11 Ways to Use a Podcast to Grow Your Business Fast
Are you looking to grow your business quickly through podcasting? We’re not talking about monetizing the actual production, though that’s definitely possible! We’re talking about growing your actual business.
There are 4 key categories where your business can grow through podcasting:
- Acquisition of more listeners (potential customers)
- Using the podcast for growth in other mediums
- Directly growing your brand
- Conversion of listeners into customers
So, let’s not waste any time. We’re here to make money! Here are 11 Ways to Use a Podcast to Grow Your Business Fast.
Gain More Listeners
Without listeners, what’s the point? Your business won’t grow without potential customers. The initial focus of a podcast for business growth should be acquiring listeners. So, how do you accomplish that goal
1. Position Yourself as an Expert to Build Trust in Your Brand (Business)
People buy products from people they trust. A podcast can help gain or elevate that trust if you prove yourself as an expert in a field.
That doesn’t mean you have to be an expert of a broad topic or even of something directly related to your brand. But you need to present engaging and entertaining content.
You can quickly promote your business through branded podcasting. This creates a larger listener base by creatively presenting useful or interesting information.
Mike Andes grew Augusta Lawn Care Services from $0 to $100k a month in 3 years with the help of his podcasts and YouTube.
Does he talk only about landscaping? No! The podcasts’ key focus is helping businesses owners grow their brand.
2. Discuss Current Topics, Create Real Relationships, and Build a Community
Once you establish yourself as an expert, business growth hinges on discussing current topics and news. Not only does this practice keep your podcast fresh and interesting, it creates the opportunity for real, meaningful relationships with your potential customers.
People become engaged when speaking about topics that affect them at the moment. And coming up with new and fresh ideas means hooking more audience members into the conversation (i.e. potential customers).
Ultimately, that conversation is how your business can build a community. A podcast community is one of the most cost-efficient, effective public relations campaigns a growing business can engage in. It creates emotional and economic value.
3. Use the Directory to Help People Find Your Brand
People find brands by searching specific keywords and descriptions within a platform. Another opportunity to gain new listeners and grow your business is through writing a great podcast description.
To be clear, this is the description of the entire podcast, not the shownotes you write for each episode. Though, those are important too!
Your description should answer questions like:
- Who is the podcast for?
- What will people get from it?
- Who are you? (The Expert!)
- What can they expect?
What to Do with your Podcast Outside of the Podcast
A podcast doesn’t have the full effect for a business if there is no follow-up from other marketing platforms. It’s essential to leverage your podcast to get more followers on social media, your blog, and through a video channel.
4. Grow Your Brand’s Social Media Presence Through Podcasting
Social media is the 21st century’s primary marketing category. If you’re not using your podcast to get more followers on social media, then you’re missing out on a lot of potential business.
With every episode, be sure you’re using the following practices:
- Mention all linked social media accounts at the end of your podcast (see Call-to-Action in Tip #11)
- Pin new episodes at the top of your Facebook and Twitter feeds
- Use social media to tease the next episode
- Keep re-sharing episodes that had a significant response
- Use the story functions on social media platforms to make your podcast more interactive
5. Blog + Podcast = Customers
Blogs are a great way to recap or expand on the topics you discuss in your podcast episode. It also brings more traffic to your website.
The more exposure a customer has to your product, the more their potential is to buy something. Grocery store chains use this principle of keeping customers in the store, and you can too!
Releasing a blog with each podcast (that you pitch in every episode) enables you to include a transcript for people who like to read and helps clarify any discussions. You can use your podcast to train listeners to visit your site to learn more about your products.
6. Appeal to the Visual Learners
Last, record a video of all your podcasts to create a full multi-platform experience that markets your business from every angle. Recording video is easy now with a smartphone and an inexpensive tripod.
Take advantage of this medium and grow your business on YouTube while you record your podcast. It’s a two-for-one marketing technique with very little overhead.
This also creates an opportunity for you to take your podcast live on multiple platforms and directly engage your customer base. If you want to grow fast, talk to your listeners live and sell your brand directly.
Be sure to embed your video on your blog and share it on social media.
Grow Your Brand
Growing a business and growing a brand are two separate entities that, when working in harmony, equal growth in revenue. A podcast can help you accomplish both goals through guests, sponsorships, and through other podcasts.
7. Interview Guests that Help Your Customers and Help You Grow Your Brand
Even before you establish your podcast, it isn’t crazy to bring guests on your show. Good guests can help you engage with your customer base and add expertise to topics of discussion. Ultimately, they bring credibility to you and your brand.
In addition, your guests can share the episode on their own media platforms, so it becomes a win-win situation for both parties. Just be sure to produce a quality episode they want to share. It’s a way to reach new audience members for your podcast, and more potential customers for your business.
Never be afraid to go for a guest with a brand or business bigger than yours! It only elevates your brand.
8. Sponsorships: They Generate Money Two-Fold
As you grow your podcast, it’s possible to have other brands and companies sponsor your show. It helps you to monetize the podcast, and they bring awareness to your brand.
If another company has enough faith to sponsor your show, your listeners see that as a mark of trust. Just be sure that any sponsorship is of use to both your listener-base and your brand.
If you’re seeking a sponsorship, it’s best to look for companies who already advertise on other podcasts and are familiar with the medium.
9. Become a Guest on Another Podcast
The best spokesperson for your business should be you, the business owner. Being a guest on another podcast is a great way to grow your own podcast audience. It’s also an opportunity to pitch your own business and grow your brand with fresh listeners.
If you’re an entrepreneur, you know you can’t sit around and wait to be asked. There are several techniques to help you get booked on another show. Follow these practices when reaching out:
- Be tactful and specific about what you want to talk about on the show
- Show your own value to their audience
- Explain why you are a credible guest
- Promote the ways you will also drive traffic to their show
Convert Listeners to Customers
With a solid show and media stream, the last tips regard directly converting your listeners to customers. Using a podcast is a straightforward approach, but there are tactful ways to sell without losing the soul of a show.
10. Commercials and Episode-Specific Codes/Discounts
Your podcast is the medium for a two-tiered marketing campaign. You’re marketing your business through the content and directly marketing through the commercials during the show.
If you’ve listened to a podcast, you’ve heard it before. The host always stops to promote a product and offers a special code or discount. If it’s your podcast, then that should be your product!
Everyone is looking for a deal. Why not reward listening to your podcast by offering podcast-only codes and specials to drive up your sales?
This pushes traffic to your site where you can collect email addresses for future marketing campaigns. Every aspect creates a funnel that’s helping grow your business.
11. Calls-to-Action
Commercials aren’t the only way to drive traffic to your sites. Throughout an episode, you can pepper calls-to-action for listeners. They’re marketing messages that drive listeners (potential customers) to take actions that will grow your business.
Here are some suggestions for listener calls-to-action:
- Ask listeners to join your social media sites
- Ask listeners to email their thoughts and questions about the show
- Let listeners know what platforms the show is on
- Ask listeners to subscribe to the show on your platform
- Ask listeners to subscribe to your YouTube feed
- Ask listeners to come to a market or show your business is attending
Need Help Growing Your Business through Podcasting?
Building a business is hard enough without having to do a podcast on top of everything else. Why not equip yourself with the tools you need to make things easy? At The Podcast Academy you have access to courses, tools, resources, checklists, and live Question and Answer sessions that will help you grow your audience and your business at the same time.
