Podcasting for business: How It Can Grow Your Business

Businesses make many efforts to tap into new possibilities, but it’s not a result. And when it happens too often, reconsider and look up other options to expand their online stores. Luckily, there is plenty. And one of them is podcasting for business.

Despite their increasing popularity, not everyone is familiar with business podcasts. A podcast is an episodic collection of audio recordings that one may download to a computer or mobile device & that include music, interviews, or other noises.

Podcasting for business is a fantastic way to give customers content while increasing traffic to a website. They are a terrific method to engage with potential clients and enthuse them about a company.

Despite being around for some time, podcasts are growing in popularity. In recent years, podcasts have grown in popularity and efficacy as a tool for business communication. They are becoming increasingly common as more people use them to access information on the go.

Although it might seem strange, companies can use their podcast business to expand their e-commerce business. It is because they can influence their listeners to become potential clients. Additionally, they can promote their online brand via their podcast.

Still unsure how a podcast can benefit an e-commerce site? Let’s continue reading.

Benefits of Podcasting

According to Statista[1], there were about 480 million podcast listeners worldwide in 2020, and there will be about 800 million by 2025.

Why? The answer is simple: listening to business podcasts is a pleasant, exciting & entertaining method to learn new things. Hence, convenience is preferred over effort. Many new business prospects emerge from this.

The advantages of podcasting are infinite. It’s engaging & entertaining and enables companies to engage with their audience more personally than other types of advertising. With podcasting, companies now have a new channel to connect with their audience.

People are addicted to listening to podcasts because they are a quick and easy way to learn new knowledge. Podcasts are a terrific way to interact with diverse audiences, but they may also help companies attract new listeners. Companies can get feedback from their listeners by probing them on various topics and asking what they think.

For firms of all sizes, podcasting for business is a fantastic marketing technique. It can be applied to lead creation, customer acquisition, or brand awareness. Businesses that wish to produce high-quality content in a more individualized way should use it as their marketing approach.

So, what are the benefits of podcasting? Let’s take a look.

1. Build a Personal Connection

Creating connections with written stuff differs from doing so with audio-visual content like podcasts. An audience can be engaged much more effectively by a voice than by words on a page. Listeners get to hear your voice, your personality, and your passion for your subject matter. This personal connection goes a long way in building trust and credibility, essential elements of brand authority.

Besides promoting your business, it’s also important for many consumers to feel like they know the people behind the brand. Humanizing the brand helps to build trust and transparency, which can, in turn, build customer loyalty.

2. It’s Convenient

With podcasting for business, companies don’t have to be concerned about their audience being too busy to listen and engage. Listeners can download episodes of podcasts and play them back whenever they want, which is a terrific convenience. Listeners can easily consume a podcast business episode while exercising, driving, working, or unwinding.

3. It Builds Brand Authority

Podcasts provide a platform for you to showcase your expertise. Whether you’re discussing industry trends, sharing insights, or providing valuable tips, your knowledge comes through in your voice and content, establishing you as an authority in your field.

The primary reason why people listen to podcasts is to educate themselves on topics that they are already interested in. By sharing your own experience and knowledge with your audience, you can build trust and authenticity for your brand. Consistently producing high-quality content can help you establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. This can attract new customers, enhance your credibility, and ultimately help in growing your business.

4. It’s an Alternative to Video

It’s no secret that in 2024, companies should focus on video marketing. Who is to say that everyone on a work team will feel at ease shooting videos? It might take a while. The advantage of podcasting for business is that companies can produce audio and video episodes, giving listeners the ability to choose from.

It’s acceptable if companies solely provide audio options, similar to what SoundCloud does. The listeners could like such an approach in some cases. However, mixing the two and giving the audience a choice is a fantastic method to get the best of both worlds.

5. Increase Traffic Generation

With the help of podcasts, companies can expand their audience base. Additionally, it promotes familiarity among a variety of audiences. Their listeners would subscribe to them and keep up with their broadcasts.

