Just like videos, the use of podcasts is turning to be a preferred engagement tool for many entrepreneurs. It can be used to educate your audience on diverse topics and highlight news in the market. Podcasts can also be a great engagement tool with your clients and audience where you give them a platform to share their knowledge, expertise and opinions.
We asked entrepreneurs, podcasters and business owners how they use their podcasts for business.
#1- Ultimate networking tool
There's no better tool to start a new relationship than with a podcast. Want to connect with that impossible to reach executive at that perfect prospective client company? Invite them on your podcast. Want to establish a relationship with potential mentor who doesn't know you exist? Ask them if you can interview them on your podcast. Using a podcast as a platform like this allows you to reach out to people in a way that's all about them. They get to demonstrate their expertise and reach a new audience. While you get to establish a relationship that starts with giving.
Thanks to Scott Ingram, Sales Success Media!
#2- Share life stories
My podcast surprised me. I'm in the field of personal history, something most people have never heard of. Clients hire me to write their life story for family and friends. There aren't many of us personal historians around, and sometimes it feels like I'm making things up as I go along. Now, with my podcast, I get a behind-the-scenes look at all the different business models and marketing ideas my colleagues are using. I've implemented several and plan to do more. That alone has been worth all the Sundays I've given up to produce The Life Story Coach Podcast.
Thanks to Amy Woods Butler, The Life Story Coach!
#3- Drive traffic to the blog
I launched the Glamour and Gains Podcast as a funnel to increase traffic to my blog Fitness By Eve and to establish credibility and authority in the fitness and beauty world by sharing my knowledge, which is important as the founder of Dawes Custom Cosmetics. Since launching the podcast a couple of months ago my blog as seen an increase in traffic of up to 1200%.
Thanks to Eve Dawes, Fitness By Eve!
#4- Boost our reach to potential clients
I am a copywriter, copywriting coach and cohost of the #1 copywriting podcast, Hot Copy. While Kate Toon and I each have separate businesses and products, we wanted to collaborate on the podcast to boost our reach to potential clients. It works brilliantly! While clients, subscribers and students have historically found us through the content we freely publish online, more and more now tell us they discovered the podcast and have binge listened to every episode.
Thanks to Belinda Weaver, Hot Copy Podcast!
#5- Position me as an expert
I use my radio shows which then become podcasts into positioning me as an expert in my field. I have 3 different genres and approach them differently. They are posted on my website and on various social media platforms. I use them for blogs, training videos, speaking and coaching. It has been very effective.
Thanks to Dr. Gayle Carson, Spunky Old Broad!
#6- Three ways
Last year I launched the Ignite Podcast for Cardinal. I use it as a channel for attracting prospect, sharing expertise, and showcasing clients. On Ignite I interview CEOs and top business leaders to hear the gritty stories on how they have ignited growth in their companies. As an entrepreneur, I love getting the opportunity to hear from fellow business leaders on their perspectives and experiences. The podcast episodes are easy listens that keep the audiences’ attention from beginning to end. The guests are top notch, including featuring the CEO of King of Pops, Director of Marketing for Macallan Scotch, and the Chief Consumer Officer at Piedmont Healthcare. For prospecting, I’ve been able to leverage the Ignite Podcast to expand our footprint in targeted industries, such as healthcare, education, and restaurants.
Thanks to Alex Membrillo, Cardinal SEO Company!
#7- Educate, build our personal brands and extend our reach
My co-host and I both are involved with Digital Marketing Agencies and in the past have traveled quite a bit speaking at various conferences. The goal of speaking is to of course build a brand, educate and drive leads & sales. The downside is time away from family, time away from business/clients and the cost of travel (financially and physically). Just over two years ago we decided to start a podcast (we just passed episode #100) and have used it for many of the same reasons as speaking but it is much cheaper. While it is not as effective for driving leads (for us) that really has never our main goal with it. Our goal was to continue to educate, build our personal brands and extend our reach which a podcasting has done.
Thanks to Dave Rohrer, The Business of Digital Podcast!
