Podcasting may be the next step in brand building your personal brand beyond your blog.
Some days, it can seem impossible to reach your target market with just content, social media marketing, and advertising. You have a message that needs to get out there. And audio can help you do this faster.
Establishing yourself as a leading authority in your industry is an important goal. To do this more efficiently, we strongly recommend you should consider hosting your own podcast or at least being a part of one.
First things first. Your podcast needs to stand out from the rest and become uniquely your own.
This is going to require an investment of time on your part. But the payoff is great. This podcast will be launching you into a new arena that can propel your business forward.
Why start a brand building podcast?
To build a trusted brand it’s important to continue to expand your marketing efforts into new digital arenas. This helps you meet your audience where they are active and engaging.
Today’s information age is focused on relationship building. What a better way to do this than through your own dedicated podcast. Your exposure has the potential to grow far more than just leveraging social media and your blog.
Your listeners are on the go and are getting their information quickly from the mobile devices. Meeting them where they are is a quick and easy way to build an audience online.
A great way to start brand building is by repurposing your blog posts
Create something that either educates, informs, or entertains your audience. Doing so consistently will encourage them to follow your podcast for more.
Your podcast must present a fresh message that speaks to your audience in an interesting way. Originality is the key. All the while putting your own voice into what you produce.
Here is how we help our clients start brand building with podcasting.
Create a separate schedule just for podcasts
You already have a regular content and social media plan. This should be no different for your podcast as well.
Choose a specific day and time slot that works well for you. Stick with that schedule. Implement your calendar tools to send out notifications to your followers so that they easily add your shows to their busy schedules. This offers them the opportunity to listen as they get the notification. Or by encouraging them to follow your podcast on their preferred podcast player.
Expand on your branded online profile
Once you know what your show is going to be about, expand on your established online brand to continue brand building. What you choose should be consistent with what you have currently created. Yet let it reflect a podcast style.
Use a general but flexible template to save time
We advise not to write a full-length script for each podcast episode. However, you will want to put together an outline or template to follow, but customize for each podcast episode. This includes a general introduction for each episode, and a general list of questions if you are conducting an expert interview. And your cue for a standard outro to help you end the episode.
Include a clear description
Let people know right away what your show is about. Do this without writing too much information. This should be done with the right keywords for each topic, and without reading like a sales message.
Use short, attention-grabbing episode titles
A long, drawn out headline tends to turn people away. You will want to quickly grab their attention. Do this with catchy titles that speak directly to what the podcast episode will be covering. Your audience will want to know exactly what your episode is about. This will whet their appetite to hit the play button.
Keep your podcast episodes focused
Limit your topics in each episode to just one. Respect your listeners’ time spent with you. Discuss something inside a specific niche based on your topic.
A strong call-to-action is a must
There’s no shame in encouraging your listeners to check out your website, social media channels or to follow your podcast at the end of an episode. Listeners want to know what the next step is to find out more about what you have just covered in that episode. And, you could be missing out on thousands of new followers!
Create a follow-up strategy
At the end of your podcasts be sure to send out an email to your listeners. Follow up on any comments posted to your podcast episode blog and social networks.
One great way to announce a new episode launch is producing a live video on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or YouTube to interact and connect with your audience.
Don’t worry about how many new podcasts are being launched every week. Or how many podcasts exist today. People are always on the hunt for new and fresh content to follow. Focus on a specific target market. Narrow it down as much as possible.
Podcasting is open to any business category that wants to establish or enhance brand building
To create lasting relationships, build relationships with your community with consistent communication like podcasting.
We are always thinking about new approaches for our podcast clients to reach their audience. This includes what steps they will need to take in order to continue to grow their podcast and the content created from it.
If you’re looking for more tailored help, then be sure to connect with our dedicated team of podcast professionals. We’ll help your business create a brand building podcast from planning, launching and keeping you podcasting, to presentation skills, promotion, and monetization.
Interested in speaking with one of our professionals?
Click here! We’ve put together a questionnaire to quickly fill out. This will help us help you prior to our first information meeting, which you can schedule when completed.
Let’s talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you’re B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you.
Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants business website at circle270media.com
Subscribe to my free daily Open The Mic Newsletter. It’s chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast.
Recorded in conjunction with Channel 511, in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH.
Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients.
Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.
This article originally appeared on Circle270Media’s podcast Note To Future Me.
