What Could a Podcast Do for Your Business?

In the digital age of the smartphone, connecting with people all over the world is possible through myriad mediums. However, no other medium can give you the intimate, intellectual and niche connection that is found in a podcast.

Podcasts, the digital children of the radio show, allow listeners to hear and discover subjects they care about deeply. Unlike television or music, podcasts have the ability to both inform and beguile with little effort. It is because of this that many entertainers, intellectuals and businesses are starting to create their own podcasts.

If you are considering creating a podcast for your business, here are six benefits of doing so.

1) Podcasts Find Specialty Markets

Do you remember the classic movie line, “If you build it they will come,” from “Field of Dreams?” In the movie, they’re talking about a baseball field, but the premise still applies to a podcast.

Podcasts are a great way of building and finding specialty or niche markets with little cost. If you’re an expert, or are interested in something specific, chances are others are too. Creating something that only a special group of people might be interested in is a great way to tap into that specialty market.

Do you want to get an idea or product to people that enjoy the macabre? Try creating podcasts like “LORE” or “Night Vale.” How about people that need or want financial help? Then create something similar to “Planet Money.”

It doesn’t matter what kind of market you’re looking for. People that don’t fall into specific marketing strategies will instinctively search out things they like. So, the only questions you should be asking when searching for a specific market is “What does this market like? How can I put in a podcast?”

2) Podcasts Take Little Time to Make

If you work in sound or audio design you may have just scoffed, but that’s OK. For the layperson who is interested in creating something, you only need to lose a day for setup and then as little as 15 minutes for recording.

Setting up a podcast might seem daunting, but it’s as technical a job as setting up a television. You may want to think about getting some microphones and a reliable computer, consider soundproofing the recording area and investing in audio software.

After that, all you need to do is record the right voices, listen to the work, edit, hit save and send. All of that could take as little as an hour altogether.

If you’re willing to spend more time, you can add in cool and interesting features that listeners enjoy, but don’t need:

• Introduction music
• Visual banners or titles for the podcast or podcast episodes
• Sound mixing
• Additional content outside of the episode

3) Podcasts Help Establish Authority

Podcasts about cats or video games are always fun, but podcasts about news, politics and other fundamental subjects are necessary for certain groups. Major organizations generally have a podcast to discuss their work or their field. This is true for organizations like CNN, Apple, BuzzFeed, The Washington Post, the NBA and more.

If you want to be considered an industry leader, you need to produce content that demonstrates insider information in every way.

4) Podcasts Connect Professionals

Unless you are working on a piece of fiction, your podcast is probably going to involve people talking to each other. This can be had in the form of an interview or a general conversation. Regardless, this means you can connect professionals on your podcast and have them exchange their ideas.

Connecting professionals gives your podcast value as well as sharing power. The bigger the reputation of the professional, the more likely those interested in them or their work will share your podcast.

Connecting professionals also helps with specialty marketing, by accessing the followers of specific subjects.

5) Podcasts Help Diversify Content Avenues

This is important for content marketing as well as marketing entertainment. If you’re filming or writing something to share, then chances are you can put it in a podcast. Podcasts are just another way to ensure the content you make gets into the hands of anyone interested.

Unlike visual mediums, like film or writing, podcasts are predominantly audible. That means people can listen to it with little effort almost anywhere. Whenever you are creating new content, be aware that with little work, you could also be making a podcast that people enjoy.

Written articles can be read aloud or have their subject discussed to make a simple episode of a podcast. Filmed projects can be streamed through a podcast or, if appropriate, have their audio placed in audible podcasts.

Things like this really help the push of your content for your business.

6) Podcasts Stimulate Creativity

A podcast isn’t like any other piece of work in business because it is almost completely organic. It’s built with human beings acting and reacting with each other. Recording real conversations with genuine people allows for interesting and creative ways to describe subjects, events and people.

You won’t ever find something like this when creating an article or newsletter, but in a podcast it’s all you’ll get. Listeners really enjoy the use of shorthand jargon or realistic takes on topics that they care about. Things like this are lost in writing, but excel in audio podcasts.

Use podcasts to your business’s advantage. As you can see, it’s not that difficult to position yourself as an authority in your field and connect with others.