discipline, but it is well worth it in terms of return on investment. With each podcast episode which you release, you can easily hope to get a couple more customers interested in your product. That number will only grow as your podcast develops into a well-recognized one. Having a podcast works to drive sales in several ways. First, it increases brand recognition for your company. An increase follows in your company’s reputation as trustworthy and reliable. Finally, podcasts give you the perfect outlet to advertise your products – free of charge!

5. Loyalty and Community

Putting your brand out there is important, but you’ll also want to create loyalty in your customers. This is where podcasts really shine. If you can convince your customers to listen to your podcast and if you can provide genuinely useful information on it, then you have a customer for life! 

Your business podcast can also provide a convenient point of contact for your customers to learn more about your products and services. They are your platform to elaborate on how to use certain products, on the characteristics of the service which you provide, or to answer frequently asked questions. By listening to your podcast, your audience will be able to learn more about the products they already use or familiarize themselves with those which they haven’t tried yet.

Finally, the ultimate goal of podcasting for business should be creating an active community of loyal customers. If people can subscribe to your podcast and listen to it regularly, then they can start feeling like they are part of something greater than them. Your podcast can create a sense of belonging to a community that takes an active interest in the things you discuss, and which favor your products. 

As a business, this is really one of the best things which you can aim for. And it’s entirely possible if you start podcasting, focus on creating excellent quality content, and keep at it!

5 reasons why choose podcast over video marketing

We all know that we live in an audio-visual age. Cultural figures are starting to claim that print is dead, the written word is gone, and audio might soon be gone too. But how much importance should you really grant those claims? Although podcasts are not for everyone, they remain a popular and growing format. They also might well be the best-suited to business owners. Here are a couple of reasons why podcasts can trump video as a marketing strategy:

1. Cost-Effective Marketing Solution

The first reason to create a podcast for your business over video content like starting a YouTube channel is that it will significantly lower your costs. Starting a podcast can actually be very cheap, requiring you to purchase only a good microphone. Expert podcasters often incur more costs in the making of their podcasts, but this is in no way a requirement, especially for beginners. If you have time to spend researching, writing, recording, and editing your podcast, then it can turn out to be one of the cheapest ways to market your products.

Not to mention worrying about getting a beautiful looking studio or location to shoot at. For podcasting, you can use any available room provided you understand acoustics and do some easy and cheap soundproofing to improve the audio quality.

2. Target The Right Audience For Your Products

Yes, podcasts attract fewer users than YouTube videos. But they attract the right kind of users. Podcasts are a big favorite among professionals, other business owners, and generally a more affluent segment of the population. Remember, marketing isn’t necessarily about reaching the most people, but about reaching the right kind of people. The very genre of the podcast attracts an audience that is, by nature, more likely to be able to purchase products and services.

3. Easier To Edit And Publish

Podcasts are much easier to edit than video. Although both require effort, with podcasts, you only focus on the audio layer even if you are planning to have intro, outro, and music samples through your episode. With video editing, you are faced with two layers you need to prepare and make sure they are in sync and work well together on sending the message.

4. Less Competition For Your Podcast

There are currently 25 million YouTube channels and just 0.7 million podcasts. Podcasting trends clearly show this number will grow in the future. Having less competition, you will find it much easier to get listeners for your business podcast without fierce competition from other content creators. There are still some untapped niches, and your show can find an audience if it is well made and delivers value for listeners.

5. Less Intimidating To Create

You don’t need to show your face. For some people getting in front of a camera is very intimidating. They might have good stories to tell and valuable content to get in front of their potential clients, but getting their image recorded and published is for many a barrier of entry. This is quite common, so don’t worry if this also concerns you. Podcasts offer a great alternative where you don’t have to display your face, and you can simply focus on what you have to tell. It is better to have a podcast than a video just talking over a slideshow.

How to approach starting a podcast for business?

Podcasting for business makes sense when it is approached as a marketing tool with a clearly defined goal and approach. Podcast, in this case, aims at promoting business and increasing sales. But this needs to be approached in a smart way. The consumer won’t listen to your show if you will constantly be asking for sales. In turn, you have to offer a lot of free value and just occasionally recommend your product here and there.

To be successful in the space of podcasts promoting your business, consider mixing passion with practicality.

