New technologies offer new avenues for businesses. Understanding how to use webinars and podcasts for your company effectively can help you reach more audiences, build stronger relationships with your customers, and create engaging content that will eventually generate sales leads.
Podcasts 101
Why Start a Podcast?
With 51% of the US population listening to podcasts, businesses can’t afford to ignore the benefits of this platform. Podcasts’ easy accessibility makes them consumable anywhere, anytime, and on any device. One of the most significant advantages of recorded content is that it gives listeners a “break” from the monotony of written information. Plus, audio-based content is rising in consumption, as it allows users to multitask.
When creating podcasts for your company, make it an extension of your company’s culture and mission. Podcasts are a great addition to the promotional side of your marketing mix, so just like the other marketing pieces of your company, it needs to be consistent with your brand’s personality and tone of voice.
Podcasts also allow consumers to feel more engaged and familiar with your brand. Therefore, use the 80/20 podcast rule: 80% of the time, use your podcast to talk about content that relates to your company and community, and the other 20% to promote your products or services. A study with 300,000 podcast listeners has shown that 63% of them bought something that a host had promoted on their show, and 71% at least visited their website.
Simplicity is key
Don’t overcomplicate content. Make your podcasts simple and easy to understand by focusing on the quality of the content instead of trying to make it too complicated. Unlike webinars, podcasts don’t have visuals or live audience interaction. Since they can be listened to anywhere and at any time, people won’t always be giving 100% of their attention to it, so it is extra important to give your audience easily consumable content.
Webinars 101
Why Webinars?
Like podcasts, webinars offer a great platform to promote your business and keep your audience engaged. When initiating a webinar, remember to interact with your audience. There are amazing tools, such as Q&A, breakout rooms, and polls, that can help you engage your audience and get them to interact with each other. Also, collect your data. Polls and questionnaires give you valuable insights on potential prospects, ways to improve, as well as what parts of your webinar were most compelling. Using this data can help you not only generate sales leads but are also a great source of information for marketing campaigns and future webinars.
Another way to show expertise during a webinar is to showcase your brand. High-quality content has the potential to live on after the webinar has finished, which gives you the possibility to generate new clients. You shouldn’t solely focus on promoting your product. Remember to use the 80/20 rule to promote your products and services, targeting your attendees.
Plan for technical difficulties
Professionalism and interactivity in webinars will make your company look good. However, technical difficulties can be detrimental to eroding confidence in a webinar’s host. Make sure you and your team test your internet, microphone, camera, and lighting.
Taking advantage of podcasts and webinars can set your business apart from competitors while boosting your SEO, increasing brand awareness, and improving perception. Ready to launch your podcasts and webinar series? Contact the GROWL Team today.