Podcasts: A Fountainhead of Knowledge and A Marketing Tool For Small-Scale Businesses

An audio file loaded with information, advice, updates, and ideas about anything and everything. Whether you are in a cab or having a coffee break, whether you are enjoying the weather by the side of your room’s window or slow jogging in the park, play it, pause it, and play it again. That’s a Podcast for you. In today’s generation, there is no limit to information available on any topic one can think of. News on television, print media, online media, editorials, blogs, articles and the list go on. A podcast stands out in the clutter in terms of the convenience it offers to its audience. Record it and play it at your will while you are on the go, thus helping you with effective time management.

In the context of newly formed businesses, small business, start-ups, and ventures, a podcast can serve as a source of crucial information, updates, and ideas as well as a tool of marketing the business and enhancing brand visibility. Let’s have a look at both the dimensions of this powerful tool.

Podcast as a source of knowledge, information, and ideas:

1. Stay abreast with the latest trends in a particular industry or field or get inspired by the interviews and advice of those who have made it big. If you are passionate about something or whether you keep your eyes and ears open to new ideas, you will most probably find the content on a podcast that will inspire and motivates you.
2. Podcasts are an excellent source of staying educated and informed with industry news. One can stay updated about the field of its interest and also learn new skills, techniques, and ideas. Find a show of your choice, follow every episode and you will end up learning something new.
3. Learn about your field from experts or listen to a philosophical talk to guide you through your life. With a wide range of topics covered, a podcast show can lead to both professional as well as personal growth.
4. Whether you are running for a meeting with a prospective client, or working on your marketing strategy, making a pitch for investors or returning home from a hectic day, life is not easy for an entrepreneur. A Podcast does not demand exclusive time from your schedule, thus helping in optimum time utilization.

Podcast as a marketing tool:

• Podcasting can be an alternative to video and serve as an excellent medium of audio marketing. An easier option to videos, mainly when you are not equipped sufficiently with the right equipment for video shooting, podcasting can be a way less risky medium of advertising.
• Podcasts aid in increasing traffic generation and driving that traffic to your website. If listeners find it interesting, your podcast will only keep on maintaining and building the traffic.
• It enhances brand visibility. Promotion for your podcasts appearing on various channels can increase your brand’s online presence, and with time, it starts showing in branded search results.
• One doesn’t need to take out time to listen to a podcast. It keeps streaming while you are engaged in some other activity. This benefit of a podcast is that it results in passive consumption and settles in the sub-conscious mind of listeners.
• Podcasts are highly engaging. It engages its listeners on a one-to-one basis and can overload them with information in a short span of time.

They say, in the ocean of knowledge, bring your own bucket. Indeed, in the generation of the data boom, one can choose the source of information as per one’s suitability. A medium as convenient and straightforward as a podcast serves as a boon in the world full of complexities.

Presenting below is a list of some of the best marketing podcasts. Listen to them for some of the coolest marketing tips and practices essential to keep your business moving forward.

1. The Side Hustle Show

Hosted by Nick Loper, this podcast is primarily for the part-time entrepreneurs who seek business ideas, tips to start a business and ways of monetizing the spare time. It covers all the aspects of a business, right from the conception of a business idea to sales, marketing, staffing, time management and so on. For the ‘5-9’ working class of people who struggle for a parallel source of income post-work, the side hustle show offers some interesting digital marketing clues that make it every marketer’s choice.

2. Ask Gary Vee

Gary Vaynerchuk, an author, celebrity and thought leader is the voice behind Ask Gary Vee. He offers crucial digital marketing advice idle for the marketers who are interested in witnessing theories translating into reality. He also deals with real-life problems of his listeners with a twist of humor. 

3. Social Media Examiner

Michael Stelzner hosts this podcast. Here he invites experienced people from different walks of life for their take on various issues. This podcast shares, analyses and discusses the latest news and trends in social media marketing. It also publishes online magazines and blogs.

4. Marketing over coffee

Hosted by John J. Wall and Christopher S. Penn, this podcast’s every episode is recorded in a local coffee shop and offers some great tips on traditional marketing, SEO, social marketing, affiliate marketing and so on. A 20-minute-longcasual conversational-styled show leaves the listener with some neat tricks and hacks of marketing.

5. Duct Tape Marketing

Meant for the ones with can-do attitude, this Do-It-Yourself podcast is hosted weekly by John Jantsch. It offers insightful ideas on almost everything related to marketing right from ways of driving traffic to your website to improvising your social media presence. The host of the show encourages the entrepreneurs to be responsible for every aspect of their start-ups, marketing being the essential aspect.

Some of the other popular Marketing Podcasts are HBR Ideacast, The Art of Charm, Easy Residual Income and Jocko Podcast. If you own a small business then recording a podcast can be an excellent way to convey news, information about your business to customers.