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!