Optimize your audio content for Google by treating each show episode as a blog post to encourage leads toward your site. To do this, include keywords within your show’s descriptions, written content and homepage to improve discoverability, which can impact your podcast’s search performance by increasing your SEO capabilities.

6. Improve Conversion

Although podcasts are a one-way tool, they have an impact on conversion rates. People frequently listen to podcast listening because they connect with the host or the company in some way.

Good relationships foster trust, which makes listeners want to be linked with a company. It builds credibility over time, allowing companies to increase conversions in the long run.

7. They’re Highly Engaging

The audience could become disoriented due to the abundance of information available online. There is much textual content, so audio content is a welcome contrast. Additionally, podcasting gives a company the space to express its ideas interactively – something that textual content might not always do.

By leveraging the engaging nature of podcasts, you can strengthen the relationship with your audience and gain valuable insights and feedback.

Should a Business have a Podcast?

When done well, podcasting for business is a fantastic way to develop lasting relationships with customers, highlight the personalities within a company, and foster trust via analysis, insight, and storytelling.

In addition to providing in-depth analysis pertinent to their listeners’ fields and occupations, 6 Pixels of Separation, PNR: This Old Marketing, Entrepreneur on Fire & the Art of Charm have all developed sizable, devoted audiences. It is due in part to the podcast’s approachable tone.

Recently, podcasts like Startup have sped up the process of growing an audience by enticing listeners with a more narrative approach. There are several reasons why a business would do better with podcasting. A podcast is a terrific tool for advertising what it provides and may be a potent and affordable way to reach its target audience.

A business can distinguish itself as a subject-matter expert by creating podcasts. It will enable it to develop a clientele of followers who already know, like, and trust the business. It can present business concepts, ideas, and solutions to potential clients in an accessible style with a podcast. A podcast business is a fantastic approach to establishing authority and credibility with potential customers.

Cost to Create a Podcast

The answer to the question of how much it costs to start podcasts is- well, it varies, as with so many other things. For any business, this answer is not helpful. Still, there’s more to it.

To begin with, a business can spend more money on podcast setup, but it doesn’t have to. If one owns a computer and is on a tight budget, one can create, edit, and broadcast a podcast for free!

On the other side, starting with podcasting for business can cost much more if someone wants to use more expensive business equipment. Such advanced equipment is not necessary to create the first episodes, though doing so could enhance the sound quality. Once one is done recording, one can use any podcast platform to post it for free.

• iTunes: Podcasts are completely free on iTunes. A business only needs to register with a podcast hosting service. Some are cost-free but have restrictions, such as a monthly podcast limit of two hours and a maximum 90-day storage period for episodes.
• Spotify: The greatest place to post business podcasts is Spotify, a music streaming service with a multi-billion dollar valuation. With its enormous global subscriber base, it’s one of the best sites to launch business podcasts.
• Soundcloud: Another one of the best venues to post a podcast and gain exposure is Soundcloud, the podcaster’s paradise. Due to its users’ prominence as top producers of music and podcasts, the platform offers fantastic chances to reach new audiences. Furthermore, its free basic plan is very effective.

How do I Start a Podcast for my Business?

Now that the benefits of podcasting for business growth are clear, it is time for a business to start podcasts. Choosing the idea or theme is the first step in learning how to start podcasting for business. That premise should be relevant to every episode.

This concept will be evident to certain people. For others, particularly in uncommon industries and niches, businesses might need to think beyond the box in their subject. A business might not launch a business podcast about sunglasses if it sells sunglasses, for example. When the target audience is frequent travellers, a travel-related podcast would be a better option.

The format of the episodes is the next crucial element. A business must have the structure & look of the podcast that will engage its audience. Finally, a business must decide how long the episodes will be while creating a podcast.

It’s a good idea to keep the episode lengths constant & the listeners know what to anticipate. If the business podcast episodes are 20 minutes long and the listeners are familiar with that duration, it’s easy to schedule their listening around activities like a daily commute. Now that it’s clear what is required to start business podcasts, here’s how one can do it.

