The Business of Podcasting: How brands can include audio as part of their content marketing mix

The growth of podcasting shows no sign of slowing down as more and more people (producers and listeners) around the world catch on to the power of audio-on-demand content.

It’s one thing for an enthusiastic individual to produce a podcast centred around a topic they’re passionately interested in, but it’s another entirely for companies and organisations to include audio as part of their strategic content marketing mix.

I had a great chat the other day with Toronto-based podcasting veteran, Donna Papacosta, from Trafalgar Communications (you can listen to interview below).

Donna is the co-author (along with Steve Lubketin) of the new book, The Business of Podcasting. If you’re interested in producing audio content as part of your business (or if you’re an agency, for your clients), then I recommend this title. It’s the only book I’ve seen that focuses on the business aspects of podcasting (hence its title!) versus many other books that get bogged down in the technical aspects of publishing audio content.

Donna and Steve set the scene by defining podcasting, outlining the growth of the medium and explaining the benefits of what they term the “human touch of audio”.

Importantly, they bring the medium to life by including podcasting case studies and examples from the likes of the National Association for Printing Leadership (now Epicomm),  IXN Thought Leadership Exchange Network, Rutgers University’s School of Business Administration and global business insurance company, ACE Group.

And if you’re interested in selling podcast-related services such as consulting or teaching, Donna and Steve cover that too, as well as what’s involved in marketing, selling and pricing your podcasting services.

Some highlights of The Business of Podcasting that caught my eye included:

• Edison Research ‘Share of Ear’ survey that suggests because podcasts today are easier to download, they are getting a new lease of life from listeners hungry for unique content that fills their specific needs: “Producing business podcasts is not normally going to be about going viral or getting tens of thousands of downloads. It is about producing content that helps businesses connect with clients and prospects in an engaging way that solves business problems,” the authors write.
• Types of content that work well in a podcast, including promoting events, conference podcasting, pre-conference interviews and teasers, keynote narration, CEO messages, internal podcasts for employees.
• Tips for creating great audio content (e.g. “Edit, edit, edit so the podcast episode contains only the best bits”).
• The story of Anna Farmery, host of the long-running podcast The Engaging Brand. Anna says the podcast greatly increases her credibility and has been a huge propellant of her business; she is quoted as saying: “Over the last six years, between 60% and 80% of my new clients have come to me via the podcast.”
• How authors and other experts can use audio products. an interview between Donna and Jennifer Tribe from Highspot, which includes a powerful quote from Donna explaining the power of audio:

Personally, I love to hear the warmth of the human voice, and I think it conveys authenticity, a sense of humanity, and really, a connect, more than text does.”

RELEVANT LINKS:

• The Business of Podcasting website
• Purchase the book on Amazon
• Donna’s Trafcom News Podcast
• Donna’s business – Trafalgar Communications
• Follow Donna on Twitter
• Follow Steve on Twitter

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