Podcasting can help grow your small business.

Since the dawn of digital technology, there has been an increase in studies about what your company should be doing for digital marketing. Whether it is paid search, social media, or blogging, there is no shortage of ideas and advice. However, one of the undeniable forces drawing businesses and their customers closer together is the ability to weave a better story.

These changing times have led to the implementation of various products of technology in businesses. With various aspects of businesses transforming every day with the changing customer requirements and market demands, these tools have turned out to be necessities to stay afloat in this highly competitive market. One of these tools is podcasting and here are 5 reasons your small business needs one.

What is a Podcast?

The dictionary defines a podcast as a set of digital audio files that are available on the internet for downloading. More simply put, a podcast all of your favorite blogs, shows, and topics (some you didn’t even know you’d enjoy!) wrapped up in a huge hub of recordings (Apple Podcasts, etc…). You can explore, download and listen to podcasts on your own time, as they are available on-demand. If you can Google it, there’s probably a podcast about it!

The term podcast is actually a portmanteau of iPod and Broadcast. Podcasting started as mostly an independent way for individuals to get their message out there and build a community of people with similar interests. Without a predetermined length, format, style, or production level, podcasting allows for flexible and unique creation of episodes. But, how can podcasting help grow your small business?

5 Reasons Your Small Business Needs a Podcast.

1.) Audience Connection

We live in an age where brands and companies are constantly fighting for audience attention in the online space. Consequently, the tried and true tricks of content marketing may not continue to work for your business. You’ve got to stand out. Podcasts allow you to talk to your audience directly, in your own voice and thus connect with them on a deeper and more personal level.

Even though a podcast is a one-sided medium, it helps to build effective relationships with the listeners. It gives the feeling that the listeners know the person speaking on the podcast. Further, people listen to podcasts because they have something in common with the speaker and the brand the speaker is representing.

Good relationships build trust, encouraging listeners to be associated with the brand. This, in turn, leads to improved conversion. People are more likely to buy something from a friend than a stranger.

2.) Enhances Your Authority

Whether you are posting on social media, sharing blog posts, or buying up digital ad space, the end goal is not only to increase sales but to enhance your authority within your niche as well. Creating a podcast allows you to share your expertise and passion in a manner that shows confidence in both yourself and your business. This inevitably helps stack authority behind your name and your brand.

Podcasting also allows your customers to really hear your connection to your niche, your genuine passion for your industry, as well as your knowledge, further cementing your authority in your field and enabling you to develop a greater level of trust between you and your customers.

3.) Increased Traffic Generation

Using podcasts can help you reach out to new audiences for your business. Podcasts can help in building familiarity with a wide range of audiences. Listeners usually subscribe to the series and regularly listen. As long as the audio series continues, your audience is quite likely to keep listening.

Additionally, your audience may recommend the podcasts to others who may be interested in them, thus increasing your reach exponentially. Consequently, this can lead to improved traffic generation quickly, and further, more sales.

4.) Easy and Inexpensive to Create

Creating a podcast does not involve a lot of steps. The equipment required for the same is reasonably priced and also available easily. You would need a good quality microphone and headphones for creating a podcast. The editing software for this purpose is free and is quite simple. For uploading the files on your website, a good WiFi connection is important.

Here is where we can help! You can create your podcast from start to finish at Arise Coworking Community and Event Space.

5.) The Possibilities are Endless

If you think that podcasts are for one-way communication with your audience, you might be mistaken. You can share your ideas with your audience in so many different ways with podcasts. You can review products and services. You can invite and interview experts, thought leaders, or even customers to be guests on your show. Podcasting is a great way to put forth the views of people your audience is most likely to trust — experts and their peers.

Creating a podcast as a small business owner puts you in a unique position to create value for your customers as well as enhance your authority in your niche. There’s nothing stopping you. Go get your recorder and start podcasting. I’m sure it will be one of the smartest decisions you’ll ever make for your small business.