Find out how podcasts can help your SME gain the trust and interest of current and new customers.
If you’ve been living under a rock you won’t know about podcasts, the latest way for us to take in information, be entertained and enjoy popular culture in our daily lives. Over 2 million podcasts currently exist and most people listen to several throughout the week, often for different reasons.
Why does this matter to you as an SME?
Podcasts are actually a phenomenal marketing tool. If you’re unsure, just take a look at these statistics:
- 54% of podcast listeners say they think about buying the products they hear advertised
- Nearly 50% of podcast listeners have around a £200,000 a year annual income
- Brands who use podcasts to advertise their wares see around a 15% rise in enquiries where customers intend on buying their products
Whereas you may have considered podcasts a type of entertainment before, in fact, it’s important to see them as a savvy way to actively reach new customers, and to show that your business is a thought leader within your industry. It’s not just a passing trend either, or a small pool of customers.
For example, podcasts are far from reaching peak usage at this stage. Podcasts are still a growing phenomenon with a market valued at nearly $10 billion dollars that is expected to grow nearly 30% every single year.
Any business who wants to set their enterprise apart whilst attracting new customers needs to consider starting a podcast.
Valuable SME podcast do’s & don’ts
If you have decided to start a show there are some pretty major things you should and shouldn’t be doing in order to make it worth your while:
DON’T
Use your podcast to just talk about what your brand offers and does all the time. This is of no value to your audience and will be like one giant advert for them. Of course, you can let them know about special offers only open to podcast listeners, and shout loud about upcoming shows, content on other platforms and competitions. Just make this part a bonus, rather than the core of your podcast.
DO
Offer value to your listeners, discussing content you know matters to them. What issues are important to them? What information are you offering that sets you apart from other podcasts? Make sure your listener doesn’t feel like a cash cow by offering them valuable insights they can’t get anywhere else.
DON’T
Sell yourself short. You are a thought leader in your industry and if you want to be listened to ahead of your competitors you need to really let everybody know what you’re about. What is your USP? What makes you stand out as an SME? Make sure all that information is pushed forward in your podcast so that listeners get something different when they subscribe to your podcast.
DO
Ensure that your podcast is accessible. Make sure you offer transcriptions of the podcast, perhaps voiceover versions of the podcast in different languages, such as Spanish or Cantonese, and even visual slideshows highlighting key points from the podcast uploaded in video form. By doing this you are optimising your content so that as many people as possible can benefit from it.
DON’T
Put out a low quality podcast with poor audio and editing. Companies like Matinee offer excellent rates in their state-of-the-art recording studios, enabling you to record your podcast with ease. You can even get help with the services of a recording engineer.
DO
Show some personality. Podcasts are all about the value of the content, yes, but nobody wants to listen to a dry, boring hour of talking. Make it dynamic, interesting and fun – this is your chance to show your personality to your audience in a different way.
Start creating a podcast for your SME today
By creating a fantastic podcast with great audio quality and content you can engage current and potential customers truly demonstrating that you are a high-quality, knowledgeable brand to be trusted.
