Those that know me understand me to be a no nonsense marketing guru. If it doesn’t work stop doing it. If it doesn’t produce the results you want, then stop using it. To that end, why should you use podcasting in your marketing mix? I am going to show you the hidden secrets of podcasting in this paper. Enjoy….
There are hundreds of people that can show you how to make a podcast. As an Electrical Engineer, I could get all “geeked” out here and show you microphones, mixers, or software: but won’t. Rather I would like to explore the “after” you have produced a good quality podcast.
What makes a good quality podcast?
Podcasts usually have good quality sound, no background sounds (unless you are doing in situ podcasts), no 60-cycle hum, no pops, lead-in and lead-out music. There are other things that also add to the professional nature of a podcast, such as, a brief description of the podcast in the front lead-in music, etc. Suffice it to say, there is an anatomy of a good podcast and one should strive to have such for their show. Otherwise you might tend to niche your podcast too much! So follow the simple guidelines of making a good quality podcast so that you maximize your possible success.
Ok I have a good podcast, now what?
There are many purposes for podcasting but most come down to one thing: to become a recognized subject matter expert (SME). Yes, that it! You want your listeners to understand that you are the expert in your field or niche. In this day and age, marketing has changed. Long gone are the cold calls, the door knocking, and all those types of sales/marketing activities. In the old days, we did business with those we knew and trusted. Well folks, guess what? We are back to our basic human trust model; doing business with those we prefer and trust. Podcasting is the exact tool to perform this type of marketing! You gain that trusted position by expounding information that helps your listener, even if you don’t know who they are, and that gains you a trusted place in their mind. Thus when it becomes time to hire or buy, you are top of mind awareness with your listener!
Another aspect of podcasting is how you use a podcast.
Once you have your quality podcast, besides putting it up for the world to find, there is an important option. As with good business principles, a company can be targeted for possible future business. As you generate your target company list, many times you also identify the target person in that company as well. So now you are in the podcast world what would you do different then before? You can email and snail-mail an invite to listen to your podcast, right to the target person! This gets you in front of your target and you can start to build a relationship with that target prospect.
I had an old friend that used to raise money for groups and she said if you are asking for $1,000 donation for example, you had to touch your candidate donor one time for each zero in the asking amount. That means, in this case, three times. Podcasting can do that in spades! I always recommend that you have at least 6 good episodes up on your podcast show, such that you now have 6 chances of touching your prospect.
What is the next hidden secret use of podcasts?
Use your podcast as a direct mail letter. Ask your prospect to come on your show! Yes, it’s a very flattering thing to do and you would be surprised how many do accept the offer. In this way, they get a chance to learn about you and you about them. The more of a relationship you can build; the better you can find ways to help your prospect. Say nothing of the trust and SME status you are building with your prospect.
In closing, the three best uses of podcasting are: 1) to build your reputation as a subject matter expert (SME) in your niche, 2) to be able to use your podcasts to target market your prospects with your SME status, and 3) to give you a platform to build a trusted relationship with candidate prospects. Anything short of these things is just hot air.
Make your time and effort really count, go backwards in time and build trusted relationships. You will truly enjoy the fruits of your labor. Forget hard selling, cold calling, and all that nonsense. Swarm your clients with your expertise and podcasting should be one of those “expertise” tools you use in your marketing mix.
My name is Peter Brusso; now go build some trusted relationships!
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