This blog post, authored by Joe Stone, was originally written for and published by Jam Street Media on Sept 4, 2019 , and is no longer publicly available.
Is producing a podcast right for your business or brand?
The short answer - absolutely. Here are a few reasons why.
While pricing and advertising is an important part of getting your stuff sold, it's imperative to build a brand in the process that people trust, value, and even love. It will keep them coming back and for those who have never used your service, it will keep your brand at the forefront of their mind.
There are many ways that brands can provide ongoing value - many of which you probably know and use. There is certainly no end to the free ebooks, tutorials, or blog posts that businesses are sharing through their content marketing strategy.
Podcasts Provide Brand Value
Podcasts are a great way to provide additional value to clients (and to potential future clients). As long as it's not a 30-minute sales pitch. Don't do that. No one wants to listen to a thirty minute advertisement outside of late night TV. Branded podcasts should be 'related' to but not specifically about the brand's services.
How? Think of OB/GYN doctors from a specific hospital doing a maternity podcast for expectant mothers -- or a mortgage company doing stories of people who build their own homes and why. Each one of those provides value and immediately elevates the brands image to the listener. The key thing is to find a subject related to your brand that provides storytelling using empathy, education, and entertainment (Matty's Three E's).
Here are a few examples of brands with entertaining podcasts:
By the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
A podcast from a bank? The Federal Reserve is in charge of the nation's monetary policy, regulating banks and markets, and providing financial services to the U.S. Government. Nothing could sound less entertaining, right? Who would want to listen to a podcast about that?
But wait - their podcast is stories about people from a particular region, zip code rather, that have been affected the most by changes in the economy. They are stories of everyday people who are navigating their way through the unique economy of their communities. It's an interesting and entertaining twist on what would otherwise be a dry subject.
By McDonald's Corporation
Yes, the burger giant, McDonald's. This three-part podcast was created in 2018 as on off-handed apology by the burger corporation after it vastly underestimated the demand for its Szechuan sauce. They had brought the sauce back for a one-day promotion in select locations after an episode of Adult Swim's 'Rick and Morty' featured the long-forgotten sauce.
The podcast is an investigation, crime-story style podcasts, that dives into the backstory of the 'The Sauce' incident. The podcast reached number 94 on iTunes top 100 within 24 hours of being released. It has since gone offline.
This was not just an example of how a podcast could boost brand awareness (not that McD's needed it), but how a bad PR event can be turned into a positive.
By Charles Schwab
I just discovered this one and to be clear this podcast is not about investing. Instead, it's a podcast about why we make the choices that we do - good or bad, the science behind it, and how to make smarter ones. Who doesn't need that in their lives?
When I was listening to the intro, I swear it was like looking into a window of my life. So for me, this is going to be incredibly helpful.
Charles Schwab is well known for its financial management services. Making good choices is a part of that, for sure. But, instead of making their podcast strictly about making financial decisions, they broadened it into life, in general, making it more appealing and accessible to those who might not otherwise be interested in their services at the moment.
Podcasts aren't the be-all, end-all of marketing solutions but, they area a great tool to have in your toolbox.
Starting next week, we'll be running a weekly feature that will give our friends and followers a chance to experience other branded podcasts out there in the wild. SUBSCRIBE NOW. If you have podcasts feature suggestions, please email me at joe@jamstreetmedia.com.
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