Podcasts aren’t easy – you need more than a $15 microphone and the audio recording app on your phone. Creating good podcasts and utilizing them to benefit your business requires planning, learning some new technology, social media and content creation skills, and a strong knowledge of your buyer personas.

Podcasting is hard work, but it’s worth it.

Here are 6 reasons to start a business podcast.

Reach a new audience

Using many media types on your site is wise – some people like to read, some like to watch, and … some like to listen. For people with long commutes, boring jobs, household chores, small children, etc., listening may be the only way they have time to learn new things or listen to something they enjoy. Podcasting opens you up to an audience that prefers to listen.

In addition, listeners may recommend your podcast to others with similar interests.

Increase site traffic

A podcast can improve site traffic for several reasons:

• New listeners who find your site via the podcast
• New visits from people referred to your podcast/business
• Wise use of content and SEO put you higher in search results
• New social media topics ignite new interest

Build relationships

Podcasting is intimate. Unlike with blogs, ebooks, videos, and even webinars, listeners who find a podcast they love, subscribe to, and listen to frequently feel like they know the host(s). They feel a connection and keep coming back because it’s like listening to a friend every week (or month, or however often) – even though it’s unlikely they’ll ever meet.

This relationship builds trust, which listeners will associate with your brand and will lead to more conversions … because people prefer to buy from friends than strangers.

Improve content marketing

Podcasts create audio you can post on your site and distribute on platforms like iTunes – but you can also post the transcripts with the podcasts (good for SEO and website visitors who prefer reading) and turn the content/topic into blogs and articles for your website.

If you use keywords, hash tags, and SEO best practices, your reward will be more Google love – you’ll show up in more search results.

Increase social media presence

Create “teasers” of upcoming shows and promote them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms. After the podcast, post recaps and reminders for people to not miss your latest episode.

Generate revenue

Don’t start a podcast with the expectation of making money, but with enough listeners, it would be possible to generate revenue with advertising, sponsors, affiliate partnerships, and direct sales from your products and services.

Do you find it's harder and harder to get found online? One of the best ways is to get good search engine rankings using inbound marketing – a podcast would be a strong addition to your content repertoire.

Need some advice? Contact us!