Listen Up! How to use podcasts

to help grow your business.

Presentation to the American Marketing Association Richmond Virginia Chapter

June 7, 2016

@ArtilleryMarket

How do you do?

I host a podcast

  Weekly interviews with authors of marketing and sales books

  Launched January 2015

  #2 Business Podcast (“New and Noteworthy”)

  “10 Podcasts that Will Make You a Better Marketer in 2016”

  250+ 5-Star Reviews on iTunes

@ArtilleryMarket

Steady Listener Growth!

@ArtilleryMarket

@ArtilleryMarket

Before we talk about podcasting

as a marketing tactic…

Let’s step back and look at the

marketing universe @ArtilleryMarket

The challenge of marketing has gone

from space to attention

@ArtilleryMarket

Marketing – traditionally space constrained

•  You could buy attention (advertising)

•  You could beg for attention from the media (PR)

•  You could bug people one at a time to get attention (sales)

@ArtilleryMarket

But two things have broken our marketing megaphone

Marketing Interruption Avoidance Technology

  TV remote controls

  Do not call lists

  Caller ID

  CAN-SPAM Act (2003)

  Ad Blocking Software

  RSS readers

  MP3 players

  DVRs

  Satellite Radio

  Streaming music

  Streaming video

  Podcasts

@ArtilleryMarket

The Internet

 Every company is a media company

 You can build your own audience

 Buyers can do their own research and delay contacting the seller

@ArtilleryMarket

Your prospects are in a castle with a drawbridge up. They’re not going to let you in unless

they are interested.

This has lead to the resurgence of

content marketing

@ArtilleryMarket

@ArtilleryMarket

@ArtilleryMarket

“Content Marketing is the only marketing left”

–Seth Godin

“Content marketing is the marketing and business process for creating and

distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly

defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable

customer action.” -CMI @ArtilleryMarket

Content Marketing Tactics Include…

  Articles

  Blog posts

  Case studies

  Cheat sheets

  Checklists

Ebooks

  Email

Infographics

  Podcasts

  Reference guides

SlideShare Decks

  Surveys

  Templates

  Videos

  Visual content

  Webinars

  Whitepapers

  Workbooks

@ArtilleryMarket

So what exactly is a podcast?

@ArtilleryMarket

Podcast

1.  An audio file

2. Published online

3. Part of a series

4. Listeners can subscribe

@ArtilleryMarket

“Podcasts are to audio what TiVo is to TV: a way to watch the shows we

want, when we want to.” –Tom Webster, Edison Research

@ArtilleryMarket

The Podcast Listener   21% of the population

  Smartphone owners

  Age skews younger

  Male/Female = 55/45

  Higher incomes

  Highly educated

  Listen to 5 podcasts a week

  Active on social media

@ArtilleryMarket

What are the benefits of

podcasting?

Podcasting Benefits

 Establish expertise and authority

 Build industry connections

 Grow your audience

 Intimacy with the listener

 Less crowded arena

@ArtilleryMarket

What should you podcast about?

Focus on the listener!

 Your #1 most important consideration

 Think about who you want to attract

 What will be most interesting to them?

@ArtilleryMarket

Your podcast should be “an overlap of passions and skill

sets we call our ‘zone of genius’.”

-John Lee Dumas, EOFire.com @ArtilleryMarket

How often should you podcast?

@ArtilleryMarket

Podcast Frequency

 Minimum: Weekly

 Don’t publish more frequently unless you can make the commitment

 You can always increase frequency later

 Consistency trumps frequency

@ArtilleryMarket

How long should each episode be?

Episode Length

 Size doesn’t matter (much)

 Depends on your content

 Depends on your listener

 Popular lengths   < 5 minutes (great for tips, inspiration)   8-15 minutes (e.g. covering one topic in depth)   25-40 minutes (good for commutes, workouts)

@ArtilleryMarket

What’s the best podcast format?

Interviews Pros

  Guest brings the content

  Less preparation (maybe)

  Relationship building

  Guests bring audience

Cons

  Finding guests

  Scheduling

  Technical difficulties risk

  Some guests might stink

@ArtilleryMarket

Topic Based Pros

  Control (agenda, pace, topic, schedule, etc.)

  Don’t have to find guests

  More quickly builds your authority and credibility

Cons

  You create all content

  Audience growth = 100% your responsibility

  Limited to your own knowledge, perspectives

@ArtilleryMarket

Other Considerations   Podcast Name   Consider your listener   Clear trumps clever   Memorable   SEO friendly   Domain name available?

  Website   Use company website   Can redirect podcast

URL to company domain

  Podcast artwork   Make it simple   Make it pop   Use bold colors   Avoid showing a face

unless it’s famous   Use “sugar cube test” –

artwork will be that small on smartphone

@ArtilleryMarket

What else is really, really, really, ridiculously important

for podcasting success? @ArtilleryMarket

Marketing Your Podcast

 Publishing is just the beginning!  Leverage podcast directories  Leverage audience of your guests  Leverage existing communities  Build/use email marketing list  Use social media  Pitch relevant media

@ArtilleryMarket

Why do podcasts fail?

@ArtilleryMarket

Most podcast don’t make it past episode #7

 Lack of focus

 Lack of niching

 Unrealistic expectations

 Unwillingness to invest (especially time)

@ArtilleryMarket

My Equipment & Costs   Skype: Free

eCamm recorder to record calls: $30

  Editing software: Free (Audacity)

  Audio post production: Free (Auphonic)

  ATR-2100 USB microphone: $55

Sennheiser HD201 headphones: $20

  ID3 Tag Editor: $15

Libsyn Podcast Hosting/Distribution: $15/month

  Website Hosting/Email: Existing website (I use HubSpot)

  Books: approx. $10 an episode

@ArtilleryMarket

I’m interested in learning more about podcasting. What should I do next?

@ArtilleryMarket

Free Podcast Course

 Sign up for John Lee Dumas’ Free Podcast Course

 23 videos

 20 podcast episodes

http://bit.ly/PODCASTCOURSE

@ArtilleryMarket