One of the questions most frequently asked questions I receive from entrepreneurs is how to more effectively market their products. One marketing tool I suggest because it works, almost without fail, is a podcast. If you are struggling to take your marketing efforts to a new level, it may be time to consider a podcast.
I am not suggesting a podcast because I read about it in a book. I suggest it because I have lived it for nearly two decades. The Indie Business Podcast is one of the platforms upon which I built the Indie Business Network. Just like everything else meaningful in your business, setting up a podcast is a lot of work on the front end, but it becomes an efficient marketing workhorse once you establish a workflow and become consistent.
I published my first podcast episode nearly 20 years ago in 2005, and I'm still podcasting today. Why? Because podcasting works, and anyone can do it. You don't need a large budget and you can get started almost immediately. The benefits are several-fold, especially if you are struggling to stand out from the crowd and build a consistent new sales funnel. Here are 5 ways a podcast can help you sell more products.
5 Ways a Podcast Can Help You Sell More Products
- A podcast is an intimate and personal way to engage with your buyers. Recent research at the UC San Diego Rady School of Management, as reported in The Guardian, found that people who listen to audio messages via headphones feel more persuadable than when listening to audio messages through speakers. Since most people listen to podcasts using earbuds, a podcast offers a great opportunity to build intimacy, rapport and trust with your audience. When your audience trusts you, they are far more likely to buy from you.
- A podcast is an easy way to repurpose content and further engage loyal fans. If you are already posting content to platforms like Instagram and Tiktok, why not repurpose that content to a podcast? I am not suggesting you simply cut and paste your social media posts and call them podcast episodes. But if you are already taking the time to create content for other platforms, you already have the foundation for podcast episodes. Not only that, you probably already have comments on those posts that could, at a minimum, help you expand on concepts enough to create some interesting podcast episodes based on questions, comments and feedback from loyal fans who area already engaged on your social media platforms.
- A podcast is an alternative pathway to your shopping cart. You cannot have too many pathways to your shopping cart. A podcast provides a unique and direct pathway to the one place that puts money in your pocket. It provides visibility in a completely different way. I cannot tell you how many people have told me they have found me and the Indie Business Network simply by stumbling “accidentally” on the Indie Business Podcast, either on a search engine or through the recommendation of a listener or another podcaster.
- A podcast makes it easier and more likely for you to be found online. Because podcasts are spread across the Internet using “Really Simple Syndication” (RSS) technology, your podcast feed can be distributed almost anywhere. For example, Indie Business Podcast is available for free across multiple platforms, including Pandora, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, here at the Indie Business Network website and more. While the podcast appears at multiple online locations, I only have to produce each episode one time. This is a great example of being an entrepreneurial multiplier, which is an important part of being successful in your business.
- A podcast gives your marketing efforts legs and staying power. Since an RSS feed can live forever, a podcast episode leading back to you and your business can reside on the Internet forever. For example, I recently found these episodes of my podcast from over a decade ago. I don't send people to those pages and the content is dated, but if someone stumbles across any of them, they will still lead to my brand and my website. The content gives the Indie Business Network depth and credibility in a world filled with fly-by-night Internet gurus that you cannot trust as far as you can throw them.
Podcasting may not be for everyone. But if you have a business, you owe it to yourself to at least consider it, especially if you are struggling to build a consistent marketing funnel and make your brand stand out in a crowded market place. The financial investment to start podcasting is very low, especially with services like Podbean, Hello Audio and Spotify for Podcasters (formerly Anchor.fm), each of which offers inexpensive podcast training and hosting services.
Podcasts by Indie Business Network Members
Here are some members of the Indie Business Network who host podcasts. Check them out to get an idea of how they work and what a podcast might be able to do for your brand!
- Indie Business Podcast. Hosted by yours truly, since 2005. Listen here.
- From the Kitchen to the Boardroom. From whipping up concoctions in her kitchen to standing tall in the boardroom. Hosted by our member Dawn Fitch of Pooka Pure and Simple. Listen here. (Hosted on Podbean.)
- The Answers Inside. Delving into the realm of Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique also known as QHHT. Hosted by our member Mindi Hill of McKenzie River Candle Co. Listen here.
- Invention Brand. Explore the process of brainstorming a brand name to trademarking and everything in between. Hosted by our member Andrea Hence Evans, Esq. of the Law Firm of Andrea Hence Evans, Esq. Listen here.
- Small Business Sisters Podcast. Featuring two sisters come together to share all things business and personal growth. Hosted by our member Jenni Zielke of Illuminate Space. Listen here.
- Two Hands Made This. Featuring handmade brands, IBN members in particular, and hosted by our member Christine Laureano of Ba6 Marketing. Listen here.
- Level Up and Create. Featuring creative business owners who are ready to level up and take it to the next level. Hosted by our member La Shonda Tyree of Nyah Skincare. Listen here.
- The Business of Making It. Insights and wisdom, whether you're thinking of starting a product-based business, or you’re a seasoned entrepreneur. Hosted by our member Danielle Vincent of Outlaw Soaps. Listen here. (Hosted on Podbean.)
- The Sharon McLaughlin Show: Confidence Is Contagious. A show about inspiring confidence in women who have self-limiting beliefs. Hosted by our member Dr. Sharon McLaughlin. Listen here.
- Lessons from a Kidpreneur. A show by about why an amazing kidpreneur loves running his business and the lessons he's learning on his entrepreneurial journey. Hosted by our member Alejandro Agustin of Smell of Love Candles. Listen here.
