If the Infinite Dial 2019 report encouraged you to head over to the ‘Gram, or you are already posting like the superstar you are, this tool is for you!
LinkTree: If you are on Instagram, then you know that you can have only one link on your profile. But if you are like me, then you might have multiple items you want to share with your followers. LinkTree makes it super easy for you to do so! Check out my Instagram profile to see LinkTree in action.
3 Things Your Podcast May Be Missing
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Are you practicing the three “S’s” when it comes to your podcast's promotion? Below are three things that you should be doing in order to to help promote and grow your podcast audience:
Darlene's Three S's to Podcast Promotion:
Send an email to your subscribers when a new podcast episode launches. Let your "peeps" know about your latest and greatest episode. They want to hear from you, otherwise, they would not have subscribed to your list.
Show notes! Show notes is a blog post that includes a description of your podcast episode, a brief overview of main topics discussed, can include time stamps for pertinent information and includes links to anything you mentioned in the podcast. You should be creating show notes for each episode and posting them on your website. Make them keyword rich too. Whenever you promote or share your podcast, direct people to that specific episode's show notes.
Social Media, you betcha'. Spread the word about your latest episode on social media. Don’t just tweet or post about it once, and be done. Add promotion of your podcast into your daily/weekly social media schedule to capture interest and engage followers.
Bonus: create Click to Tweets and include them in your episode’s show notes, making it even easier (and fun) for your audience to share your content.Need help implementing these three ‘S’s? Let's chat! Contact me today for a strategy session. We can devise a plan and promote your podcast, together!
Marketing Ideas for Your Podcast
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Marketing your business takes work. Creating a website and/or hanging out a “We Are Open” sign isn’t going to bring you clients. It’s a start, you’re open. Awesome! You need exposure and must get the word out that you are open for business. Have a marketing plan, be persistent with it and re-evaluate what is and is not working. Don’t be afraid to make a change, if something within your plan is not working. Now, let’s say you’ve gotten your marketing plan and processes down for your business. Sweet! Taking that further, maybe one of the strategies is to create a podcast as a way to connect and engage with current and potential clients. Here’s the rub, sometimes businesses create a podcast for the purpose of marketing and then decide, after some time, the podcast angle is not working. After diving deeper, it seems they suffer the same mind-set as a new business owner. They create a podcast, assuming people will find it, without doing any marketing for the podcast. Adding your podcast to iTunes isn’t necessarily enough.
You should market your podcast a lot like you market your business. The same methods and strategies may be used. Sure, it may seem like a Catch-22 or redundant, especially if the reason for your podcast is to market your business. Sounds like a lot work, huh? It can be, but what’s the point of having a podcast if nobody knows about it? If you are unsure of how to market your podcast, here are some ideas:
Include a link to your podcast in your email signature
Use social media to share podcast episodes, create images with quotes to share.
Include your podcast url on your business card
List your podcast in various podcast directories, especially those in your specific niche(if they exist).
Join groups on social networks where your audience hangs out, connect with them and when appropriate share your podcast (always check groups’ rules first, before promoting your podcast!)
Post your podcast along with show notes on your website, as a blog post. Search engines love new content. If you are podcasting consistently and posting show notes, it gives Google a reason to keep coming back to your site to crawl. This means eventual higher search rankings. Score!
Talk about your podcast, especially at networking events. If you connect with someone and they want to learn more about you… tell them your website and mention you have an online radio show. Don’t be shy! This is also why it’s essential to include your podcast url on business cards.
That’s just scratching the surface. You can also be guest on other podcasts, cross-promote, be a guest blogger, place ads in industry magazines or newsletters (or be featured), or choose to be a sponsor for a specific event.
Eventually, all of your hard work WILL pay off. Choose the options that work best for you. You don't have to do everything on the list above. Get the word out that you have a podcast and remember ALWAYS include a call-to-action in your podcast episodes. A call to action should direct listeners to your website, inviting them to opt into an email list or perform some other measurable action.
