The World Wide Web has had its fair share of rises and falls in advertising and marketing trends. The birth of search engines like Google saw the beginnings of search engine marketing and optimisation. This, coupled with email marketing, welcomed the start of the new millennium twenty odd years ago. It wasn’t until the 2010s when we began to embrace video marketing, especially on platforms like YouTube.
However, as the digital scene continuously evolves, so must our marketing strategies. While the aforementioned strategies will always have their place in the digital marketing landscape, we must also make way for the new players and the strengths they bring to the game.
Consider podcasting the new kid on the block. With over 464 million podcast listeners in 2023, a number that is projected to reach half a billion by the end of 2024, the world is your oyster when it comes to brand reach in the podcasting world. Be it producing your own podcast or guest appearing on someone else’s, there are major benefits to be reaped if you make the decision to get in front of a mic.
Your Niche Segment, Carved Out Perfectly For You
The sheer volume of currently active podcasts means that there are limitless possibilities in the types of podcasts and topics covered. This also means that there is bound to be a podcast covering your type of content, no matter how niche it may be. A simple search using PodSeeker’s podcast search engine, which can be filtered based on genre, location, and number of listeners, can show you to the exact type of podcast that will allow you to close the gap between you and your audience.
Choosing to speak on these podcasts as a guest enables you to speak directly to your niche target audience, and this is what makes the podcast medium so valuable. In an era of overconsumption and media fatigue, it is now harder than ever to stand out from the vast sea of content out there. The opportunity to get up close and personal with your target audience, the people that are most likely to care about your brand and your product, is one that you can seize with podcasting.
Telling Your Story To Your Audience
When do most people decide to listen to podcasts? Some say it’s when they’re on the move and traveling from place to place, others prefer to put one on while they’re cooking dinner or doing laundry. Whatever the answer may be, one fact remains—podcasts fill the silence during the mundane, often prolonged, parts of your day.
This precious time spent with the listener is prime time for you as a podcast guest (or host). In order to maximise the effects of podcast marketing, it is instrumental for you to know how to utilise all the time you spend speaking in front of the mic to ensure brand conversion.
The typical length of a single podcast episode averaging out at about 45 minutes; this is more than enough time for you as a speaker to show listeners who you are, what you stand for, and why they should care about you. While this can arguably be accomplished on other social media platforms as well, the experience of hearing someone vocalise it adds a layer of authenticity and intimacy that is key to staying memorable to audiences.
Somebody You Know And Love
With the amount of time that listeners spend tuning into their favourite podcasts, it is inevitable that they start to feel a level of familiarity and fondness towards the hosts as well. The unscripted nature of podcasts builds a level of trust between the host and listener that is higher than in other traditional media forms. Think of it as receiving recommendations from a dear friend; You are more likely to value their opinions, thoughts, and reviews, as compared to a stranger you pass on the street.
You, as a potential guest, can tap on this relationship, even with a simple ad read. Listeners are shown to be more open to ads when they’re consuming digital auditory content like podcasts. Higher ad receptivity leads to higher ad attention, which leads to higher and more valuable interactions with your brand, and well, you can figure out the rest.
A Dedicated Base To Count On
Understandably, it can be challenging to grapple with the potential setbacks you might face when venturing into a new medium. But the numbers don’t lie, podcast listeners are some of the most loyal netizens out there. 66% of listeners report keeping up to date with whatever podcasts they are listening to, and 70% of listeners listen to each episode from beginning to end. This means that a large chunk of your audience not only listens all the way through an episode, but consistently does so on a regular basis.
If you ask me, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.
Conclusion
The most exciting thing about the digital landscape is that it is always changing, always evolving, and never extendedly stagnant.While some might say that podcasting is still in its nascent stage, for now it’s here to stay. Knowing where to search for the right podcasts is the first step of unlocking the full potential of this lucrative industry.
Let PodSeeker’s extensive database help you with that.
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