Podcast meets marketing
The podcast as a content format is growing year after year. Now that the listening audience is large enough, it opens up opportunities for your business. An introduction to the what and why of podcasting.
One: That’s way too long, nobody reads that much anymore.
Two: Content must always be snackable.
Two ‘pearls of wisdom’ that are proclaimed as Universal Truths within content marketing at every opportunity. And which we can finally debunk based on the figures. Because if everything has to be shorter, why is it that the podcast is gaining ground year after year? If everything has to be a snack, how do you explain the success of the five-course meal? Because that is exactly what a podcast is. Social media is the quick snack you grab while waiting for your train. A podcast episode is the restaurant visit where you take your time.
As far as we’re concerned, a podcast is the pinnacle of content marketing. It is content that is so valuable to your target audience that they give you a (half) hour of their undivided attention. Read that last sentence again. Half an hour. Undivided attention. From your target audience. There aren’t many marketing tools that can achieve that. It’s no wonder that more and more brands and marketing agencies are starting to look towards podcasts.
Top of mind, high or low in the funnel
You can use a podcast in various ways within your marketing mix.
Increasing brand awareness.
This is at the top of the marketing funnel. Your own podcast is a great way to get on the radar of a new or specific part of your target audience.
Collecting email addresses.
This is at the bottom of the marketing funnel: the podcast as a lead magnet. How does it work? Many podcasts link a newsletter to an episode to keep their listeners informed about every new release. This is done by briefly describing what the new episode is about and why it’s worth listening to. Try to give your listener a nudge to subscribe. Is a book or website mentioned during the conversation?
Provide a link in your newsletter. The Dutch podcast Beurstalk does this very cleverly. Every week, the presenter concludes with a stock tip. And the ISIN code (the unique passport of a stock, so to speak) can always be found in the newsletter. That way, you don’t have to take notes while listening.
Our verdict
Which companies should prick up their ears? When might it be interesting for you to record a podcast (series)? In our opinion, these are two important signals.
If you are already actively investing in content marketing. And you’re not thinking: what on earth else could we talk about? But instead, you constantly feel like you have even more to say. Then your own podcast can be a great way to dive deeper into the subject matter, or to present your existing content in a new way.
If you have a well-defined target audience. And that target audience also partially overlaps with the typical podcast listener (see sidebar). Think of:
- Those who are going to buy their first home.
- Experienced investors looking for interesting stocks.
- Project managers who want to learn from other project managers.
- CFOs interested in digitalization.
The better defined the audience, the better you can tailor your content. And the more targeted you can send your podcast out into the world.
Curious if a podcast could be right for your company? What it would be about and how it would sound? Let’s have a chat!
Who listens to podcasts?
- 18% of Flemings listen to a podcast monthly.
- 28% of 16-24 year olds
- 31% of 25-34 year olds
- 20% of 35-44 year olds
In the first two age categories, that is an increase of 8% compared to last year.