By Elisa Leone and Gina Troiano
Hi Everyone,
Happy February! From all of us at Homebase Digital, we hope everyone is doing well and staying up to date with our posts through our Linktree that provides easy accessibility to our Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn!
Today, we’re going to talk about something new, podcasting and their connection to social media presence and audience engagement. For those of you who don’t know, podcasting is defined as an audio series that is usually meant to teach listeners about themselves, a topic, or even an event. Listeners can listen on their own personal device through audio listening platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Soundcloud and many other platforms. Depending on the topic, hot, or audience, one episode can range from 20-120 minutes.
Usually, every podcast needs a host. Without a host, the show will go in circles and have zero focus. A host is not only supposed to lead the conversation, create a schedule, organize topics, and partner with guests. Since podcasts are only audio based, it might be a little more difficult communicating with the listener because they can’t see you, but tone means everything. When it comes to creating or uploading a podcast there have been multiple reports of their connection too social media engagement based on which platform they are posted to. For LinkedIn, podcasts, live streams, short videos, and hosting events are very common, interacted with, and eye-catching. Having this correlation between posting certain media content and certain platforms can show us patterns and behaviors of audiences based on networking site usages. For Instagram and Facebook, podcasts are not as commonly advertised as live streams or reels.
Podcasts have become popular over the recent years and statistics show that 28% of the U.S. population over 12 years old listen to podcasts on a weekly basis. Gaining loyal listeners to your podcast is something like no other. If you showcase your personality and give the audience valuable information, then they will stay loyal. It might be hard at first to gain a following but stick to it, nothing happens overnight. If the content that you’re producing is different, then people will start listening, if there is consistency. It is super important to start a podcast for your business if you want to potentially gain more customers and brand awareness. Starting a podcast as a business generates a sense of connectedness through the host and the listener as the listeners will begin to learn more about you, your business, what your business does, and what you stand for. Customer relationships and loyalty is critical, and podcasting is an amazing segway for this.
Equipment is a huge yet basic part of podcasting; finding the right equipment is crucial. Without the right equipment your audio could messed up in the middle of recording which can result in an unprofessional reputation as the podcast reflects your work. The key equipment that is needed to successfully start up a podcast is a laptop or desktop computer, a microphone, a studio, or soundproof room, editing software (Audacity, Adobe Audition, Descript), headphones and a subscription to an audio platform. With these key elements, you should be all set to start up your podcast!
Customers want a company that knows the industry, so podcasts help build up that trust. Oddly enough, hearing the voice of the host gives the audience a stronger connection than simply reading the information on a web page. It feels more genuine and real because the listeners are hearing it firsthand. This familiarity keeps them coming back and keeps your company at the top of their minds which is always a good thing. Podcasting can really help your company gain those select consumers that may be missing from your analytics.
Figuring out what topic you want to talk about might be challenging at first, but once you get in the rhythm, it will just keep on flowing! Incorporating your business into your podcast would be smart to gain the attention from different audiences, hence the analysis of the correlation between certain networking platforms and your content. Podcasting provides a new media for sharing your expertise in your industry. Not everyone can blabber about marketing for two hours straight but if you can, this shows you are an expert!
If you could start a podcast about anything, what would you talk about? How many topics or areas of an industry would you talk about? How long is too long for a podcast? If there was something that hosts could do differently in a podcast that you listen to what would you want them to change? Are there any business or marketing podcast that you suggest we listen to over at Homebase Digital?
Having said that, now that all this information has been presented to you, it’s fool proof, so start your own podcast today! Have fun and good luck!
Homebase Digital Team,
Elisa Leone & Gina Troiano
