About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

Opinion, Sector knowledge

Why SMEs should be surfing the podcast wave

In the not so distant past, the Skout team were visited by an agency which specialised in different methods of broadcast, and this got our cogs turning.

Over the past few years, the popularity of the podcast has grown tremendously. Apple alone reported an increase of over 200,000 podcasts since June last year; and now impressively hosts over 750,000 active shows, equating to 30 million episodes of downloadable audio. This trend has also been seen across the UK, with around seven million people now tuning into a podcast each week – a figure that has doubled in the past five years (OFCOM). Its success can be attributed to the new ways that people consume media. Gone are the days of turning on your radio at a specific time to listen to your favourite programme. Instead, we can stream content on the go using our mobile phones; or, we can even ask Alexa to play “The Gemma Collins podcast” (if you like that sort of thing). It’s safe to say that podcasts are changing the ways that people listen to content, and small businesses should get on board and ‘surf the wave’ to engage with their audience on a more interactive level.

In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook in his university dormitory, Britney Spears released the music single Toxic, and everyone’s favourite chick flick, Mean Girls, hit the screens – feeling old yet? However, this was also the year former MTV video jockey, Adam Currey, and software developer, Dave Winer, invented the podcast. Originally called the ipodder, Currey wrote a programme that could automatically download internet radio on his iPod; this was then improved by numerous software developers to create the podcast that we now know today.

Why should SMEs use a podcast?

With celebrities such as Russell Brand, Amy Schumer and Ricky Gervais, all hopping on the podcast train; there’s plenty of reason for your business to also enjoy the ride. According to OFCOM, around 53% of UK listeners regularly tune into podcasts based on talk shows and discussion, proving the demand for more informative content. This is good news for companies which are looking to improve audience engagement levels and increase their brand awareness. If you’re still not convinced, here are a few more reasons to use a podcast:

  • Its free! All you need is a fast WIFI connection, a good microphone and editing software.
  • You can produce long term content, which digs deeper into issues – and you don’t need to think about word counts.
  • It can help you build effective relationships with your audience, encouraging them to engage with your brand.
  • By inviting guest experts and industry partners on your show, you can help them grow their reach; and likewise, they can help you improve yours by telling their audience about their appearance.
  • Similar to a newsletter, a podcast provides another touch point for your audience.
  • The subscription service allows you to monitor how many active listeners your podcast has, providing additional metrics to your marketing analysis.

A powerful marketing tool for your business

New technologies are changing the playing field, and businesses are altering their marketing strategies in order to adapt. Think about your own marketing and the sorts of media you use to speak to your customers. Podcasts also can be integrated within your current campaigns to further enhance your marketing approach. For instance, the Omaha Media Group believe that this powerful marketing tool should be part of every businesses toolkit, highlighting four key factors why podcasting can be extremely effective for your SME:

  1. They do not have an expiration date meaning listeners can download the same content over and over again, increasing customer engagement.
  2. It helps by boosting your organic link building as many podcasts are transcribed and often include links, directing your visitors back to your website.
  3. If your podcast has a good reputation it will often appear within key word searches, increasing your business’ visibility.
  4. If your podcast attracts core influencers it can add an additional layer of credibility to your brand, which in turn, attracts more customers.

For some successful examples of how businesses have integrated podcasts within their marketing campaigns, read this great article by Backtracks, which shines the spotlight on big brands such as McDonalds, eBay and Sephora: https://backtracks.fm/blog/10-successful-branded-podcasts/

About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

Opinion, Sector knowledge

Sustainability – how our team is crushing plastic and saving the planet

B2B thought leadership PR – everything you need to know

Browse more blog posts

Posted on
byClaire James
In B2B PR, thought leadership is one of those concepts that gets spoken about all the time. But do you actually know what thought leadership is? And do you have the right tools and skills in place to make it work effectively for you? In this post we aim to clarify what B2B thought leadership can do and help you gain greater benefit from it.
Posted on
byRob Skinner
In B2B PR, thought leadership is one of those concepts that gets spoken about all the time. But do you actually know what thought leadership is? And do you have the right tools and skills in place to make it work effectively for you? In this post we aim to clarify what B2B thought leadership can do and help you gain greater benefit from it.
Posted on
bySkout team
If you haven’t heard by now, Skout is under new ownership! No, we haven’t been bought out – in fact it’s quite the opposite. As of last week, Skout officially became an employee-owned business. This was achieved by the founding shareholders, Rob and Claire, signing 100% ownership over to a newly established Employee Ownership Trust acting on behalf of the...
Posted on
byClaire Lamb
A few weeks ago, the entire Skout team visited the beautiful and historic city of Palma, Majorca for our annual kick off event. It’s been a long time in the planning (pre-pandemic to be precise) and the first time we’ve been abroad for a kick off to the new financial year. We’ve always found kick off meetings a great way...
Posted on
byHonor Williamson
TikTok is increasingly being used as a platform for B2B companies to implement their marketing strategy, aiding in brand exposure, lead generation and profile building. But, where does paid TikTok advertising come into play? Is it an effective tool to engage with B2B audiences, or is the ROI just not worth it?  If you’re the least bit social media savvy,...
Posted on
byClaire James
In May I was fortunate to be able to attend the recent UK Construction Week at Excel in London and see the strides forward an industry, that has become recognised as one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions, is making in tackling the thorny issue of achieving Net Zero. In his keynote on day one, Lord Callanan, Under Secretary...
Posted on
byJames Weaver
In the world of B2B marketing, it is essential that you have a solid B2B marketing strategy in place to effectively connect with your target audience.
Posted on
byHonor Williamson
Why was PR your chosen career?  PR is all about storytelling, with so much opportunity for creativity and content creation. Since I’ve always loved writing and always had a big imagination, I thought that PR would be the ideal career to channel my creativity. I’m all about communication, and PR really allows you to foster meaningful relationships. I’m already learning...
Posted on
byJack Doyle
As a smaller business, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to sustainability. Sure, we all do our best to use the right recycling bin at home, and bring our re-usable coffee cups to work. But with serious pressures now mounting from the government – which pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 –...
Posted on
byLee Simpson
Another week, another round of mass layoffs in the tech sector. With Amazon (AWS) and Meta cutting thousands of jobs, and further layoffs at Salesforce and of course Twitter, it has felt a bit like the tech world has been imploding of late. This is of course concerning for us working in B2B tech PR, but more importantly for the...

Send us a message

Download The B2B business relationship report

The B2B relationship renaissance – did digital kill it? The importance of relationships throughout the customer buying journey. Please complete the form below and receive a download link via email.