Get the planning right, and your podcast will be an invaluable tool for driving sales and adding additional income streams to your business, says Anna Parker Naples
I’ll make no secret of this – podcasting is powerful to gain loyal customers and raving fans. We have seen that there is a real increasing thirst for audio content over the past couple of years – it’s a marketing technology not to overlook as the audiobook and podcast industry is set to continue to surge and soar in popularity.
At the start of 2020, Deloitte predicted that the global market would grow by 25% to $3.5 billion USD. Podcasting is a medium that is growing at an unprecedented level with audience figures that were anticipated to double in size over an 18-month period.
This was accelerated by the global pandemic… audio content is becoming more and more popular and is one of the best ways to stand out in your field.
I will say it again… podcasting is powerful
First – who is listening to podcasts? Who tunes in while doing chores at home? Exercising? Driving?
According to Ofcom at the end of 2019, 7.1 million people in the UK listen to podcasts each week. If we look across the world, South Korea has the highest listenership at 54%.
In the UK approximately 18% of the population listens regularly. In the US, it’s 34%.
When you consider that one in eight people here in the UK are listening to podcasts, and over a third in the US, it is clear that this is a popular and thriving field you should not neglect. The podcast industry is growing year on year and is predicted to double in listenership between 2020 and 2022. In most countries that will mean over half the population will be tuning in to the content they love.
According to leaders from Google and Spotify speaking at a recent podcast event expectation are that the industry will continue to accelerate for the foreseeable future.
Giants like Spotify, Google and Apple consider podcasting to be in its infancy and big corporations are ploughing investment into the industry and technology to ensure they don’t miss out on this valuable market. Many small business owners I speak with fear that the podcast market is becoming flooded, so I find these predictions exciting.
In April 2020 the podcasting world hit the milestone of one million live podcasts globally. Not all of those podcasters are creating content on a regular, weekly basis. Some shows might still be hosted and available to listen to, but their creators are not producing and releasing new episodes. When you think of YouTube and its 31+ million channels, this is a tiny number.
Podcasts are just getting started…
So, why should podcasts be a vital part of your marketing technology?
Podcasting offers huge opportunities to experts, authors, coaches, speakers and entrepreneurs to increase impact, influence and income for their brand. Done effectively, podcasts can build email lists, audience followings and create strong communities. A podcast can be a real asset in your efforts to bring in loyal clients and elevate your status within your industry. Done ineffectively, and without crucial knowledge, it can become a headache and something you wonder why you started.
We have seen many businesses and entrepreneurs (and celebs) that have already moved, or are moving towards, launching a podcast and it is fast becoming the best way to educate, inspire and connect with potential and current clients as listeners go about their daily lives.
I have over 15 years of audio and production experience. I learnt everything about the world of audio and become an audio expert – I even built a recording studio at home and this led me to become an award-winning voice actress and audio producer working with brands such as; Coca Cola, CBeebies, FC Barcelona, CITV, Aardman Animation, Virgin and BBC. Not only am I now an international podcast host myself, I am also a podcast launch expert and have helped others launch more than 100 successful podcasts since January this year (2020).
Podcasting allows you to put your stamp all over your niche, to be known for what you do, to get your business out there visibly and position you as a credible expert in your field of influence.
It has the potential to open doors in a way no other platform can
Since I’ve been podcasting, I have been asked to appear on countless podcasts as a guest. I’ve reached audiences of millions and been invited to speak at high-profile events I couldn’t have accessed in any other way. I’ve built relationships by making deep, lasting connections and collaborations with people that I’ve invited on to my own podcast. You’ll find out for yourself that having guests on your show will open up your own networks to influential people in a way no other medium can.
Your audience is waiting
Listeners tend to be loyal to the shows they love. They return again and again to the podcasts that inspire, educate and entertain them most. Right now, people are listening on average to six shows they have subscribed to. Including those six shows they’re listening to approximately seven episodes per week, so it can be assumed that they’re consuming as much material as they can of that particular show. This also indicates that there is room for something new in their line-up and people are actively looking for new shows to listen to.
It’s relatable
Through a podcast you have the opportunity to get into the ears of your audience, human to human. To share your expertise, knowledge and products, but also and more importantly to story tell. This makes you much more relatable, human and gives your brand/company/business a face and a persona.
You can elevate and become known in the arena of your choice
With solid foundations, your podcast can grow to heady heights, taking you and your personal brand quickly in the direction of leadership in your chosen area of expertise or passion.
Search-ability
Podcasting allows for increased search-ability. Podcast directories such as Spotify and iTunes are akin to powerful search engines.
Ample social content
A podcast also allows you to create ample social media content opportunities to alleviate the concern of ‘What the heck should I write?!”
It’s truly global
It’s astonishing to be able to track the popularity of your podcast episodes in far flung corners of the world, places you’ve never dreamed of visiting, with fans consuming content on a regular basis. That’s the beauty of audio content – it reaches places you and your business ordinarily can’t.
Let’s not be fooled, a successful podcast takes effort
Podcasting isn’t just plugging in a microphone and putting out any old voice recording. It’s crucial that you do the right prep and planning first in order to not only ensure you reach the audience of your dreams, but that you’re providing them with the right content too. Get the planning right, and your podcast will be an invaluable tool for driving sales and adding additional income streams to your business.
Anna Parker Naples has more than 15 years of audio and production experience and is now one of the UK’s leading podcast launch experts, a number 1 International Podcast Host and award-winning entrepreneur. In 2020, Anna released her second book ‘Podcast with Impact: How to Start and Launch Your Podcast Properly’.
Find out more about AMBA’s own podcast The AMBITION Podcast, and take a listen, here.
