The sprawling online world has presented pioneers and newcomers alike with a variety of opportunities to grow their brands. However, none of those opportunities is as fascinating as starting a podcast.
Many podcasters use this medium to expand their networks and grow their brands with the same piece of content. This reality is possible for anyone who starts a podcast.
Having a podcast is like having your own radio station. You act as the host and either run a solo show or invite guests to share their thoughts and insights.
By using a service like Libsyn, you can easily get your show and episodes published in a variety of places, including iTunes, Stitcher and more. Not only do you get your episodes published on these big platforms, but you will also utilize a medium with higher demand and lower supply than other options. There are significantly fewer podcasts than blogs, which means it’s easier for a new podcast to stand out than a new blog.
HOW CAN I GROW MY BRAND WITH A PODCAST?
One of the joys of starting a podcast is the ability to have guests on your show. In 30- to 45-minute recorded Skype conversations, I get to learn from the top experts in my niche, provide new content for my audience, and build valuable relationships at the same time.
When I publish a podcast episode, I always invite the guest to share the episode with his or her audience. Not everyone shares the episode, but each time a guest does, my brands get placed in front of an entirely new audience. Multiply this growth by dozens and eventually, hundreds of guests and the impact from this one tactic will be amazing.
PROMOTE YOUR BRAND WITHIN EACH EPISODE
At the beginning and end of every episode, you can promote a specific product or offer for your brand. At the end of my episodes, I promote one of my landing pages. The landing page contains a free offer that visitors can obtain once they provide an email address. It’s important to provide your listeners with a link they can easily remember. For instance, one of the links I promote is marcguberti.com/retweets. This is a much easier link to remember than a link with a series of words and dashes.
Bit.ly is a free tool that allows you to shorten links, so they are easier to remember. If you have a blog on WordPress.org, you can download and install the Pretty Link plugin to shorten links while displaying your domain name. I used the Pretty Link plugin to create the previous link leading podcast listeners to my free eBook about getting more retweets.
If you don”™t have a landing page yet, you can create short links for affiliate products. I frequently promote other people”™s training courses in my niche to my audience. Some affiliate programs provide high commissions just for making a single sale.
As you conduct the interview or talk about your topic, you can harness opportunities to promote your brand. When my guests and I talk about Seth Godin, I mention that I interviewed Seth in Episode 16. That episode link is then placed in the show notes for any listeners who want to listen to the episode with Seth Godin.
When you promote another episode, a blog post or any other part of your brand, mention it casually. I typically use the “By the way” approach. I don”™t let my episode or blog post steal the conversation. I”™ll say something like, “By the way, for anyone interested, I interviewed X about Y in Episode Z,” whenever that guest gets mentioned during an episode. Casually mentioning different parts of your brand builds a sense of permission marketing. Don”™t make a hard pitch to get listeners to listen to the episode you mentioned or read a certain blog post. Make it clear that the opportunity to explore further is entirely up to the listener.
Podcasting presents an excellent opportunity to expand your network, grow your audience and create more content all at the same time. If you take your podcast seriously, you may eventually learn from the masters in your niche (and get several free books sent your way).
Podcasting has dramatically changed my brand and my life. Now is the perfect time to get started with your own podcast for your brand and self-development. To see how a successful podcast works, check out my Breakthrough Success podcast at MarcGuberti.com/iTunes.
Marc Guberti is a student at Fordham University and a social media and business blogger and author. He”™s on Twitter @MarcGuberti and can be reached by phone at 914-722-6005 or email at Marc@MarcGuberti.com.
