By Annemarie Cross, ‘The Podcasting Queen’*

WE all know the importance of consistently sharing our insights to build and maintain thought leadership in our area of expertise. However, with the rapid increase of information being added online on a daily basis this poses a real challenge for our content to even be found.

According to Internet Stats Live (a Real Time Statistics Project spearheaded by a team of global developers, researchers and analysts) at 7.26 am on 6th September 2018, 75,426,700,329 emails had been sent; 1,742,999 blog posts had been written; and 2,007,975,238 videos uploaded to YouTube, with this number being reset to zero at the start of each business day.

That’s a LOT of content to compete with.

Add to this challenge the ‘attention’ dilemma (studies have shown the average attention span is around 12 seconds) which means we’re also struggling to maintain the attention of our ideal client long enough to make a meaningful connection.

This is why we’re told to:

  • Keep our videos short and concise (Less than 5 minutes), and;
  • Write shorter articles (that’ll take less than 10 minutes to read) – Source Global Research

Imagine if there WAS a way where you could capture AND maintain your ideal clients’ attention because they wanted to listen to your information and were choosing to listen to you in their own time?

And, not just for a brief five minutes … but for 20-30 minutes on a regular basis.

And how? By podcasting.

A recent article in Forbes titled: Steve Jobs was Right When He Said Podcasts Were the Future of Audio, claimed that Jobs recognised the power of podcasting years ago, which is why Apple invested in the technology we now know as Apple Podcast (formerly iTunes.)

Edison’s annual audio consumption study – The Infinite Dial continues to show an increase year-on-year of people choosing to spend their valuable personal time listening to podcasts.

On their OWN terms … when they want, where they want, for however long they want and WITHOUT being bombarded with in-your-face (or should I say ‘ears’) advertisements – typical of traditional radio.

What’s exciting about the number of podcast listeners is we haven’t yet hit maximum consumption.

Far from it!

This is particularly exciting for Thought Leaders who recognise the potential that on-demand audio offers.

Are you leveraging podcasts to build influence, engagement and trust with your ideal client?

According to The Australia Podcast Consumer: The Infinite Dial 2017, 29% of Australians listen to podcasts:

  • At home: 78%
  • In the car/truck: 39%
  • Riding in public transport: 23%
  • At work: 21%
  • At the gym: 12%

Podcast listeners are also 69% more likely to follow companies and brands on social media IF they have a podcast.

Podcast listeners are also more active on every social media channel, including:

  • Facebook: 82%
  • Instagram: 48%
  • LinkedIn: 33%
  • Twitter: 24%

As a Thought Leader, if you have a podcast you’re more likely to build a relationship with your ideal client across various touch points (i.e. social media channels).

Don’t be put off by the belief that you have to have an ongoing podcast to generate any real ROI. You don’t.

We have helped clients develop a standalone podcast series they continue to use to generate leads and inquiries.

One of our clients built brand awareness and was subsequently able to generate over half a million dollars in investor funding with her 5-part series.

We also host and produce bi-monthly (fortnightly) shows for our alliance partners where their VIP members are featured on the podcast to give them exposure, while provide valuable content for the rest of their membership. Their podcast also serves to build brand awareness, while directing potential members to their website and/or free opt-in gifts.

However you decide to leverage a podcast, whether it is via a 3-part podcast series, a fortnightly show or a weekly show, you can be sure it will continue to position you as a Thought Leader.  This is especially case when you incorporate a strategic call-to-action at the end of each podcast episode, enabling you to continue building your list, your leads and your inquiries 24/7, 365 days a year!

That’s #PodcastWithPurpose.

*Annemarie Cross – Founder of Podcasting With Purpose Podcast Training & Production Company is an award-winning podcast host and producer, dubbed: ‘The Podcasting Queen’ by her community after having produced numerous podcasts since 2008.

 She helps ambitious change makers and thought leaders go from invisible to influential with her done-with-you podcast platform and/or done-for-you podcast series. You step up to the microphone to record your podcast and her team do the rest, without you ever having to worry about learning technology, audio post-production or even promotion. We do it all leaving you to focus on what you do best! www.PodcastingWithPurpose.com