I’m going to breach content marketing protocol and just answer the question straight off: Every business needs its own industry podcast.
Well … let’s say what you really need is a strategy to deliver long-form content that entertains as well as informs. That leaves two major and highly effective primary avenues: blogging (written content, video, or ideally a combination of both) and podcasting. The latter is easier to launch and has some of the most comprehensive resources for getting your content seen. I’ll get into the how-to aspect of this toward the end of this article and provide an outline for a successful launch.
For now, let’s not just answer the question but examine some of the major reasons why:
Podcasts Are Easy to Produce — You don’t need experience in broadcasting or even a working knowledge of audio production or editing to produce a very professional-sounding podcast on your own. You need little more than a laptop and a decent quality microphone. That’s the ideal starter pack, but even that isn’t completely necessary. Plenty of podcasters produce their shows using nothing but their phones, at least in the beginning.
Podcasts Have Rabid Followers — Podcast fans have the enthusiasm necessary to take your calls to action and run with them. Encourage your audience to share your content, rate it, and write positive reviews about it. The word spreads quickly with the energy of enthusiastic listeners behind it.
Podcasts Are Also Easy to Monetize — Some podcasters rely on fundraising efforts like Patreon to fund their work, but if your podcast is designed to draw in new business for your shop, you’ll want to monetize in other ways. For example, if your show gets the attention of a few popular auto parts brands, you might be able to sell ad space to those brands and fund the production of your podcast that way. The link in this section provides several other ideas, as well.
Podcasts Are Casual and Personal — Podcasts are a fantastic way to build a rapport with your target customer. They get to know the “real you” in an unscripted or loosely scripted context. Every good podcast has an outline and a sense of flow, but few, if any, of the popular ones involve scripted conversations other than the copy written for ads. Remember that this is for civilians, not only other mechanics, so curb the industry speak or explain it when you use it.
Podcasts Show People Your Competence — While it might seem boring to read a long-winded explanation about brake repair, a podcast makes learning about the process more interesting. It takes less effort to listen than it does to read.
Wait, a second … I own a copywriting company, and I basically just eliminated a few things I could sell you. There’s a reason for this. The more genuine the podcast sounds, the more popular it will be. Scripting your episodes will not endear you to your listeners. Talk to them, not at them. Keep it real, and people will respond favorably to your messaging.
Launching Your Podcast
There are a few steps to setting up a podcast for success. Here is the basic roadmap:
1. Decide on Your Topic (I think we have this covered).
2. Decide on the Average Episode Length — Some of the most successful podcasts are only minutes long. Fifteen to 30 minutes is the ideal length, but if you produce quality content and want to eventually tackle tougher subjects, longer is workable. Just be sure your content can engage past that 30-minute threshold.
3. Develop an Episode Template — Decide on the overall show format and write up a template that navigates the listener through the topic in a way that is interesting and informative.
Now that you have a basic roadmap, it’s time to start developing content around your podcast. Here are a few vital pieces of podcast marketing content that should be part of your launch strategy:
Email — Send an announcement to your entire list that your show is going to be launching soon. Start about two weeks out and follow through with drip campaigns that tease the content of the first three to five episodes. The more you spotlight (and the more diverse the topics), the more likely you are to touch on something your readers will want to hear.
Social Media Posts — Let your social followers know about your podcast and encourage them to spread the word. Consider some paid ads to rapidly extend your reach.
Blogging — Why not attack this thing from every effective angle? Develop blog posts that introduce the subject and promise more comprehensive information when they click through to listen. Be sure to tell your readers to do this by way of a well-worded, persuasive call to action.
Your Podcast Description — Your description should be the equivalent of an elevator pitch that explains, in 100 words or fewer, the who, what, and why of your show. It should be seeded with keywords that people who are looking for your type of content are likely to use when looking for it.
A few optional bits of podcasting content that can enhance the listeners’ experience that you might want to consider developing include:
Timestamps — Highlight subtopics and interesting moments so listeners can instantly access the content that matters to them.
Transcripts — For those who actually like to read lengthy manuscripts instead of listening. There are such people, by the way (the hearing impaired, for example).
Keyword Lists — Keywords should be researched and used in any and all content related to your show. Don’t have time to research the keywords people are using? That is yet another service that content marketing agencies like Beez offer. We can help you develop any and all of the content I describe in this piece and more.
I hope that reading all of this has you inspired. People love podcasts and they’re fun to make, but it’s important that the quality is there from the very first episode. BeezContent can help you with that. Contact us today to learn how.
