Over the years, digital marketing trends have changed dramatically. Gone are the days when pop-up ads are the most effective way to generate traffic and get customers. Now, consumers and even web analytics place a heavy emphasis on content, primarily on its value and relevance to web users. Even popular marketing strategies such as search engine optimization and video marketing put content in the spotlight.
However, following popular marketing trends such as video content creation may not be enough to bring your ecommerce business the online presence, visibility, and exposure that you are looking for. One thing about popular marketing strategies is that almost every single online business and ecommerce entity is using the same digital marketing models. This typically results in digital content such as videos and blogs being oversaturated which makes it difficult for digital marketers to be visible above thousand of others.
Podcast marketing is a new and up-and-coming marketing tactic. This strategy uses purely audio content. Given that it is relatively new, there is a larger opportunity to reach a targeted market or audience. But how can an ecommerce business utilize podcasts for its marketing campaign exactly? To answer this question, let’s take a closer look at the processes and techniques involved in podcast marketing.
Using Podcasts For Marketing
Source: Unsplash
Utilizing podcasts as part of your ecommerce digital marketing strategy can offer a wide array of ways to improve your marketing campaign.
Effectively reach a target audience
One of the beauties of podcasting is that podcasts are primarily niche-specific campaigns. Unless you’re already a public figure or personality with a considerable amount of following, the most common model is to build a podcast brand that is tied to a particular niche or target demographic.
Unlike personality-based podcasts, podcasts created for marketing emphasize providing relevant and valuable content to those interested in their business niche. For example, a digital marketing agency would produce podcast content revolving around that niche with topics such as search engine optimization, multichannel marketing, social media management, and the like. At the same time, an automotive brand would also talk about anything car related.
Taking advantage of this trend makes it easy for businesses to reach a target audience who are already interested in their niche. This process is relatively more effective in targeting specific audiences compared to outbound marketing techniques.
Build brand authority and reliability
Another benefit of using podcasts for marketing is that it helps you build your brand’s credibility and authority within your target audience. Generally, those who create niche-specific content set themselves as experts in their industries. Those who talk about crypto and NFTs know a lot about the subject. At the same time, those who are giving financial advice have background and experience in finance management or accounting.
Creating a podcast and using it to provide valuable content to your audience can help build an image of authority and reliability for your brand. With this, your listeners would take your word with more confidence and trust your recommendations, promotions, and advertisements.
Effective Ways To Boost Podcast Audience
There are many ways that digital marketers can use podcasts in their marketing campaigns. Podcasts can direct traffic, boost online presence, as well as establish brand authority and reliability. However, for any of these to work, people should be able to discover and listen to your content. Your efforts in recording, editing, and publishing your podcasts would all be in vain if your target audience is not able to find them. With that in mind, here are some tips to boost your podcast’s online visibility and exposure.’
Know your audience
Knowing your audience should be one of the first things you tackle when starting any kind of marketing campaign. This is because your marketing efforts should align with what your target audience wants and/or needs for you to be able to provide them with something that is of value.
However, knowing your audience is more than just determining a specific group or demographic. Saying that your target audience is primarily male or primarily female wouldn’t be able to provide you with a better understanding of how to effectively deliver your podcast content.
Aside from identifying a group or demographic, it’s also important to gain insight into the type of content they want to listen to, the style of delivery, and even the format or flow of the podcast episode. The goal is to develop a model that would best cater to the supposed content preferences of your target audience in order to be entertaining and engaging.
Promote on different platforms and channels
Source: Unsplash
In today’s day and age, advertising on just one digital platform is never the best move. One of the biggest advantages of online business and ecommerce is that the web is extremely accessible. People can browse the internet on their computers, check social media on their phones, and even read their emails on the go. So for people to know and hear about your podcast, it’s important to take advantage of this accessibility.
To do this, advertise and promote your podcast on every possible digital channel or platform. Advertise on social media, send email newsletters, or even pay for a targeted ad campaign for that crucial exposure and visibility.
However, you should also be creative and innovative in the ways you promote online. You can post snippets or highlights on Facebook, leak behind-the-scene clips on Instagram, and even share bloopers on TikTok. It’s important that your online posts should be equally engaging to encourage people to listen to the full podcast episode.
Build your social network
One of the most effective strategies that digital marketers and content creators do to expand their audiences is to collaborate with other creators. If you’re having a hard time reaching new audiences, working with and appearing on other people’s podcasts would be a way to expose your brand and yourself to a different group.
While appearing on podcasts with a relatively same niche would be easier to achieve, working with podcasts with a significantly different niche can bring the opportunity to reach a completely fresh and new demographic.
Tips For Starting a Podcast Marketing Campaign
Adding podcasts to your digital marketing strategy can significantly improve your marketing performance. Small businesses can have the opportunity to effectively reach their target audience, build their brand’s name and reputation, as well as establish a solid and loyal community.
Simply put, podcasting is an effective way to connect and engage with a target demographic. If they are successful in doing so, their business would have a more reliable community and consumer base that have a high probability to purchase your goods and/or services.
However, podcast marketing is not an easy task. It also takes a lot of time, effort, and resources. Aside from recording and editing, search engine optimization is also a crucial step in podcast marketing. Hiring a virtual assistant can help with the podcast production process.
Get a helping hand
Virtual assistants do more than simple administrative tasks such as answering phone calls and data entry. Some VAs have background, knowledge, and skill that can help in the podcast content creation process from sound editing to even script writing.
Choose the right platform
Aside from hiring assistants, it is also crucial to choose the right podcast players or platforms for your campaign. Some of the most popular platforms include Apple Podcasts and Spotify. However, there are also alternatives to these considerably mainstream channels. Uploading your podcasts on not-so-popular sites provides you with a platform that is not yet oversaturated. The good news is that it’s easy to upload your podcast content on numerous platforms.
Want to know more about effective digital marketing strategies? Sidekicks is an on-demand virtual company and we’re eager to help visionaries and entrepreneurs like you. Get a free ebook and learn more about how we can help you by signing up for our newsletter. We also offer a free 30-minute consultation if you prefer something more personal.
