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Podcasting for West Palm Beach Businesses – Easy & Affordable

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Previously, podcasts were just not that popular with the listening public.  But podcasting has become a powerful, online marketing tool for the small and medium-size businesses of West Palm Beach.

Podcasting for West Palm Beach Businesses

 

What Has Changed?

First, with the advent of new technology, such as cell phones, tablets, car digital devices with WiFi, and home digital devices like the Amazon Echo Dot®, it is now easier than ever before to listen to podcasts “on the go”. They are perfect for people who find themselves in a holding pattern somewhere, such as waiting for your flight to board at the airport, waiting for a friend, stuck in rush hour traffic, and so on.

Second, the popularity of podcasts has increased to a point that makes creating them an affordable marketing strategy. It does not pay to make a podcast if people are not inclined to listen to them – they are now!

What Exactly Is a Podcast?

Ever listen to an interview on the radio with a host interviewing a guest? Of course, you have. We all have. And that is pretty much what a podcast is, except it is online. They can be listened to directly from the web site that hosts the podcast or downloaded and saved by listeners who wish to revisit the podcast at a later time.

You can check out one of ours at: http://webmasterforhire.us/category/website-design-marketing-podcasts/.

Podcasts are audio files that average 22 minutes in length, though they can be as little as five minutes to over an hour or more in length. There is no exact time formula. You take the time needed to get your message across. Different topics will require different amounts of time.

The unusual word ‘podcast’ is a combination of the once popular iPod® and the word ‘broadcast’.  They have been used for several years now by large companies. Even President George W. Bush used them for his weekly address to the nation while in office. Social media sites have used the RSS feed, a form of podcasting of which you may be familiar. Unfortunately, you had to be tied to your computer to listen to them. Now, with all our portable digital devices, we can listen to them anywhere with an Internet hookup – and Internet “hot spots” (i.e. WiFi ‘on the go’) give you almost unlimited access.

Rise in Podcast Popularity

There have been three recent studies on podcasting – one from Edison Research, one from Pew Research, and the other from Midroll Media.

Edison Research is a global research firm that has been conducting the annual “Infinite Dial Study” since 1998. The study analyzes the different forms of digital media and its use[1]. Their 2017 study shows:

  • Podcast listening grew 23 percent between 2015 and 2016.
  • There are 42 million people in the U.S. listening to podcasts on a weekly basis.
  • There are 67 million people in the U.S. listening to podcasts on a monthly basis.
  • Forty percent of Americans between the ages of preteen and adult have listened to a podcast – this percentage consistently increases by 10 to 20 percent each year
  • The largest segment of listeners is between the ages of 25 and 54 – the “buying” market for most businesses.
  • The majority of listeners are affluent and well-educated.
  • Sixty percent of listeners frequent social media of some form – the place to share ideas and information.
  • Eighty-five percent of listeners hear all or most of the podcasts they access.

This shows that people are attracted to podcasts now, more than ever before – and most of these listeners are in your target market with money to spend and motivated to spend it!

Pew Research is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America. Their 2016 study on podcasting[2], using the podcast hosting service Libsyn®, also showed some interesting results:

  • In 2012, Libsyn had 1.2 billion download requests; in 2015, they had 3.3 billion requests.
  • In 2013, they hosted 16,000 podcasts; in 2015, they hosted 28,000 – a 75 percent increase.

It is obvious that podcast popularity is on the rise, allowing small to medium size businesses to reach a much larger audience, including your local target market.

Midroll Media is the parent company of the podcast network Earwolf and the podcast ad-sales network Midroll. Their 2014 internal survey[3] showed some astonishing results. Of the 300,000 podcast listeners surveyed, they found:

After listening to a podcast,
63 PERCENT
said they purchased the product or service marketed in the podcast.

 

Other Benefits of Today’s Podcasting

There are other benefits to using podcasts:

  • Besides making your West Palm Beach business an expert in your industry, people get to know your business, establishing a comfortable relationship between potential customers/clients and your business.
  • With the online radio format, podcasts are easier to do than videos. Most business people are uncomfortable being in front of a camera, plus it takes a lot of time away from the business – you had to drive to a studio to create the video with many retakes to “get it right”. With podcasting, your part of the interview can be done over the phone – no camera, no travel, no script to memorize. Your time is minimal and comfort level is high.

Webmaster for Hire has been creating podcasts for clients for some time now. With our podcasting know-how, we take the effort and confusion out of this powerful marketing tool. We take care of everything for you. You just provide someone to do the audio interview over the phone.

We post your podcasts on your web site, as well as several podcast hosting sites. They usually are five to 30 minutes in length, depending on the topic.

Contact us today to discuss adding podcasts to your West Palm Beach business marketing strategy!

561-822-9931

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