Benefits of Podcasting as Your Marketing Strategy (& Why Podcasts Outperform Online Ads)

Keep reading to get the inside scoop on:

• Why old-school online ads might be draining your bank account faster than a teenager with your credit card in a shopping mall
• The secret short-lived nature of those Facebook and Google ads you’ve been plugging in
• The magic potion for cost-effectiveness, otherwise known as podcasting
• The golden goose of longevity and dedicated audience connection that podcasting presents

Sit tight. I’m about to pull some serious marketing gold out of my hat and lay it all out on the table for you! 🌟

The High Costs of Traditional Online Advertising

Ever considered WHY you’re pumping cash into online ads? 🤔 Let’s break it down:

You’d easily spend $1000 per month running Facebook or Google ads—a considerable chunk of change for small businesses. This isn’t a one-time investment, but a continual drain on your resources 

And before all the FB ads managers come after me – yes, there is a time and perfect set of reasons to run ads! The assumption is these ads will reel in enough new clients, swiftly, to cover those costs and then some.

But the average business owner doesn’t have in-depth knowledge about retargeting, or any other ads strategy for that matter, and needs ABSOLUTE guidance in this area so all their cash isn’t spent on A/B testing. 

My other beef with business owners jumping into FB ads is that most businesses don’t have enough long-term, searchable content published on their blog, YouTube channel, podcast or any other semi-permanent medium to even show up in search results. Instead, they’re jumping ahead to quick-hit, pay-to-play tactics that expire completely the minute cashflow stops. 

If the entire marketing decision matrix makes you feel like a fish out of water, you’re not alone. Let me lead you to clearer waters with a different approach to online marketing. 🎣🐠

The Short-Lived Impact of Traditional Online Ads

Hands up, who likes spending money and seeing the returns quickly evaporate? 🙋‍♀️ Same, said no one ever.

Yet, this is the reality for many businesses reliant on traditional online advertising methods like Google and Facebook Ads.

The Ephemeral Nature of Traditional Online Advertising

Here’s a way to think about it. Imagine your advertising strategy as a snowman. ☃️ With Google and Facebook Ads, the moment the sun (read: funding) disappears, your snowman rapidly melts, all but forgotten by the gleeful children (read: potential clients) running around in the park (read: the internet).

• The minute you stop fueling your ads, your reach doesn’t just gradually drop – it disappears completely. Your ads can’t even be found by someone searching for them.
• The clicks stop immediately, so unless you collected email addresses from everyone who clicked, you’ve got no way to follow up.
• Engagement comes crashing down to a whopping zero. If paying for those eyeballs on your brand didn’t actually yield subscribers, followers, or members, you’ll continue to have to pay for engagement if that vanity metric is what you want.
• Not only do you pay your ads manager’s monthly fee, but you pay to keep your ads live.

Yes, folks, we are talking about an instantaneous end to your ad campaign’s impact. Wipe your tears with your ad spend receipts.

The Dependency Dilemma

Now, no one is saying that Google and Facebook Ads are bad per se. In fact, they can bring short-term rewards, especially when you’re looking for immediate results. But the catch? You become dependent on this instant gratification-based model.

• You’re caught in a tricky expectation cycle that’s, frankly, anything but a merry-go-round. 🎠
• Your ad campaign’s success becomes a day-by-day proposition, with each day’s success contingent upon the continued investment you’re willing and able to put forth.
• Once you pull the plug on the funding, there’s a cliff-edge drop in results. And that’s not such a great place to be, standing at the edge of that cliff, watching your business tumble down without a parachute.

In contrast, podcasting is more of a long game. It’s like a snowglobe – the impact of your initial investment continues to create a flurry of interest, no batteries required! 

What if you could bypass this high-cost, high-risk strategy and instead adopt an approach that fosters long-term connection and audience growth, with the added advantage of cost-effectiveness? Stick around for the next section, where we put the spotlight on podcasting as the affordable yet highly effective marketing alternative. Spoiler alert: it rocks both as a marathon and a sprint! 

Podcasting: A Cost-Effective Strategy

With the high costs and short-lived benefits of traditional online advertising now crystal clear, it’s time to reveal the affordable and effective breakout star in the marketing world – podcasting! 🎙️ 

On average, a small business should/could be spending anywhere between 1-10% of its revenue on advertising. The US Small Business Administration recommends business owners limit their marketing budget to about 7% of gross revenue. If you adhere to this 7% advice and you make $200K per year in gross sales, you can spend $14,000/yr or $1,160 per month on marketing your small business. 

