Marketing and COVID-19: How to Start a Podcast for Your Brand

As entrepreneurs and brands navigate an ever-evolving reality on a daily basis, they are also forced to implement out-of-the-box strategies to stay relevant (yet still sensitive to the current situation). In this state of constant transition, conventional approach and old habits will no longer work.

If anything, brands need to exercise innovation and creativity to propel the business forward. To adapt to the new dynamics, many brands have launched podcasts recently to continue to connect with clients (old and new) and expand their current network.

While there have been reports that podcast listening has decreased by at least 8 percent (apparently, this is because more people are working from home as opposed to commuting to work), this seems to be nothing more than mere speculation.

As of January 2020, Podcast Insights revealed there are over 900, 000 podcasts with a whopping 300 million episodes to boot! Undoubtedly, statistics clearly indicate how far podcasting has come and how powerful it has turned out to be.

Marketing Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

With strict safety measures currently in place (read: social distancing, quarantines, and work from home arrangements), podcasting is seen as the ultimate (and most sensible) addition to most brand’s marketing efforts. For starters, it is a superb way of expanding their network, establishing credibility, and cultivating relationships.

If you’re considering adding podcasting to your existing marketing arsenal, the following tips should help ensure you’ll be able to enjoy all the benefits this innovative and exciting medium has to offer:

Give content and audio quality your utmost attention

While producing segments that are topnotch is crucial, the cost of a microphone should not deter you from starting your podcast. If your marketing budget is tight, you’d be delighted to know using your phone’s microphone would be a good place to start. Fortunately, most smartphones nowadays have microphones that are of exceptional quality.

In addition, you can also consider investing in the services of seasoned podcast editors as money well spent. They’ll not only be able to help you produce a professional and well-polished show, they can also provide some much needed guidance especially if you’re just starting out.

Of course, flawless audio quality is basically useless if your content is mediocre at best. Aim to strike the right balance between the two first and foremost and you can rest assured the rest should take care of itself

Don’t hesitate to ask for advice

Here’s a fact you might find surprising: many people are more than happy to share podcasting advice. All you have to do is ask! To ensure you are able to create a powerful podcast that highlights your brand and engages your audience, check with others who have done it before you.

What are some of their best practices? What are some of the hurdles they’ve encountered? How did they address those hurdles? You can also get in touch with podcast production experts. Many have vast experience helping brands get their podcasts up and running. They should be able to provide expert guidance when you need it.

Start, then build over time

For many, starting is always the hardest part. And yes, that applies to podcasting as well. However, once you’ve gotten past the jitters and your podcast gains momentum, you’ll be able to develop the confidence needed to take your podcasting efforts to the next level. From there, you can invest in other things—professional equipment, expert advice, websites, targeted advertisement campaigns—whatever it is that you deem fit.

Ready to embark on that podcasting journey? What preparations have you set in place? We’d love to hear about it!