Is a Podcast Suitable for Your Brand?

So you’ve taken an interest in podcasting. That’s wonderful, many people have followed this path before you so you have a surfeit of resources at your fingertips. Despite the content and references available regarding podcasts today, there remain many important questions anyone must consider before adding a podcast to their marketing mix. The most important being, is a podcast suitable for my brand? In this article we will attempt to break down the elements needed to answer this question, as well as provide you the tools to make this assessment about your own business. Without further ado, let’s talk podcasts.

For those of you whose podcast playlist consists of true crime or other entertainment-based productions, you may be wondering how a podcast could contribute to a small business’ brand awareness. The number of podcast listeners is increasing by a monumental factor year after year. While there are more podcasts in production today than ever before, there are also many more listeners with very unique tastes. Many businesses are producing audio media related to the more interesting aspects of their business or industry. They use podcasts to establish themselves as industry experts, as fonts of information, all in the hopes of leading potential and often unwitting customers back to their website or place of business.

The question remains, is a podcast suitable for your brand? Podcasts are, by nature, relatively low cost. Most podcast producers approach the subject with a rather DIY attitude, that is, they tend not to spend much on a dedicated podcasting staff. While this may change as you scale up your marketing efforts, in the beginning it can be seen as an overwhelming positive. For those of us with more limited marketing budgets, podcasts can make an excellent and impactful addition to our media mix.

On the other hand, podcasts tend to perform better when they work hand-in-hand with other pieces of company media. In most cases, this will consist of at least a blog. If you are exploring the digital media field and have yet to make and major forays, I might suggest beginning with a blog over a podcast. Blogs, podcasts, and many other forms of content media rely on regular posting and regular updates. A blog may serve as an introduction to digital marketing for some, while providing a future springboard for podcasting efforts.

While this article is by no means a tell-all story of podcasting, we hope that it has at least provided some insight into this diverse media field. Podcasting will only continue to play a larger role in the digital marketing mix in the coming years, if you are eager to get started, now may be the time. Just remember when you’re starting out, everyone was new at one point. Don’t get discouraged by early difficulties or failures. As we mentioned, regularity and consistency are key. As you work through your marketing materials and perfect your podcast production, you may very well see this unique medium begin to play a larger role in your company’s brand.