By Darren Saul from Suspended Animation
Business these days is tough! It’s competitive, it’s relentless, it’s 24/7! But it doesn’t have to be.
We live in an age of incredible opportunity. Particularly because we can reach unprecedented volumes of people due to the variety of technology platforms and networks we have at our disposal.
Yet many of us still struggle with how to position ourselves effectively and really move that needle in our business.
In my opinion these are a few of the simple reasons why:
- It’s way easier to “sell” than it is to “market”
AND
2. Even if you want to “market” more effectively – you don’t know how and you don’t know where..
Simply put – marketing is about creating awareness for your product or your service. It is absolutely crucial! If no one knows you exist – no one can buy from you.
As marketers we need to know where the attention is and then develop and deliver quality, relevant and consistent content to our audience. The results will then have no choice but to show up.
It may take time (after all Rome wasn’t built in a day) but they will be there!
Enter Podcasting! Stage right..
Podcasting is the NEW super marketing tool and content generation machine all wrapped up into one! It will help you build awareness for your product or service in this noisy and competitive marketplace and it is also the mother ship when it comes to generating an endless supply of audio, video, graphic, photo and written content to use in your daily marketing activities – and this is something that we will all need much more of in the future..
It’s about leverage and podcasting gives you LOTS of it.
I’ve been podcasting for many years now and I can honestly say that it’s a fantastic way to build your BRAND, build your NETWORK, achieve serious business RESULTS and have some FUN along the way! There are also loads of other ancillary benefits that come along with it.
Your podcast is also a very important pillar within your wider social media marketing strategy (my podcasts tend to outperform all my other content) and it is one of the most effective ways to promote your podcast.
Not convinced yet?
OK – ponder on this..
Podcasts allow you to –
1. Deliver fresh and varied content to your target audience regularly!
2. Build your brand and generate leads/business and referrals without actually “push” selling your product or service
3. Gain incredible access to potential customers that you would not normally get access to!
4. Extract many forms of marketing content from just one piece – written, audio, video, graphic, photo
5. Leverage your guest’s audience and thus allow you to build your network, brand as well as attracting more potential customers and referrals
6. Collaborate with other thought leaders/influencers and position yourself as a thought leader/authority in your field! (Result: more business!)
7. Be creative!
8. Up-skill and get on top of latest technology (digital is the new language of business)
9. Sharpen your communication and interpersonal skills
10. Have fun!
11. Bonus – you learn SO much from your guest!
Well there you have it. I genuinely hope that has convinced you to seriously start thinking about starting your own podcast.
“But how much time is this going to take and how much is this going to cost?” you may ask.
In my experience – if you do it all yourself initially before you start to outsource any of the 3 “P”s of podcasting (Preparation, Production and Promotion) you will need to set aside 3-4 hours for every episode but it’s time very well spent. And yes there are still loads of tools and tricks you can use to help you automate many parts of the process. Down the track you can train someone up to help you with more of the grunt work – or you may fall in love with the process like me and do it all yourself J
With regards to the cost – how long is a piece of string? You can dive in, buy all the latest and greatest audio-visual gear or you can start really simply for a few hundred dollars and upgrade as you build. I highly recommend the latter – most of the lower cost equipment will still produce very high quality results without breaking the bank.
So don’t be one those who said “if only”..
Podcasting is here to stay – it’s not too late – so jump on board and let it drive your marketing activities and bring you business results and opportunities you never thought were possible!
Darren Saul from Suspended Animation help great entrepreneurs build brand awareness! He is a passionate Social Media Strategist & Coach, Podcaster & Podcast Coach. He is also a Photographer & Photography Tutor (Branding & Headshots, Corporate & Private Events). After integrating Social Media and Podcasting into their marketing strategy over the last few years and becoming successful, Darren now helps small businesses build their brand and business using Social Media and Podcasting.
Darren is presenting a workshop with us soon so make sure to check it out!
If you would like to learn more, we have some up and coming workshops
