Podcasting for Business: 5 Benefits Businesses Can Reap with Podcasts

By Sng Ler Jun

Podcasting is no new-fangled creation, but it has garnered great popularity in recent times. From newsrooms to media publications, multinational corporations to small-medium enterprises, podcasts have been adopted just for being an excellent content-sharing platform. As an effective audio marketing strategy, podcasts have propelled businesses and brands to a whole new level, by helping them better engage with their customers and improve their prospects.

The value of podcasting comes from the content you provide—that’s right, you are in control! But, by and large, podcasts are made to help your customers in different ways, whether by offering advice, providing a brand voice, or even sharing the industry know-how.

Here at CreativesAtWork, we embrace the magic behind podcasting with Freelance Creative Exchange (Asia’s first podcast series for freelancers by freelancers) as well as Virtual Insanity (an Audible Original podcast drama supported by IMDA). In fact, we love it so much that we have recently decided to extend our repertoire to offer podcasting services for our clients too. If you are interested in the many benefits attached to podcasting, read on to find out more.

Podcasts humanise the brand and help build personal connections

These days, podcasting is known as the new lingo for networking. With podcasts, you can now reach out to customers, whom you may have never met before, as well as niche audiences, who do not fancy taking in visual content. In other words, podcasts can help bridge the gap between businesses and their customers.   

Compared to social media, podcasting is a more intimate way of engaging with your audiences. By attaching a voice to your company, you’ll be able to build trust with your listeners. As you open up in subsequent podcast episodes, offering listeners a glimpse of what goes on behind the scene in your company, they too will start gaining an attachment to your voice. With time, you will come to realise that it is this personal relationship that helps you build a loyal following, and consequently generate leads.

Podcasts are portable and convenient

Living in a face-paced society today entails juggling a slew of work-related assignments and personal responsibilities daily. Those who hustle about frequently sometimes struggle to find time to consume the content they are interested in. With podcasts, individuals can circumvent that just by listening to informational tidbits while on the go.

Another benefit of podcasting is listeners can download previous episodes on their smartphones or tablets and replay them whenever they want. For those who want to reduce their screen time amidst the pandemic, podcasts have become the platform they turn to do so.  

Podcasts are highly engaging

Podcasts are a welcoming break from the monotony of traditional writing and visual mediums, such as blog or social media posts. And as mentioned earlier, you can control and regulate the content that goes on your podcast. Whether you are re-telling a unique story, sharing a piece of advice, interviewing a feature profile, or playing music, no two podcasts are the same. 

Furthermore, the length of a podcast differs greatly from one company to another. The average length of each of our Freelance Creative Exchange podcasts spans around 25 minutes. Put differently, it’s 25-minutes of one-to-one interaction that offers zero interruptions and zero competition stealing your listeners’ attention. How powerful is that?   

Podcasts are easy to produce

High-quality podcasts are relatively easy to create and you do not need much technical knowledge to execute the production. You also do not need to invest in a lot of equipment to create podcasts. All you need are a decent microphone, audio-editing software (most of them are free and easily accessible online), a quiet and conducive recording space, and content. This is especially useful for small business owners or new businesses, who may not have the capital to shoot trendy videos to stand out. 

Podcasts can be repurposed

The efforts you put into making a podcast series are not necessarily wasted once you have uploaded them. You can make use of existing podcast content and repurpose them into other mediums, such as snippets to share on other social media, a blog post, or for other marketing collaterals.

Plus converting audio content into a visual one helps improve accessibility; those who are hearing impaired will benefit from repurposed content. In other words, when podcasts are used appropriately, they can act as sustainable marketing tools that drive conversions.

Keen to find out more? Check out this year’s Asia Podcast Festival (1 Nov - 3 Dec 2021) where we celebrate and recognise podcast excellence in Asia. Join community conversations as we bring together only the best in the industry to discuss themes revolving around the unique landscape of podcasting in Asia. Or simply sign up for Podlab, a four-week long workshop where you get to learn from industry experts to supercharge your podcast career.