Podcasts are everywhere. Your favorite celebrity has one, your favorite sport has forty-five of them — heck, your favorite television show probably has one specially made for it. They have seen a meteoric rise in popularity over the last several years, and every forecaster expects this genre of media to continue growing and growing over the next several. There’s plenty of reasons why people love them: they’re easy to digest when driving, working, doing chores… anything, really. 

Everything from broadly covered subjects to niche topics are being covered via podcasts, and the benefits they bring onto the company and/or group running them are great and many. If you have been thinking of jumping on the bandwagon, here’s a few of the big wins they can bring to your business.

Audio Trumps Text Every Time

As you can probably tell, there will always be a place in the world for blog posts to exist. However, blog posts require a precious commitment known as time and a reader’s undivided attention. 

Podcasts get around that tricky dilemma by allowing someone to listen in regardless of what they’re doing. With the world working remotely now more than ever, there are people on the prowl for shows regarding the content that interests them daily. This creates a new level of awareness for your business to tap into. 

By curating the content you make on your podcast around what your company specializes in, you can do multiple things. Verbalizing and articulating your thoughts and opinions on a specific topic or trend can solidify your team as a subject matter expert. This brings in listeners as potential clients who want to make the most out of what you’re preaching about.

There is a degree of intimacy that can be perceived when you can physically speak on a matter as opposed to writing about it. Confidence is key when it comes to earning someone’s business, and there’s no better way than walking the walk and talking the talk. YOU get to be the expert here!

Doesn’t Require a Large Budget

When you want to start a large-scale project of some kind, one of the first things you should be looking at is the cost of completing it. How much time will it take to get said project up and running? Do you have to form a new team or task a certain number of people to handle? Will it cost money to maintain, and if so, is it daily/weekly/monthly? These questions are crucial and help shape the infancy of your podcast development plan.

Only then can you determine if it’s the right time to start and if you have the resources to make it to completion. With podcasts, that is hardly a worry. There is an initial investment in purchasing the appropriate equipment — computer, microphone(s), recording software — but beyond that, the coast is clear!

If you aren’t running or co-hosting the podcast, you may be in a situation where you hire a podcast expert to develop this for you. Then comes the concern about paying a salary. Still, there aren’t many options similar to podcasting where you don’t have to worry about it affecting your overhead. 

Make Money by Just Talking

A lot of businesses start a podcast just because they want to talk about a subject that means something to them. This doesn’t mean that they can’t grow into something that can improve your bottom line. Successful podcasts can provide financial perks of varying levels depending on just HOW successful they become. Most can generate revenue through ads alone, which add up to a sizable profit if your viewership gains traction.

Depending on your market, you could enjoy benefitting from affiliate programs by recommending items related to your topics or business. Once you have reached a certain degree of visibility to a larger audience, sponsorships can be particularly advantageous. Last but not least, other businesses may come to you to appear on your show for marketing visibility of their own. It’s the greatest snowball effect you can hope for. 

If you’ve already started working on your marketing strategy, you already have a blog up and running, an optimized, modern website, a solid social media plan and more. Adding a podcast is a commitment that requires time and effort like anything else, but they can do something for your business that so little else can. They can impact your sales in a positive manner while building a community around your brand. That kind of long-term benefit is too good of a possibility to pass up.

And guess what? TLC is here to help. We are marketing specialists specialized in developing strategies for you. If you have an interest in podcasts but don’t know where to start, contact us today. We can help you get your first show up and running ASAP!