Meanwhile, when we look at conversion rates (the percentage of consumers who buy after hearing about a business/products/services) across all marketing channels, industry standard is at about 1%. That means out of every 100 impressions, perhaps you’ll make 1 sale.  That STINKS!

This is where podcasting really takes the lead – whether we’re talking about host sales or in-episode ads, conversion rates are much higher. On the conservative side, we see about 3% conversion and on the high side we see up to 9% conversion rates. Why? Because podcast listeners’ integrate their favorite show into their routine AND because by having a weekly show, listeners get to know, like, and trust you and your business more deeply, and faster.

Think about it, do you trust an ad? Or do you trust someone you hear from each week? 

Now, let’s dive into the monetary side of things.

Low Costs that Lead to Big Savings

While a traditional online ad campaign might require you to spend a hefty ads-manager fee plus a minimum of $5 per day for video views, likes, engagement, or clicks, however that can limit your reach. So, whether you’re retargeting, hoping for greater visibility, or craving conversions, this can quickly add up in excess of one thousand dollars each month.

In contrast, podcasting requires a one-time purchase of equipment (affordable mic recommendations here) and a podcast host account subscription, which only costs about $150/year on average – take a moment to let that sink in. 🤑

Podcasting can be as complicated or as simple as you make it! You can DIY the thing practically for free, DIY under my guidance inside the Podcast Abundance Academy ($147/mo), or have the show professionally edited and managed with our Done-For-You podcast post-production (starting at $160/episode). 

We provide guidance on how to record high-quality audio in your home office and detailed post-production audio and video editing services, during which we optimize the sound and the content, shedding the best light on you, your business, and your guest, if applicable. Then we upload and schedule the written, audio, and video components to all platforms so you don’t worry about a thing after your remote podcast recording session. You get to glide through your days with confidence that your podcast is being handled with the utmost care, “automatically” for you. 

Initially, it would appear that there’s a huge gap of savings here. But that’s not really true. Most of my Done-For-You post-production clients pay between $300- $1,000 per month for a weekly or biweekly audio and video podcast episodes.

So, what’s the difference between paying $1,000 on podcast production vs Facebook ads?

Simple. 

In one case, you’re paying for your long-form content to be professionally edited, SEO-optimized, and posted on platforms where they’ll be findable by potential clients FOR YEARS into the future. 

In the other case, you’re paying $1,000+ to be visible THIS MONTH only. 

Wouldn’t you rather spend money on long-lived business assets than on here-today-gone-tomorrow tactics?

Flexible Podcast Production Pricing Options

The benefits of podcasting as your marketing strategy exist in longevity. Each episode needs to be produced exactly one time. That means you commit maybe 1 hour to scripting (if necessary), 1 hour to record, and a one-time editing/coordination fee to your podcast manager. Then, once it’s uploaded on your podcast host account and/or YouTube channel, it lives on forever for all to find until you cancel your podcast host account. And, before you ask, YES, you can make money on YouTube with a small following.

For costs, there’s a range of options available because podcast editors, managers, and podcast host accounts come in all flavors. You have pricier options and more economical ones, so you can pick what suits your budget and needs. It’s a bit like shopping for ice cream! 🍦

When you choose to adopt podcasting as your strategy, the flexibility of pricing can be pretty attractive, too. This means you can start off simply and then scale up as and when required.

Low-Cost Simple Start Example: One of my clients bought a SamsonQ2u microphone for $60, opened a podcast host account for $15/mo, and began recording really short, to-the-point solo episodes 2x/mo. My rate for these audio-only podcast episodes with show notes is about $300/mo.

Yearly investment: $3,840

Do It BIG Example: One of my clients bought high-end Røde recording equipment, a vlogger camera, and signed up for a premium host account – proof that you can achieve quality video production on a budget! His one-time costs were about $1,650. He’s recording weekly audio/video solo episodes for which my rate is about $250 per episode since they’re less than 20 minutes long. 

Yearly investment: $13,300

See? Instead of stressing over a significant lump sum spent on a one-time, short-lived ad campaign that may or may not catch on, wouldn’t it feel fantastic to have continual, tangible results with a much lower investment on content that lives forever? I think so too!

In the next section, we’ll explore exactly why the longevity and benefits of podcasting as your marketing strategy far outweigh the quick-fix solutions usually offered by traditional online ads. Let’s get you excited about the potential for sustained, long-term connection with your audience! 

