Creating a video podcast is an effective way to supercharge your marketing strategy with rich media content.
A lot of the podcasts you listen to are likely created for entertainment purposes and monetized through sponsored ads. Video podcasts built for your marketing strategy, on the other hand, increase your ROI by bringing in new leads and moving them through the buyer’s journey.
While recording the actual podcast can be a relatively simple process, the quality and content of each episode can make or break your video marketing strategy. Done correctly, your video podcast can provide content for any stage of the marketing funnel.
Try these six steps to create a podcast for your own brand:
The first step in planning your video podcast is to analyze the needs, preferences, and goals of your target audience. Try to answer the following questions:
Who is going to listen to/watch this video podcast?
Where is my target audience’s customer lifecycle stage? (Awareness, consideration, purchase, etc.).
What messaging will resonate with this group of people?
What content can I create that will be valuable to them?
Fortunately, a video podcast is accessible for almost any size of budget. Consider the four main categories of expenses you’ll encounter:
Podcast production: At a minimum, you’ll need a computer, a microphone, and a camera to create a podcast. More polished production involves an audio interface and a mixer.
You’ll also need editing software, but there are free options available such as Apple iMovie and Windows Movie Maker (as well as similar software for audio-only podcasts).
Personnel/time: Try not to underestimate the amount of time you will spend on your video podcast, especially in the first few episodes as you learn the ropes. Budget for the costs of paying your team for planning, production, and post-production editing.
Guests: Will you be having guests on your podcast? You can host a podcast guest remotely using services like Zoom or Skype, but you may opt to have guests join you in person as well. Budget in compensation for your guests’ time and potentially for their travel expenses.
Ads and promotions: How will you tell your audience about your video podcast? Give your podcast an advertising budget to cover promotional efforts, such as video campaigns on Facebook, Google, and YouTube.
Your podcast’s personality is made up of elements such as your host, the tone of your script, artistic choices like music and visuals, and the kinds of subjects you tackle.
Here are some examples of podcast personalities:
Helpful, informative, mentor-like
Quirky and genuine
Serious and sincere
Lighthearted and fun
You should choose this personality based on what will work best to engage your audience and strengthen your brand image.
VALUE should be top-of-mind as you map out ideas for subjects to discuss and guests to feature. Just like you create blog posts, ebooks, and whitepapers to offer value to prospects, you should create a podcast that is useful to listeners.
Unlike podcasts monetized through ad revenue, the purpose of video podcast marketing is to increase ROI by gaining conversions. High-quality, helpful content opens the door for you to acquire new leads and guide them through the buyer’s journey.
A good rule of thumb is to have one main topic for each episode, with 2-3 subcategories. Thoughtful timing within your script will allow you to edit your podcast into smaller clips around your subcategories to use them where you need bite-size content.
Pick a general duration for each episode. On average, branded podcasts are 30 minutes in length. For podcasts geared towards thought leadership or covering very technical topics, your episodes may be long. Conversely, lesser branded podcasts may only need 15-20 minutes to be effective. Try to stay consistent with your episode times.
Once your video podcast is up and running, solicit frequent feedback from your listeners. Constructive feedback helps you make adjustments from episode to episode that strengthen your strategy and grow your audience. Don’t be afraid to make changes, test, assess, and repeat.
Have some questions on how to create a podcast that is effective and engaging? Our Tobe team has mastered that steep learning curve so you don’t have to! Drop us a message and we’ll be ready to jump in.