Use your voice to drive brand awareness, build authority in your industry, and reach your customers in a new way.

Every day, more and more businesses are launching podcasts as a powerful way to reach their customers. Not only is it easy and free to make a podcast with Anchor, it’s an ongoing opportunity to connect with your audience, personalize your brand, and grow your business. If you own a business, here are some reasons why you should start a podcast:

Podcasts develop your brand.

With an estimated 90 million listeners in the U.S, your podcast has huge potential in terms of reaching new customers. On top of that, your podcast is an owned channel where you can control your brand’s message and position your business in the most strategic light. When listeners subscribe to your podcast, they are opting in to hearing from you on a regular basis. By starting a podcast and releasing episodes on a consistent schedule, you can stay at the top of your customers’ minds and stand out from the competition, building a level of brand loyalty that deepens over time.

Podcasts are personal.

Podcasting is an intimate medium. By speaking directly into the ears of your customers, you’re communicating with them in a powerful and personal way. Unlike traditional marketing channels which tend to be carefully curated, podcasts are often casual and unfiltered. Even if your podcast follows a general script or outline, your voice adds a human element to your business and gives listeners an authentic feel for the personality of your brand.

Podcasts are also infused with everyday life. Since podcasts are perfectly suited for mobile consumption, people listen to shows anywhere and everywhere: during their morning commute, while doing the dishes, and as they’re drifting off to sleep. Your podcast is a chance to create an intimate connection and reach your audience in new and more personal settings, while also finding where your brand fits into your customers’ lives.

Podcasts build authority.

Your podcast is a platform to speak about your industry and the unique knowledge and passion you bring to your business. Start a podcast about a topic you know a lot about, and you will begin to establish yourself as an expert in your field and attract new customers.

Lettuce Rewind is a podcast from the founders of Señor Lechuga Hot Sauce. In the show, husband and wife co-hosts Nico and Lauren describe the nuances of building a business, sharing the company’s origin story and the processes of creating a brand. They support their partners by highlighting collaborators, and they discuss the details of expanding into retail stores and the broader culture surrounding their business. Over the course of the podcast, Nico and Lauren establish themselves as a credible voices in their industry and create meaningful content that aims to inspire other entrepreneurs to follow their dreams. Lettuce Rewind goes to show that by telling your story and tapping into your expertise, you can not only give customers an entertaining entry point to discover your business, you can also establish yourself as an authority and build valuable trust for your brand.

Podcasts dig deep.

Most marketing channels are an influx of information where brands compete against each other with bursts of short-form content. Podcasts, on the other hand, are a chance to produce long-form material that gets a deeper message across. Podcasts aren’t constrained by time limits or character counts. They are a chance to showcase your expertise and dig further into the story of your brand in a way that other formats can’t accommodate. Give listeners a behind-the-scenes look into upcoming launches or let them the intricate details of a particular product. Is there a special project you’re working on? Share the full story with your listeners and show off your business in as much detail as you like. Your listeners will appreciate the exclusive content they receive by tuning in to your podcast each week.

Podcasts create community.

Most fans of podcasts are not casual listeners. Of those who start a podcast episode, 80% listen to all or most of it. That means podcast listeners will devote a lot more time listening to your voice in a podcast than they will reading your words on a website. This dedication creates a community for your brand that you can cultivate into customers. Reward listeners with exclusive offers. Invite your audience to participate in your show by sending you Voice Messages. Rely on your listeners as for customer feedback that you can use to improve your business. Loyal listeners are loyal customers, and the effort put it into your community pays back as brand affinity.

– BORROWED