If marketing for your podcast sounds like a lot of work and you think you need help implementing some of these ideas… contact me for help. My podcast management services can be of service to you. I am only an email away.
Happy Podcasting!
In Today's Online World, Remember What it Means to be Human
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Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been covering marketing as a topic on my podcast, “The Inspired Entrepreneur’s Guide.” My guests have shared their insight and expertise about blogging, social media and networking, just to name a few. Among all of the conversations I’ve had, there was one common theme my guests kept coming back to, as it related to online marketing. I’ll get to that in one moment. In today’s technological world, there is a misconception that we don’t connect with each other, our noses stuffed in our phones all the time. Yes, this is true. But for many, we are still connecting.
Let’s circle back to the commonality that kept popping up in my conversations with my podcast guests about online marketing: they all said (in one form or another) that being authentic, honest and caring was the most important thing we can do to connect with our audience in today’s online world.
That’s right; the common thread had nothing to do with using a specific tool, device or a social network. It was not about the 80/20 rule of sharing on social media or how to send a specific,“tweet.”
It all came down to one simple thing: what it means to be human. It's so important to not fall into the practice of being a machine pushing out content or sending links haphazard on social media. Be invested in what you put out into the online world and truly care. Also, don’t be afraid to show your true self. Your audience will notice. And, that will be the reason they choose to connect with you, the real you.
Check out recent episodes of The Inspired Entrepreneur’s Guide to hear some of the conversations with business owners about online marketing.
Podcasts, blog posts or e-newsletters are great ways to share relevant content in an authentic way. Contact me, I’d love to help.
Building Business Relationships in an Online World
Building and fostering relationships with clients and prospective clients is extremely important. When you take the time to build your business relationships, you’ll eventually become a trustworthy expert that people come to know, like and trust. When someone knows you, likes you and trusts you – they are more likely to do business with you. Better yet, they may also begin to provide referrals. It’s a win-win for everyone, yes! We live in a fast moving world. People are always on the go. In fact, many people now work from home or travel while working. How can you get face time with your audience if you aren’t able to sit and meet with them in person? Well, just like the world is moving fast these days, so is technology! There are quite a few ways to connect with your audience, online. Here are just a few ideas:
Monthly E-Newsletters – Monthly newsletters sent by email are a great way to connect with your audience. Think you don’t have much to offer in a monthly newsletter? Think again! Share news, an interesting tip or video. If you are a B2B company, then your audience will definitely see your email come across their inbox! I mean come on, how often do you check your email? :) You’ve heard the old adage, “Out of sight, out of mind,” right? Newsletters are a great way to get your name and brand in front of your people! You may hear internet marketers talk about the importance of building your email list. People opting into your list want to hear from you. Send them a monthly e-newsletter to keep in touch and to keep them engaged.
Podcasts – Of course podcasts make my list! I am a true believer that podcasting for business is a great way to market to your target audience. A podcast is very simply, an online radio or video show. As a podcast host, you have the opportunity to share your expertise and a little bit of yourself, with your audience. After listening or watching a few episodes, they’ll be able to determine, “Do I like this person?” If the answer is yes, they’ll stick around and become a fan. Guess what? You now have your ideal client’s attention. That’s an amazing feat. Don’t spoil this opportunity. Continue to build that relationship, invite fan feedback, questions and engage in conversations with them. Trust me, it works!
Social Media - Of course, connecting and chatting with your audience on social media is a given, in this day and age. BUT, some businesses think because their brand isn’t an online brand, social media is not needed. THINK AGAIN! Think about where your audience likes to hang out…if a good portion of their time is spent on Facebook or Twitter (or some other social network), you need to be there too! Engage in conversations, take an interest and invest in them. When you do this, you are investing in your business too!
Interested in implementing any of the items above? I can help you! As a digital media manager, I help clients with e-newsletter and podcast productions, as well as, social media management. Let’s chat and see if we can work together to help build and foster your business relationships, together.