Week 7: The Podcast
Wow! where do I even begin to start? I named this week ‘ the podcast’ because that’s exactly what it was about. We have been toing and froing with this as to whether or not to include this into our marketing mix. Bearing in mind 1 or 2 members have no experience of this whatsoever. But, boss man had some experience with radio (many moons ago) but things have changed since but i’m not about to argue. Let’s get all the negatives out the way first then we can concentrate on the positive.
It takes a bit of effort
Lots of planning and research
Technical stuff, you know editing etc
Your kit will cost you, i.e, a good microphone/headset etc
Finding participants, your guests or co-host’s
This is as bad as it gets, so once you've nailed the above it's easy as pie. Right let’s look at the positives.
It creates brand awareness
It makes you stand out from the crowd/competitors
It gives one credibility as an authority figure in their industry
It helps you gain trust and respect
You constantly have to find topics so it keeps you on your toes regarding latest trends and changes (knowledge is power)
As you teach, you reinforce and learn yourself
The eyes are always consuming by either reading or watching so it's a different approach, auditory
It makes use of dead time as people can listen in during commutes or housework, (get the idea)
Plus its hip, trendy and fun to produce so what’s there not to like
These are just some pointers, there are much more so in the light of the above why would we not jump on this bandwagon. It's relatively cheap to produce and easy enough to distribute mainstream. So once the decision was made it was time to put it into action. We have announced the podcast on all our social media platforms to let our followers know that we’re doing this. The great launch was on Valentines. Why valentines, I hear you say? No reason, it was round the corner and we just used this nice date to our advantage. Tip: you have to see what is around you as your surroundings can give you directions. A quick budget planner, microphone, headphones and phone clamp came up to £30 and that is it. No other costs involved, will upgrade when the budget allows but that is all that is required to get you started oh and your choice of mobile device with great internet connection.
We used Anchor as it’s quite simple to use you just record your script (after you've read it a million times) then hit the record button. Its RED you can’t miss it, save your recording as it takes you through a series of questions before you can complete the task. Such as the name of your podcast (Opulent Radio), the title of your topic ours was ‘The Introduction’ given the fact it was the 1st week. You can choose or upload your own artwork (the still image everyone sees while you babble uhm…. I mean deliver your speech). Select your date which can be immediate or at some time of your choosing. Then you hit submit and Anchor distributes it to all the relevant platforms such as ITunes, Google, Spotify, Stitcher and SoundCloud. And that's it, your on air and anyone who wants to listen in can do so from all devices. How clever is that?
It is time consuming and we were thinking if it is worth all the hassle but its a very subtle way of advertising your brand and reaching out to potential clients. It adds a very personal touch to your business as the listener can gain familiarisation of your independent voice. Each business has their unique voice so showcase this to the masses so they can have a feel for you, your personality and your company ethos. If like us you are contemplating whether you should adopt this for your own business, then I absolutely say go for it. It is definitely worth it! Especially when you can witness boss man trying to be Elvis hahaha.