At the start of the new year, we assess our goals and desired outcomes for the upcoming year. In 2021, try something new for your marketing strategy. Do your goals include broadening your clientele and gaining loyal customers? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article we will discuss new market trends in terms of content marketing, specifically podcasting as a method of gaining new business.

Statistics of strong growth

“The Infinite Dial” by Edison Research is the longest-running survey of digital media in the U.S. In 2020, they conducted a national survey on people aged twelve and older to document digital media consumption. That includes podcasts, digital audio, social media and mobile device trends. For the podcast platforms, Spotify and Pandora are tied at the top in audio brands, with Amazon running in third place.

In 2020, there was an average of 151 million podcasts listeners, which is a 32% increase over the last decade. According to “The Infinite Dial,” “Monthly podcast consumers grew by 16% year-over-year, cresting 100 million Americans for the first time.”

At an average of 68 million weekly listeners, U.S. podcast audiences listened to about six podcasts weekly, according to the research. Gen Z and Millennials seem to be the highest group of consumers at 49%; however, podcasts remain quite popular among all age groups. This medium is rapidly rising in popularity and familiarity across the American population. With the increase of smart speakers in homes and new audio devices in vehicles, there are even more devices to listen to digital audio.

Click here for more information on the study.

Giving your business a voice

Podcasting is a content marketing technique that ensures your company stays relevant and on-trend. Employing this tool allows you to broaden your consumer circle; your podcast could perhaps be the only way to reach certain customers.

Another benefit of podcasting is that the information can be transferred across mediums. Episodes can consist of audio recordings, as well as videotaped and turned into a transcript for blogposts.

Getting started: consistency is key

Podcasts are malleable with their intent and outcome. They can answer current and potential customers’ questions, or they can simply entertain to capture your audience’s attention. The format of podcasts can be interviews or narratives and can vary in length from short audio clips to hour-long episodes. Assess your target audience to see which outcome and style of podcast would be most alluring and informative.

Creating consistent content relating to your business provides the customer with a platform to build trust in your brand. The focus here is building a strengthened relationship with the client by producing dependable, high-quality content. Episodes should be promoted and aired frequently on a reliable schedule for your podcast to be successful.

A cut above the rest

Conclusively, podcasting can go a long way towards gaining and maintaining prominence in your field by communicating knowledgeable insights to your clientele. It presents a perfect supplement to your current content-marketing strategy by targeting a new and wider audience as well as giving you a leg up on the competition.