The Longevity and Benefits of Podcasting

Now that we’ve established podcasting is a brilliant, cost-effective strategy, it’s time to dive into the superpower podcasts possess – longevity. Like that enjoyable classic novel on your shelf, podcasts keep giving, long after their initial release. 

A Long-Living Educational Library of Helpful Information

Podcasts are like the gift that keeps on giving. Unlike traditional online ads, which vanish once you stop funding them, podcast episodes stick around. Bonus points if you properly repurpose your podcast episodes into blog posts for your website!

Even if you stop producing new episodes, older episodes remain available for discovery, thanks to your hosting platform. This means you continually accumulate listeners over time and convert a portion of those listeners into paying clients, a fantastic example of return on investment.💰 THIS is how you monetize a podcast!

Imagine this scenario: You’ve got an impressive 18-month library of episodes. People continue to find them, listen to them, and become more interested in what you do or sell. This long-term attraction strategy just doesn’t happen with most online ads, doesn’t that sound exciting?

The Power to Connect

One of the biggest benefits of podcasting as your marketing strategy is the podcast’s ability to forge robust, two-way connections with your audience. Podcasts enable your listeners to truly know you, grow with you, and fall in love with your brand over time. It’s not about a quick sell – it’s about fostering a long-term relationship.😍

Podcast listeners are among the most loyal of followers, scheduling time to listen to your show in their weekly and daily routines. Whether they listen while driving to work, walking the dog, or doing laundry, they rely on your voice to guide them throughout the activity.

In other words, your listeners are not just passive recipients of your content – they actively choose to spend time with you. That spells loyalty and genuine interest in what you have to offer!

Wrapping Up: Tune in to the Benefits of Podcasting 

Now that I’ve beautifully unraveled the benefits of podcasting as your marketing strategy, it’s up to you to decide how you’ll best develop a loyal following, rank in search engines long-term, and create content that will  attract and warm leads for years into the future.  🙌

• Cost Effectiveness: Thousands per month for one-time-use Google or FB ads against minimal one-time equipment costs and ~$12 per month hosting for your podcast. Your pocket will eternally sing your praises.
• Enduring Impact: Your podcasts, unlike traditional ads, enjoy an astonishing ‘forever young’ status. They stick around, luring and converting listeners into devout customers, even when you’ve stopped airing new ones. 
• Monumental Reach: A vast library of episodes keeps showering its blessings on you over months and even years! People stumble upon them and get smitten by your brand. Talk about winning hearts (and wallets)! 
• Stronger Connection: It’s not just about marketing, but about forging relationships. Listeners fall head over heels for your brand through your podcasts; it’s a love at fourth sound – Meet, Listen, Like, Love! 

So, folks, pump up the volume and don’t jump, leap onto the miraculous bandwagon of podcasting as your go-to marketing strategy for your business. It’s time to skip the tribulations of traditional advertising, and usher in the rosy era of podcasting. Let that fantastic podcast product reverb love for your brand into untamed territories and untapped audiences. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Podcasting as a Marketing Strategy 

How cost-effective is podcasting as a marketing strategy?

In the grand scheme of things, podcasting is wonderfully pocket-friendly. If you’ve been on the Google or FB ads train, you’ll usually shell out a minimum of $1000 per month to gain traction. Switch to podcasting and you’re looking at a few hundred per month to start simply and about $150/year to keep your show actively listed on all podcast platforms, a mere fraction of the cost!

Does podcasting have a lasting impact?

Unlike the fleeting nature of traditional online ads, podcast episodes enjoy a lovely endless run. They linger in the virtual world, continuing to attract potential customers even months after the episodes have been broadcast, even if you aren’t producing any new episodes. 

Can podcasting reach a wide audience?

Absolutely! A library of podcast episodes not only engages your regular tribe but also endears you to new listeners who stumble upon your brand through your podcast. It’s like throwing a bunch of seeds – sooner or later, they’ll sprout and grow into a beautiful customer relationship field.

Can podcasting create a stronger connection with my audience?

Yes indeed! Podcasting offers an invaluable opportunity for brands to build a connection with their audience. It’s a platform to express and impress, a golden ticket to getting listeners to fall head over heels for your brand over time.

Remember, folks, podcasting isn’t just a marketing strategy; it’s a recipe for client relationships that lead to brand loyalty and consistent growth. So, tune in, turn the volume up, and let the world resonate with your brand’s voice.