Podcasts are a fantastic way to build relationships and position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. With a podcast, you can build credibility and trust with your audience. Your voice is your unique identifier. It’s your personal brand asset. If you run a business you should explore adding audio content to your website and in your social media channels.
Here’s how a podcast could help your business:
1. A great way to tell your story
A podcast allows you to tell your story interestingly. It’s more immersive than a blog and allows for a layered narrative. If you have a great story to tell about your business, why not share it with the world?
If you sell a product or service, your business podcast could tell the story behind your brand. Think of the first season of Startup from Gimlet. Alex Blumberg was recording his thoughts and documenting every meeting he had along the way. This “personable” podcast served as a great ice-breaker because a lot of the investors he was pitching to were already familiar with Gimlet’s mission and Alex’s voice.
2. A platform to educate and inspire
There’s a common saying “Give before you get.” By giving some of your time to educating others, you are actually building trust with your audience. Your first goal should indeed be to serve your listeners, but in doing so you will also be serving your business. Think of your podcast as an extension of your blog, and vice versa.
A podcast that focuses on the process, the struggles, and the successes of running a business is a great way to build credibility with your audience. Your content can inspire your listeners and give them the confidence to try something new – maybe start their own business. If you have acquired some expertise in your field, this is a great way to share your story with your audience. Educating and inspiring your audience builds trust and loyalty.
3. Networking
By starting a podcast you can own a platform that would seem exciting to your peers. You can use the podcast as a way to connect with others. If there are people in your industry who you’ve always admired, you can reach out to them and ask them to be guests on your podcast. They are much more likely to accept that offer than if you were to just say, “Would you like to have a beer and chat?”.
People love to be interviewed. Everyone has a fantasy of being on a late-night TV show. If you start a podcast, you can make that happen for other people. By starting a podcast, you are creating an opportunity that will attract the people you want to connect with.
4. SEO
If you run a business, search engine optimisation (SEO) should be the bread and butter of your marketing strategy. Search engines are becoming more and more sophisticated at serving up search results based on the context of the query.
If you have a podcast, you can include the transcript of your show on your website. You can also include some of the most relevant links to the things you discussed in the show notes. This will increase the likelihood of someone finding your content and potentially clicking on a link to your website.
5. A great team-building exercise
Starting a podcast is a lot of fun. It’s a great way to get your team together and work towards a common goal. Podcasting is a collaborative process, and building a podcast can help you and your team to work together more effectively. A podcast could be the catalyst for your team to start interacting in new ways. For example, if you have a team of writers, they could all pitch ideas for the episodes. Designers could brainstorm on the cover art and logo and what the website should look like.
As a leader in your business, you get to share your wisdom and experience with your team and the team gets to have fun while creating lasting memories.
6. A marketing tool
By starting a podcast, you are creating marketing assets that can be used to promote your business. You can drive traffic to your website and grow your email newsletter subscribers. If you are a creative agency, you could perhaps start an in-house podcast that chronicles how you work and the creative process behind your campaigns.
By starting a podcast, you are creating a community of people who are interested in the same things as you. This is an important step in building your tribe. These are people with a common interest that will be the most likely to buy your products and service or recommend you to their friends and family.
7. You will learn new things
Starting a podcast is a fantastic way to grow as a leader. Podcasting forces you to set goals and deadlines. This is a great way to keep yourself accountable and stay on track. Podcasting also forces you to do a lot of research. If you are starting a podcast about your business, you will have to start learning more and more about the industry you are in. You will have to start reading trade publications, attending conferences, and watching webinars to come across as knowledgeable and an authority in your domain.
As I have written before, interviewing skills are interchangeable with leadership skills. By starting a podcast, you are putting yourself out there and facing a fear head-on. This is a great way to develop your public speaking skills and become a better leader. If you are comfortable talking into a microphone, you will be more confident in front of an audience or in a one-on-one meeting.
At the end of the day, you will come away with a whole new set of skills that will help you to grow your business and grow as a leader.
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