The Podcasting Series: if you are trying to start a podcast, or you’re interesting in learning more about the benefits of a podcast, then this post is for you. Tune in, as I’ll be posting in The Podcasting Series once a week for the next several weeks!

For on-demand podcasting content, check out our Free Podcast Course!

The Podcasting Series: Why a podcast?

You might not really be “sold” on the idea of podcasting. That’s cool.

You think, “What’s the big deal?”, or “My business wouldn’t benefit from having a podcast, so why should I care?”

Or maybe you DO think podcasting is a good idea, but it’s not really based on anything other than the success you see other people having with podcasts.

Why a podcast?

I want to share a couple of points Michael Stelzner made in his Social Media Marketing Report for 2013. If you didn’t get a chance to check it out, then you’re in luck, because you can still download it here.

Among a ton of other GREAT social media marketing stats, you’ll find some pretty incredible stuff on podcasting, which Michael says is “set to explode in 2013.”

He goes on to say that “Only 5% of marketers are involved with podcasting, yet 24% plan on increasing their podcasting activities in 2013—almost a five-fold increase—and 32% of marketers want to learn more about it.” (my emphasis) That’s HUGE.

What’s even more incredible about these numbers is that I still have people asking me five times out of ten when I’m talking about EntrepreneurOnFire, “What is a podcast?” This is also why these numbers are so exciting. Michael is right: podcasting is on the brink of an explosion.

Okay, you might be wondering, “Why is that so? – Why podcasts?”

Here’s why:

Offers Targeted, On Demand Content

Don’t you get sick of listening to the radio? You don’t have any say in what comes on next, you can’t control the commercials, and switching back and forth between stations every five minutes is getting old.

Enter: podcasts. With a podcast, you get to choose what you listen to. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in kick boxing? Do you sell products on Etsy? Do you want to learn how to plant flowers? Grow your business? Start a podcast of your own? There is a podcast that talks about every one of these things.

If you’re like the millions of others who commute to and from work every day, or you have a daily workout routine, or maybe you have a dog that you take on walks every single day (I should hope you do, if you have a dog), then podcasts are for you. Content that matters – to you – delivered straight to your headphones so you can listen to exactly what you want.

Authority and Credibility in Your Industry

Building authority and credibility in your industry or niche is important for a numbers of reasons. With all the noise out there, it’s easy for people to find the information they’re looking for without having to look very far. What’s going to make your business successful? YOU being the one to give them what they’re looking for.

Producing and publishing a podcast gives you instant authority and credibility in your industry or niche because you’re providing valuable information to your audience that they’re looking for.

If you’re producing quality content, then your audience will continue to grow, and they’ll start coming to you for advice and insights as oppose to one of your competitors.

Use the platform that podcasting offers to reach  your audience and to give them what they want. Once you can do this, you’ll have loyal fans who know they can come to you for the information they’re looking for.

Intimate connection

Imagine a platform that not only allows you to deliver the quality content that your audience is looking for, but that also allows you to speak to them every single day (or however often you publish your podcast). When people hear your voice, there is a different type of trust that is established.

They aren’t just reading words on a page – they are hearing the passion in your voice for the content you’re delivering. Just think: thousands of people hear John’s voice every single day.

They start to recognize his voice, and they start to feel like they know him.

Building trust with your audience is important, and that’s why it’s key to remember that you need to stay true to your word. The consistency you deliver and the resources and recommendations you provide to your audience are all part of establishing a solid relationship and building that intimate connection.

It’s FREE

I saw your eyes get a little bit wider just now… That’s right, podcasts are free.

There is not one podcast in the Apple Podcasts app that isn’t free (unless it’s an album or the host has turned it into a subscription. It’s not like going on Amazon and having to purchase that eBook you just heard about – all you need is an internet connection and you’re good to go.

What this means is that you’re receiving expert advice from individuals in any given industry at no cost. You don’t have to go searching for it – it’s right there in Apple Podcasts.

Accessibility

Did you know you can listen to podcasts from your Smartphone, tablet, laptop, TV and now even from the dashboard of your car? That’s a lot of options.

When Apple created a separate, stand-alone app for Podcasts they opened a door for you to easily download episodes and take them with you anywhere you go.

You also have several car manufactures that are starting to include podcast stations right in the dashboard of cars, you truly have access to podcasts no matter where you are.

A Never-ending Reach

EntrepreneurOnFire is downloaded in over 145 countries around the world, proving that we live in an incredibly tech-savvy world where internet connections aren’t rare anymore.

You can publish a podcast in California at 5am on a Tuesday, and within seconds that podcast can be accessed by people in Japan, Australia, England – all around the world. Podcasting has a world-wide reach, and the globe is the limit.

Not to mention that today, our grandparents own iPads and have email addresses. Our nieces and nephews are grabbing for our iPhones so they can play games, and they talk about Words With Friends like it’s old news. Technology is no longer a “Gen Y thing”.

It’s an “every-Gen thing”.

Trackable

If I gave you a recommendation for a book that was a NY Times Best-seller, and then another recommendation for a book that barely made it on the shelves of your local bookstore, which one would you choose?

Statistics and accolades are important, and podcasting is no exception. With the interview format that John uses for EntrepreneurOnFire, our stats are sometimes what help him lock in that next guest, or get that next sponsor to decide to come on board.

Who doesn’t want to be featured on a podcast that is downloaded over 260,000 times per month in over 145 countries (Libsyn stats)?

Or that has featured other successful Entrepreneurs like Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss and Barbara Corcoran?

I’ve included a few key reasons why podcasting is on the brink of an explosion, and also some points to backup how a podcast could benefit your business.