#8- A number of ways
At Authority Hacker, we mainly use our podcast to grow our audience and followers by providing exceptional free value. We also leverage our show to have industry guest appearances and to get a spot on other podcasts as well. This is great for networking and generating even more targeted leads. Finally, we use the podcast as a platform to build hype for our course launches. We often have giveaways or release a completely free mini course over several episodes as an appetizer for the premium content.
Thanks to Balazs Hajde, Authority Hacker!
#9- For my social and online sales business
I'm constantly weaving the products I offer into my podcast stories without a direct ask or pitch, but in an assumptive close way. I then link back to my social media, where they can follow me and be dripped on with product information while also getting to know, like and trust me more. It's been highly effective for having strangers who find me on the iTunes New and Noteworthy landing page reach out to me from the podcast and want to work with me. I also utilize the intros for the opportunity to sell limited time offers (such as retreats and courses) directly to my audience, without the Ad feel but with more of an intimate letting you know about this approach.
Thanks to Rebecca Cafiero
#10- Connect and generate revenue
After blogging for over 8 years, my team and I decided to finally add a podcast to our content lineup—and it's been one of the best things we've done for our business. At one point, the sponsorship revenue was so promising, we had a small network of podcasts (4 shows) all moving full-speed ahead. It represented a huge percentage of our overall sponsorship revenue—and with only modest download numbers. It has also allowed us to connect with some truly incredible people who we now consider allies and friends.
Thanks to Preston Lee, Millo!
#11- Edge the competition
As a trial lawyer, my job is to convince judges and juries of my clients’ stories. Podcasting has improved my storytelling tremendously by requiring that I be clear, succinct and thorough. Since I do all of my own editing, I’ve also improved my voice and diction and corrected a number of verbal ticks. This has had huge impact on my courtroom presence. Also, potential clients are able to hear me tell stories and listen for themselves how I organize and present information. This gives me a leg-up on my competitors. For trial lawyers, how you say things is just as important as what you’re saying. Lastly, having a podcast shows current and potential clients that I am modern, human and something more than just a lawyer. The days of the lawyer being just a lawyer are over, you have to be human and you have to be modern… podcasting demonstrates both.
Thanks to Michael Elkins, MLE Law!
#12- Sales and marketing tool
Garden Society Co-Founder Erin Gore and I decided to create our podcast series as a way to amplify and scale our personal message and story to a wider audience outside of in-person events. The podcasts have become a multi-purpose sales and marketing tool that has led us to other great opportunities, including invitations to present and speak at key events, both consumer and industry focused. We also use the transcripts to derive nuggets to wisdom that is then turned into contributed stories for blogs.
Thanks to Karli Warner, Garden Society!
#13- Sell and gather speaking engagements
On my weekly podcast, “The Terrorist Therapist Show,” I analyze the top news in terror from a psychiatrist’s perspective. Sometimes I take the listener inside the mind of a terrorist who has perpetrated an attack. Sometimes I look at the role of women in terrorism, or why it was a mistake to release the American Taliban from prison early. I leverage my podcast to gather and increase my speaking engagements, where I talk about terrorism and sell my book, Lions and Tigers and Terrorists, Oh My! How to Protect Your Child in a Time of Terror.
Thanks to Carole Lieberman, M.D.,The Terrorist Therapist!
#14- Three ways
We get a great deal of mileage from our podcast, the Get WealthFit! show. The primary benefit we receive by doing the show is reaching a new, organic audience online, not to mention providing value to our existing tribe. Second, the podcast allows for us to create new relationships with influencers, get them to know our brand and introduce them to idea of creating courses with us (which is how we ultimately monetize). Third, because we've had great guests such as Danica Patrick, Robert Kiyosaki and Kevin Harrington, along with professional athletes and celebrity business leaders, we're getting incredible brand awareness in the market place. We've been pleasantly surprised by the number of VCs calling, mentioning they came to know WealthFit from the podcast. Finally, we're able to run ads on our shows, informing potential students about the courses we have.
Thanks to Dustin Mathews, WealthFit!
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