5 Ways Podcasts can Help Drive Traffic to your Website
The origination of podcasting can be traced back to 2004 when Ben Hammersley coined the term in an article published by the United Kingdom’s Guardian newspaper. Podcasts were initially named after the iPod but today, podcasts can be listened to anywhere, on any media playing device.
Podcasts are a great media resource for companies wanting to market their product or service, but how exactly do podcasts help drive traffic to your website? It's imperative to utilize research along with data gathered from web analytics reporting to find out where your users are spending most of their time and leveraging that information within your podcasts to engage with existing users as well as attract new users.
Podcasts, A Multimedia Alternative
Advertising a podcast on the homepage of your company site is just one way of generating interest. Be persistent and generate quality content and a podcast can really take off. It may take some time to really be able to measure results as growing an audience takes time, but podcasting, when done successfully, will in time generate an increase in traffic to your site, therefore improving your rankings while building trust with your consumers.
Podcasts offer expert information or advice which in turn generates brand awareness and trust between the business and its consumers. When choosing to use podcasting for marketing purposes, it should be a incorporated into your SEO marketing strategy as well as your social media marketing and your content marketing strategies. A successful digital marketing campaign will demand that all marketing avenues intersect and support each other.
Keeping in Touch with Podcasts
Podcasts also offer an opportunity for a business to show authority in their respective industry. They can open forums to distribute knowledge or advice. For example, say you sell, install and refinish wood flooring. That's quite the specialized market, but, there is a specific audience out there for selling, installing and refinishing wood flooring. They are homeowners, contractors, landlords and home improvement enthusiasts that hunger for ideas, advice, and information that you can provide, all the while piquing their interest to invest in your services.
Capture your audience by showing authority in your industry. Utilize your company's expertise with popular topics that are directly or indirectly tied the goods or services you provide. Ask yourself? What would my listeners be most interested in? What unique lesson can I teach them?
When you have informative and authoritative, quality content, you generate a dedicated audience. An audience that will trust your company's reputation therefore feel good about investing in your product or service. It's important to develop a relationship with your listeners to the point where they trust in your knowledge and believe in your message. Being creative and consistent with the podcasts will also help drive traffic to your site as well as contribute to your online brand awareness.
Podcasts Spark Interest
When you put in the time and effort to build an engaging and informative podcast, it’s almost a guaranteed way to boost traffic to your site. There are not many ways you can distribute authoritative information while still being relevant and engaging within a sustainable amount of time. Again, being consistent and distributing quality content is key to successful podcasting. Being persistent and creative will pay off.
Utilizing social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to present previews of upcoming episodes is just one way to promote your podcasts.
Podcasts Yield Low Investments & High Returns
Search engines have become increasingly efficient at spotting quality content when it’s published. Your podcast is no different and it counts towards the overall impression Google and other search engines attribute to your company and it's website.
Using Podcasts in Email Marketing
There is a reason why email marketing is essential to any digital marketing strategy. It’s still an effective way to reasonably and cost-effectively reach many people effectively at any time. You are inviting people to trust your authority in your company industry. You are invested in their needs, and value them as a customer.