A beginner’s guide to podcasts

Are you one of a growing band of entrepreneurs and professionals who listens to podcasts on your daily commute to the office / at the gym / while cooking / perhaps even while working? If not, you’re missing out on one of the biggest and hottest new trends in marketing – and a potential new way to grow your mobile app development business by raising your profile and generating new leads. Read on for your complete beginner’s guide …

So, what’s a podcast?

A podcast is basically an audio file – it’s something you download and listen to. Usually, podcast owners will have a certain subject or area of expertise they focus on. The podcast will often be a series of episodes (files) sometimes with special guests who share their thoughts and expertise on the subject at hand. It’s essentially a conversation – similar to a radio show but something you download.

Why are they a useful business and marketing tool?

From a listener perspective, finding a few great podcasts can really help you develop as an entrepreneur and find your feet after taking up our mobile app business opportunity. BBC Radio 4’s podcast, The Bottom Line for example sees top business leaders from a range of industries sharing their insight. Sourcing a few great podcasts can help you learn a range of new skills, be informed or entertained.

Why launch a podcast for your business?

The popularity of podcasts has increased quite notably of late with 7.6 million people in the UK now listening to a podcast each week. This is a 25% year-on-year growth according to the latest figures from The Rise of Digital Audio Advertising report. In New Zealand, podcasts are currently outgrowing all other forms of download and in Australia, there’s been a 70% market growth with 1.6 million Australians downloading audio or video podcasts each month.

Clearly, there is a huge appetite for podcasts right now and as a business owner, you can tap into this demand to help your enterprise succeed.

A podcast can drive traffic : You can use a podcast much like you would any other form of marketing, such as social media posts or press releases, to drive content to your website.

You can showcase your expertise : Launching your own podcast gives you a platform to showcase your expertise. Choose subjects that you’re comfortable with and topics that are relevant to your intended customers and you have a great opportunity to make a name for yourself as a leader in the field.

You can raise awareness : A great podcast can spread like wildfire – whether that’s because you have great guests, thought provoking topics or an entertaining presenting style, creating a popular podcast is a great way to raise awareness of your business. And, because this is still a relatively new field, there’s less completion and more room to stand out that in other channels.