1. Decide on Roles

The first thing for businesses is to decide what the podcasting for business will be about and why they are starting it before they click the record button. It can help them to offer the finishing touches on their targets, ranging from producing leads for the company to being recognized as an industry leader or simply for fun.

2. Choose the Topic and Tone

Although it’s challenging to focus on a specific topic or niche, doing so will enable a business to develop a following over time. Moreover, it will establish the brand’s authority & gain more credibility. Choose a topic that is wide enough to be discussed over several episodes, seasons & more yet narrow enough to attract a particular niche.

3. Think About Presentation

Online resources abound with advice for business artwork. It does make sense to create business artwork during the planning stages, but since the business podcast is new, it might need to make minor adjustments.

Changing names and descriptions is simple, but until it settles on one style, changing it frequently can be a pain unless it has an in-house designer or the business pays for this service.

4. Record, Upload, and Distribute

The next stage is to record the business podcast, working with any guests the business may have. The business needs the correct podcast setup to create a podcast with good audio quality. By recording brief clips, it can listen back to and use them to tweak its audio settings, it can test the gear and the sound quality in its recording environment.

After a business is done creating a podcast, it can use editing tools to review the content. When they are finished, it’s time to upload the podcast to podcast platforms that host podcasts and enable the business to generate titles, catalogue episodes, and link to online streaming services.

5. Get into a Regular Recording Cycle

To ensure they offer material concurrently, businesses must establish a regular schedule. They should find out how long it takes to produce a single episode. As many audiences like a pattern in their content consumption, a defined production schedule can also allow them to post their podcasts regularly, which can increase listener loyalty. It’s better to schedule time weekly to complete each production stage and establish a reliable workflow.

6. Promote

It’s time to spread the word about the business podcast once it can be found and downloaded. A business can use a sponsored social media ad campaign, a grassroots strategy like emailing direct links to close friends and family, or anything in between.

A common strategy is using social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok to promote a business podcast. Businesses can advertise their podcast using their current accounts on social media if they already have many followers there. If not, they can make additional accounts for advertising the podcast and interacting with their community.

How to Record Your First Podcast Professionally

Recording a professional-sounding podcast requires attention to audio quality, equipment, and some basic recording techniques. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you professionally record your first podcast:

1. Invest in Quality Equipment

Get a good-quality microphone, headphones, and pop filter. Quality audio equipment is crucial for a professional sound.

2. Choose a Quiet Recording Space

Select a quiet and controlled environment for recording. Minimize background noise, close windows to block external sounds, and use soft furnishings to reduce echo.

3. Use a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

Choose a DAW (e.g., Audacity, GarageBand, Adobe Audition) for recording and editing your podcast. Familiarize yourself with basic DAW functions for recording, editing, and exporting audio. Opting for lossless formats like WAV or FLAC while recording is always better, as you can always compress it later for sharing without losing quality.

4. Script Your Episode

Plan your episode content with a script or outline. This helps in maintaining a structured and organized flow during recording. Create an editorial calendar outlining the topics, themes, and potential guests for each episode. Planning ensures a consistent and organized approach to content creation.

By following these steps and regularly practising, you can achieve a professional and polished podcast recording.

Grow your Brand with Podcasts

A brand will have more prospects if it uses various marketing techniques and technologies in its operations. One approach to advertising and discussing a brand in a technologically advanced setting is podcasting.

They may impact its sales, but they also contribute to developing a community that may be a significant and long-term asset. Podcasts have the potential to be a robust tool for brand marketing. The brand can intrigue new listeners and gain attention by producing interesting and engaging content.

Podcasts provide a brand with the chance to connect with its audience and help it reach a massive audience. With excellent content, it can gain a devoted audience that will keep visiting the brand’s site. A brand should consider podcasting for business if it is looking for a means to expand its audience and build its brand. It’s a fantastic method to engage the community and interact with the audience.

However, starting podcasts may be very gratifying, but like any venture, it requires some early setup and hard work. Podcasting for business can be financially & emotionally worthwhile when a firm redefines them with appropriate goal targets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some useful resources:

• Steps for Creating the Best Online Business Plan