• Passion – show your passion and in-depth knowledge of your industry. As podcasts reach millions of people, you will surely find a group of people willing to learn more about your industry. Talk about history, nuances, anecdotes, development.
• Practicality – share tips about how to choose, install, operate, maintain your product, etc. Don’t be afraid of sharing some knowledge that might allow your customers to DIY some of the things or services you might be selling. Yes, some people will use this knowledge and go the DIY route, but most people will, in the end, still opt to buy. And showing your expertise may convince them to buy at your place. The DIY crowd can later turn around and purchase some more advanced products and services in your portfolio.

Below you will find 5 reasons this marketing tool can address the requirements of your business.

So How Do I Start Podcasting As A Business?

Starting a podcast as a business is not too different from starting one as an individual. We have an article with a checklist detailing steps you need to take to start. But there are a couple of things that you’ll need to keep in mind that is characteristic of having a business podcast.

A Concept

To start a podcast, you need a strong concept. In effect, you need to create a podcast that is of high quality that people will want to listen to, and that doesn’t already exist. Start by focusing on what you know and what you do best. What does your company produce? How is it different from any other company? Don’t be afraid to go quite niche with your concept: oftentimes, you’ll be able to attract the most loyal customers with very specific content. 

Next, you’ll want to start thinking of a name for your podcast, and a structure. This is where your creativity can really shine. Do you want a podcast name that is short and snappy? One that sounds intelligent and professional? Are you planning on creating a discussion-based podcast, in conducting interviews, or do you plan on doing most of the talking? Make sure your business podcast reflects exactly what your company is about, and helps your products shine in the best possible light.

A Word On Tone

As a business podcast, you’ll have to be a bit more professional than other types of podcasts – but it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. In fact, many of the most successful business podcasts can be quite funny, and incorporate a bit of cheeky content into more serious discussions. But whatever content you produce, make sure it presents your business in a positive light. In short, don’t hesitate to be fun, but control your content, so it complements your brand image. 

Focus On Content

Your podcast should first and foremost provide value to your listeners. Don’t think about it solely as a way for you to advertise your business. Instead, try to see how you can improve the lives of the people you are talking to. This could be by doing unique and insightful research. Or by conducting interviews with big names in your niche. Or maybe you’ll just have a very witty, well-scripted discussion on the air. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something that you can be proud of as a business. You want to create the kind of content that keeps listeners coming back, that is, quality content. 

Motivation

The main factor in creating a great podcast isn’t actually your concept or your content, but the motivation that you have. Many of the greatest podcasts today started on a much smaller scale, with content that wasn’t quite a professional standard. As a beginner podcaster, you can’t expect to be perfect from the beginning. But if you have the motivation and discipline to keep working on your podcast episode after episode and to improve continuously, then you can really hope to rise among the ranks of the best podcasters. A highly successful self-motivation enhancing technique is setting up a list of subgoals leading you to your final goal.

The ultimate motivation for you should be the impact your podcast will have on the growth of your business. Measuring it is actually really easy. If you already have a website for your business, you don’t need to set up a podcast dedicated website. Just make sure you build a few relevant landing pages to which you will direct traffic from your episodes and where you will be able to collect your clients’ emails.

Podcasting for Business – conclusions:

As a business owner, podcasting can be a key tool for your marketing strategies. Podcasts are a great, cheap medium to reach a specific audience, gain loyalty, and increase your sales. Review also the list of podcasting best practices to get a higher chance of success.

• There are multiple viable business justifications to start a podcast. 
• The 5 most important benefits coming from having a podcast for business are (1) improved brand recognition, (2) attracting an audience of new, potential customers, (3) building trust in your brand and expertise, (4) increase in sales, and finally (5) building a community of trusted and loyal clients,
• The 5 most important reasons to choose podcasts over video marketing are (1) high cost-effectiveness, (2) ability to target valuable audience, (3) ease of editing and publishing, (4) lower level of competition in podcasting space, (5) less intimidating form factor.
• With 25 million YouTube channels and just 0.7 million podcasts, it is easier to compete in the podcasting space,
• To be successful in the area of promoting your business with podcasts, apply a well-balanced mix of passion with practicality.
• When starting a podcast as a business, focus the first steps on a concept, tone, content, and motivation for maintaining creativity and commitment to podcasting.

If you were wondering how to podcast as a small business, we hope that this article has helped to answer all your queries. Good luck, and happy podcasting!

About the Author

Chris Land

I'm the owner and creator of ImprovePodcast.com, the site dedicated to providing actionable solutions for podcast creators. My goal is helping people to develop their podcasts into effective marketing and sales tools.