Podcasting for Business: Is Your Business or Brand Missing Out?

More and more businesses are podcasting as it has grown from a little-known and misunderstood form of content to being talked about on the news, in sitcoms, and even in movies. This powerful content builds trust and loyalty between its host and audience.

In this article, I am going to discuss business podcasting and why you should get started.

Why consider podcasting for business?

Podcasts are an enhanced form of content: more engaging than written articles, they can be evergreen or timely with current events, and most of all, they offer value to the listener and the brand message.

There are several benefits to leveraging a podcast for your business or brand:

• New audience: A good podcast will help you get discovered by people globally through the RSS syndication protocol. Your show will be registered with Apple's iTunes, and Google Podcasts, and several other podcast players increasing your odds of being discovered.
• Build loyalty: Edison Research, the Infinite dial publishes a report on digital media to include podcasting (https://www.edisonresearch.com/category/consumer-surveys/) and reports that listenership is on the rise along with statistics on brand loyalty year after year. Caution, this report will motivate you to get started.
• Built trust: Podcasts offering value to their listeners like useful tips and insights, interviews with people they know, and even entertainment. Offering legitimate value is ultimately a great tool, you as a business can offer value to build up trust.

Business: who is it for?

You will find that there are podcasts about everything: fictional, comedy, parenting, clubs, hobbyists to business and so many others.

Podcast marketing can work for a business, usually as an educational tool to gain the attention of their target market. I often use this question when working with a company, “Does your website have an FAQ or Contact Us page”? If so, your customers or potential customers are giving you episode ideas.

You can create an episode answering your listener’s question.

What better way to inform while shortening a sales cycle?

Any industry can leverage a podcast to market, build trust, and loyalty while reaching a new audience to increase growth for your business or brand.

Getting started with a business podcast, in 5 steps   

1: Your Audience

Who exactly are you trying to get in front of with your podcast?

Who on your staff can best communicate the persona needed to connect with the audience that you want to reach:

• Location
• Ages and genders
• Interests
• Annual median income  

2: Come up with Episode Ideas for your Podcast

Episode planning is nothing more than a brain dump; Start with:

• Refer to your FAQ’s or Q & A forms submitted to your company
• Is it relevant to your target audience?
• Will this episode provide value?
• Order these ideas so they build on the previous

3: Podcast Format and Frequency

To have a successful podcast, you need to be consistent in terms of quality, frequency, and format.

• Episode length: How long do you want your episodes to be? While this can vary a bit from episode to episode it helps to have a target length; your episodes can last anywhere from a few minutes to hours.
• Publishing frequency: It is especially important to be consistent. Choosing how frequently you publish episodes, the day of the week, and a consistent time that you are going to publish.  This way your listeners will know when to expect your next episode.
• Choosing the format: Your podcast can take on a different format along its course. For example, some episodes could be C-Level Management talking alone, sharing tips and tricks they have learned, and maybe occasionally featuring interviews. Generally, you need to establish what type of podcast you are planning to create: interview podcasts, shows with two (or more) co-hosts, or a podcast with a single host. I also encourage you to put serious thought into having both audio and video episodes. The searchability of a video on YouTube can help grow your show.

Step 4: The Right Equipment

While almost anyone can start a podcast with just their desktop computer/laptop, some equipment and software will help you deliver a podcast that sounds great.

Of course, you can step up your game by splurging on bigger ticket items, because they can, and will, make life easier, in the long run.

Here are the tools, in both gear and software that we use or recommend. They are not the only options available to you so please feel free to research other options.

A good microphone

Audio is one area that you will not want to cut corners, however, you do not need to spend a lot. Your audience will overlook several issues with your show, but poor audio is not one of them. You should avoid the mic that comes built into your computer, instead consider one of the following:

1. Audio Technica ATR-2100-USB USB & XLR connections.

2. Audio-Technica AT2020 XLR or USB, if the XLR, audio interface required.

3. Rode NT-USB

4. Shure SM7B Cardioid Dynamic Microphone

Headphones

Your headphones do not have to be top of the line, but you will want a set that is up to the task, especially if you are editing. You will need to hear what both you and your guests are saying if you are using Skype or SquadCast, so choose good, on-ear headphones, like:

1. OneOdio Adapter-Free Closed Back Over-Ear

2. Audio-Technica ATH-M30x

A pop filter

When talking into a microphone, your p’s and b’s will sound amplified or cause what we call a plosive, a burst of air into the mic. To avoid this, speak to the side of your mic, rather than directly into it, or get yourself a pop filter.

A boom arm

A suspension boom arm is used to hold the mic and is necessary if you want to up your game. A boom helps the sound quality, reducing mic drift, holding it steady for you as you speak into it.

1. TONOR Adjustable Suspension Boom

2. InnoGear Microphone Arm

Shock mount

A shock mount attaches to the end of your boom suspending your mic, so table bumps and vibrations from setting your water down are not translated into sound as much. Be sure to verify that your microphone will fit in the mount you choose.

Audio Interface or Mixer

An audio interface offers the necessary connectors you need to add microphones for recording into your computer, as well as speakers and headphones for listening to what is being recorded. If you are using a microphone with an XLR connection or want to add more than one microphone, say for a guest you will need an interface.

1. Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface

2. PreSonus AudioBox USB 96

3. Rode RODECaster Pro Podcast

4. Zoom LiveTrak L-8 Podcast Recorder

5. Yamaha MG10XU

6. Behringer Xenyx 1204USB

Interview/Recording software

If you are going to be doing remote interviews on your show, you will want to use third-party software to bring in the audio. We outline two options, one for live shows and the other for recordings.

1. SquadCast, video so you can see nonverbal Q’s but only records audio, each user on separate tracks for easier audio editing.

2. Skype

Recording and editing software

You will need software to edit your audio. You can start with a free program like Audacity, but we recommend the following:

1. Hindenburg is what we use at Sitch Radio, it is built for broadcasters.

2. Adobe Audition is an outstanding tool that gives you a lot of options for post-production.

A podcast hosting account

There are several extremely affordable media hosts that you can use. We recommend Spreaker for a couple of reasons. Great hosting, easy to distribute your show to iTunes, Google, iHeart, and many more podcast players, and you can broadcast LIVE.

Licensed Music

Adding effects and music to your show is one of the easiest ways to increase production value. We use and recommend SoundStripe.

5: Create Podcast Artwork

A particularly important aspect of your podcast is your artwork. This piece of art needs to be catchy, grabbing people’s attention, and showcasing your podcast.

Your artwork should:

• Be colorful to attract people’s attention (stand out in your category)
• Include the title of your podcast and tagline, if needed, to describe the show
• Include images of those hosting the podcast (not mandatory, but helps the listener relate to the host/hosts)

To create your artwork, you can easily do so with content creation tools, like Canva, or sub it out on Fiverr

Conclusion

A business podcast can be a great way to reach a wider audience and build trust in a way that few other mediums of content can achieve. It does not require a huge investment and the time in producing your podcasts can help you achieve your marketing goals.

Studio’s like Sitch Radio can help you achieve these goals much faster. Most of its corporate clients, need only to come into the studio, talk, and get back to what they do best, their job. The Team at Sitch Radio offers a One-Stop-Shop for Podcast Production, Live Internet Radio, and streamed video.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss launching your podcast, Please feel free to reach out. My contact information is in my Profile.