Why Every Company Needs a Branded Podcast

Every successful business needs two things, a product, and an audience to sell that product, right?

Podcasting is not new, but what is new (and surprising to most) is how powerful of a marketing tool a branded podcast can be. Unfortunately, most companies don’t really understand what a podcast can do for them or why they should have their own podcast.

A company’s bottom line is what keeps them in business. The difference between growing and dying can come down to how you get your message out.

According to Huify, acquiring a new customer is up to five times more expensive than retaining a customer. When you consider that, customer retention jumps out as a marketing must.

Not only are existing customers cheaper to maintain/acquire, they’re much more likely to buy again, and forgive brand mistakes. Most importantly, they’re more likely to try something new. In short… they’re loyal. They’ll grow alongside your brand, and will advocate for it when times are tough.

All of a sudden, the added cost and expense of starting a company branded podcast doesn’t seem so off putting.

But why? Let’s take a look.

Podcasts are Effective at Building Relationships

The customers I described above, the loyal ones, are in a relationship with your brand. With more than 50% of the population listening to podcasts, making relatable, long form content is more important than ever. If you want to connect, you need to provide informational value.

When a listener downloads and presses play, they’re inviting your message into their world.

Professor Scott Galloway, Professor of marketing at NYU Stern, explains the connection thusly. When someone comes up and says hello, it’s because they heard his podcast. It’s not his books, not his articles, or television punditry. It’s the podcast that strikes a stronger chord with the content creator or brand.

Storytelling Builds Rapport

The reason? Storytelling is more effective than statistics when it comes to building rapport. And rapport is at the heart of any good audience.

Nobody goes to a cocktail party and remembers the guest rattling off statistics, do they? Well, it so happens, podcasts are the perfect opportunity for long form storytelling.

Most marketing channels provide just enough time to fire off some of your greatest accomplishments. Those often come in statistical form. Podcasts allow a brand to expand upon those statistics and put them into context.

Think of a spokesman doing a segment on cable news with only 15 – 30 seconds of time to present their talking points. Almost all will end up trying to relate statistics to a story. Most of the time those segments go in one ear and out the other.

Content Expansion

Podcasts, on the other hand, are different. Pods are a medium that let’s content creators and brands discuss their product or mission at length. Even if someone doesn’t listen to a particular episode, it still adds value. A larger topic discussion, the episode can still serve as the hub where other content spokes will connect.

The marketing department can expand on each episode and link back for greater context. A hosting solution like Podbean’s unlimited bandwidth, download, and storage is a marketer’s dream. Every discussion adds to the repository of marketing material.

Marketers are great at expanding upon larger content pieces, but isn’t starting a podcast too involved to be truly effective?

It’s Never Been Easier (or Cheaper) to Start a Podcast

Starting a podcast has never been easier. It doesn’t matter if you are an amateur in your basement or a major, publicly traded, brand. In 2021, it’s a level playing field.

In fact, you can set up a podcast recording studio for under $100 which removes any barrier of entry for a company branded podcast.

Podcast hosting companies like Podbean spent a great deal of time and energy making a user experience that is unparalleled. Beyond that, it’s an experience that is cost-effective. From recording, to publishing and episode statistics, Podbean makes the process from beginning to end simple. There’s no code or technical knowledge needed to put your brand into the podcast zeitgeist.

Podcasts Aren’t Commercials

Commercials were the bread and butter of advertising. 30 second television campaigns with clever slogans. With bait designed to hook as many potential customers as possible.

The sales hook beats the potential consumer over the head. It’s off putting and that sales method has sailed.

Podcasts are subtle. They’re nuanced expressions that humanize a brand by letting listeners attach real human beings to a brand through audio. Human beings are conditioned to bristle at being sold to, a branded podcast turns that feeling on it’s head.

A branded podcast gives companies the opportunity to display expertise, over a long period of time, using real people. It’s a game changer in the world of content marketing. They keep your brand top of mind without being pushy.

The Biggest Question to Ponder About Branded Podcasts

The hardest question for a marketing department to answer about starting a branded podcast isn’t “why,” but “why not?” If everyone should start a podcast in 2021, why shouldn’t your brand?

The barriers of entry are low enough on the hardware to be nearly non-existent. Podcast hosting companies like Podbean make the user experience seamless and cost-effective at the same time. Your episodes are stored into perpetuity and can serve as the basis for the entirety of your content marketing plan.

The format is more effective at building rapport between potential customers or a brand. More so than any marketing channel available. When you get your brand’s up and running, let us know.