Podcasting Personal Use Ebook

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Introduction

MediKix says there are 440 million blogs in the world, as of late 2017. Variety Magazine tells us that over on iTunes there are 500,000 active podcasts. iTunes is far and away the most popular destination for podcast listeners. What do these blogging and podcasting stats tell us as marketers?

This reveals that you have 880 times more competition when you blog than if you host a podcast to reach your audience.

That is a powerful piece of information. Let that sink in. There are any number of reasons a marketer or business owner doesn't run a podcast, and the most common excuse given is that podcasting is hard, and blogging is drop-dead easy. Anyone can enjoy the simplistic anonymity of blogging, but podcasting is a much more personal way of reaching out to your audience. After all, your voice and maybe even your smiling face are going to be shared with the world. Some podcasters record both audio and video simultaneously because they know people like putting a face and personality with the voice of their favorite podcast.

Cost is often given as an excuse for not podcasting, as well as a lack of knowledge. There are other reasons people give for not podcasting as a way to build their businesses. Maybe you share some of the common questions that keep many entrepreneurs and business owners from running a podcast.

• What is a podcast?
• How do I start?
• Don't I need a lot of expensive equipment?
• What do I talk about?
• Can I podcast from my smartphone, and should I?
• How do I find an audience?
• How long should my episodes run?
• How do I edit my audio files, do I need a sound mixer, and where do I host my podcast?

If you have these and any other questions about starting, running and benefiting from your very own podcast, this is the guide for you. Maybe you currently have a podcast that is not giving you the results you are looking for. Perhaps you have been thinking about podcasting and are finally ready to get started. Either way, How to Use Podcasting to Grow Your Business and Your Profits can help.

You will discover why you should be podcasting, as well as the benefits to you and your business. You need to ask yourself a single question before you decide on the focus of your podcast episodes, and we will share that crucial question with you. From gear selection to choosing the content creation format that best suits your business, this guide can help you turn your podcast into a powerful marketing tool that can grow your business and your bottom line.

Let's take a look at the many ways this marketing media can help you achieve your business goals. Then we will share an easy to follow 8-step formula for creating, launching, marketing, and benefiting from your podcast.

Why You Should Be Podcasting

First off, let's answer the question, "What is a podcast?" We turn to podcast host Blubrry for the following definition.

• A podcast is downloadable audio media that can be consumed at any time.

That is a basic and correct definition if a little incomplete. Podcasts can also be seen as on-demand internet radio episodes accessible on and downloadable to a number of devices. Most podcasts publish episodes on a predictable, regular schedule, and these files are usually uploaded to sites like iTunes and Stitcher as MP3 files, but sometimes as WAV files. Popular smartphones, modern tablets, and laptops make recording, uploading, and listening to podcasts simple.

By the way, podcasting may not seem right for every business. If you own a brick and mortar shoe store, you may not feel this type of marketing will pay off. Podcasting, editing audio, interviewing, and marketing your efforts can take a lot of time and energy, and in some cases money. On the other hand, if you own a local or chain shoe store and you decide to launch a podcast, you can be pretty sure you will be the only one of your competitors doing so. A little creative thinking can show you how a podcast will work for any business.

You may be wondering if there is an audience out there waiting for what you have to say. Edison Research reports ...

• 1 in every 4 Americans has listened to one or more podcasts in the past 30 days. That means more than 82 million people in the US, young and old alike, are listening to podcasts regularly.

• More adult men and women are listening to podcasts than ever before, and that number continues to rise for both genders.

• Podcast episodes can be enjoyed live or at a later date. Record an episode once, and your audience can access it for years.

• If you are marketing to a younger adult audience, podcasts can help you reach your target prospects. That is because adults aged 18 to 34 are more likely to listen to podcasts monthly than their older counterparts. Additionally, 1 in 3 adults aged 25 to 54 routinely listens to podcasts.

• By the way, when someone decides to subscribe to a podcast show and tune in regularly, they are usually affluent. Monthly listeners are 60% more likely to earn over $150,000 per year than folks who don't make listening to podcast episodes a monthly habit.

• Podcast lovers are smart, 42% more likely to have a 4-year college degree than non-listeners.

• As far as getting your message across, podcasts are perfect. Unlike video and text-based content, which are not usually viewed or read through until the end, podcasts seem to grab and hold the attention of your audience like no other media. A full 42% of all listeners will stay tuned from start to finish during an episode.

These are just US-based statistics, but podcasting is popular in the UK, Canada, Asia, and elsewhere as well. As a matter of fact, in non-US nations, there is currently a ground-floor podcasting opportunity that you shouldn't pass up. Don't forget that when you record your podcast, you will get listeners all around the world, regardless of where you live. You don't need to record new episodes for different countries or demographics.

More Benefits of Podcasting

The most important aspect of podcasting for entrepreneurs, bloggers, brick and mortar companies, and other business owners is that it can grow your list. If you are not developing and benefiting from a list of prospects and customers, you are missing out on the most efficient, lowcost marketing tool available today ... email marketing.

Email marketing continues to prove year after year that it returns an impressive profit per dollar invested. One much-referenced piece of data shows that email marketing returns $38 for every $1 spent. When a prospect of yours clicks on a link in one of your emails and makes a purchase, that person will spend 138% more than a customer that purchases from you in another way. Email marketing works, and a podcast can grow your email list effectively.

Authority Building

List building is not the only significant benefit podcasting offers your business. People do business with companies and individuals they trust to provide valuable market information. By hosting a podcast, you build your brand as an authority in your niche or field. Even if you don't decide to monetize your podcast, this single feature can still help you grow your business significantly.

You Make a Personal Connection

Podcasts are more personal than text-based types of content. The sound of your voice or the voice of your podcast host connects with your listeners in a way that simple text never can. This is probably why engagement, ROI, and profits are higher for podcast episodes than they are for most text-based marketing efforts.

Marketing Simplicity

Yes, podcasts can be difficult. You can buy tons of equipment and make the process as detailed and intricate as possible. You can also simply whip out your cell phone or power up your computer and record, launch, and benefit from podcasting. In its basic forms, podcasting is simple.

You Expand Brand Awareness

First-time podcasters are often amazed that their episodes are downloaded and enjoyed by people around the world. You can reach your target audience with podcasts on a local, national, or international level, which means growing your brand is possible in a very big way.

Improved Profits

There are so many ways to monetize your podcasts. You can sell advertising and then simply work to increase the number of downloads you get, thereby improving how much money your advertisers pay you. You may also sell products and services directly through your podcast. In the seventh step of the 8-step podcasting formula you receive in this report, you will discover plenty of ways to use this powerful marketing method to improve sales and profits for your business.

Your Audience Can Listen on the Go

If your prospects attempt to watch a video or read an e-book while they are driving a vehicle or exercising, bad things can happen. On the other hand, the portable and audible aspects of podcasting make this business marketing tool available to your prospects when other forms of marketing are impossible to consume.

• License: Personal Use
• Category:Ebooks
• Tags:2018 Ebooks Personal Use