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(By Traci DeForge) Podcasting is an excellent way for businesses to expand their reach, connect with their audience, and drive sales. However, many businesses struggle to leverage their podcasts to drive visibility, leads, and sales.
We feel strongly about this topic because we have seen the impact that a well-executed podcast can have on a business, AND we have seen the struggles that many business-branded podcasters face. Below are three considerations and common missteps we see in organizations with podcasts who want to see a larger ROI from their show
**Audience Building & Engagement **
One of the biggest mistakes that businesses make when launching a branded podcast is isolating it from the rest of their marketing engine. To drive visibility, leads, and sales, it is essential to include your podcast on all your marketing channels, including social media, email marketing, and paid advertising as well as each step of your marketing funnel.
Many businesses put all of their efforts into launching a show, then forget to integrate it into the rest of their efforts. This leads to virtually 0 audience building and low engagement from those who are tuning in - there’s no other way for them to actually engage after they listen!
We have heard from many organizations over the years, “My marketing team isn’t even sure what to do with it!” This is due to a lack of audience-building strategy when the show launches and knowledge as to what works vs. not for podcast marketing.
Have you recently audited your marketing ecosystem to ensure your podcast is integrated fully?
Crafting a Compelling Marketing Message
Another common mistake that businesses make when launching their podcast is creating a marketing message that doesn’t actually resonate with their target audience.
To hook the right person in, you need to craft a compelling marketing message that speaks directly to their pain points and needs.
One way to achieve this is to gather feedback from your audience (and your clients) to understand their needs better. By tailoring your marketing message to your audience and understanding the language they are already using, you can create more effective copy for your episode promotions.
We often see social media captions promoting new episodes that are crafted similarly to this:
_“New episode just dropped! Check us out at the link below.” _
A more effective message would be something like,
_“Ready to increase the number of sales from your email marketing? In today’s episode, we’re teaching the 3 things a business can integrate into its strategy. _
- _One of our clients just implemented these same teachings and closed a $10k deal! Don’t miss out - tune in at the link below.” _
Effective Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
Lastly, it’s crucial to include effective calls-to-action (CTAs) in your podcast episodes. An ineffective CTA will not drive the desired actions from your listeners, such as signing up for your email list or purchasing your products.
Recent data shows that 73% of podcast listeners are listening on a smartphone while multitasking. To create an effective CTA, it’s essential to be clear and specific about the action you want your listeners to take and why it will benefit them to do so.
This is very similar to what we talked about above with promoting your episodes in a more effective way – which of the below examples would better encourage you to take action if you were a listener?
_“Don’t forget to head to our website for more resources.” _
**Versus: ** _“Did today’s episode resonate with you? The good news is that slow or stagnant sales growth doesn’t need to continue as your reality. Head to (specific link) and download our guide to online sales prospecting. You will learn 4 ways to drive more traffic to your channels, capture more leads and convert them into paying customers.” _
By including effective CTAs in your podcast episodes, you can drive more leads and sales and achieve your marketing goals.
Traci Long DeForge is the founder of Produce Your Podcast. She can be contacted at traci@produceyourpodcast.com or 912.223.9525.