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So We Started a Podcast
61 Plays6 years ago
Nobody ever said podcasting was easy . . . but it doesn't have to be incredibly hard, either! Thanks for joining the first episode of The Marketing Mix.
After years of encouraging clients to get into podcasting, business partners and sisters Stacy Jackson and Alanna Jackson decide it's about time to practice what they preach.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- what prompted the duo to finally do this thing
- why podcasting can be so daunting
- stats from Edison research on just how popular podcasting is
- data from Nielsen on just how popular business-themed podcasts are
The team also shares a few takeaways and good-to-know tips if you'd like to get started on a podcast of your own.
Remember: this is a work in progress, so be patient. We promise to work hard to get even better!
Want to talk to us? Leave a voicemail in the Anchor.fm podcast app or visit us at the Jackson Marketing website.
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Transcript
Introduction to The Marketing Mix Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Marketing Mix Podcast with Alaina and Stacey. Each week we'll bring you ideas that you can implement in your own marketing strategy. We'll share what we know as well as advice from industry experts, some of whom will join us from time to time here on the show. Are you ready to mix it up? Let's get started.
Why Start a Marketing Podcast?
00:00:24
Speaker
Hi there, this is Stacey Jackson. And I'm Elena Jackson. We're business partners and sisters, and we're starting this new podcast called The Marketing Mix. Elena, why don't you tell people why we just started, well, why we decided to start the show.
00:00:39
Speaker
Well, I think that we can both agree that it's about time that we practice what we preach. Yeah. We've been talking to clients and encouraging them to do different podcasts and other things in their marketing programs. And while we're not doing those things ourselves, so it's time to start walking the walk.
00:01:02
Speaker
Yeah shame on us because we have encouraged people to do these podcasts and videos and things and have not been actively doing it ourselves and we've seen people have success so we wanted to try and be our own case study and show people that you can make multimedia efforts work for you and your content strategy.
Internal Marketing in Agencies
00:01:23
Speaker
You know I think for us one of the big things is when you're an agency
00:01:27
Speaker
it's kind of difficult to focus on your own business because you get so caught up in wanting to serve your clients and help them to win that you kind of let your stuff fall to the wayside. So it's, we've gotten to the point where we have to buckle down and just commit to it. So that's where we are.
00:01:42
Speaker
Yeah. And we've let, oh, we don't have time be an excuse. So now we're finally doing it firsthand, learning how to make a podcast. And you guys get to join us on this journey. And doing this, I can see why some marketers are a little hesitant. It takes work and even a little courage because you don't know what people's reactions might be.
Overcoming Podcasting Fears
00:02:06
Speaker
But the payoffs can be big for people who are willing to stick it out and perfect their formats.
00:02:12
Speaker
Lena, why do you think it's so difficult for brands and marketers to commit to podcasting? I think one of the biggest things that holds people back is
00:02:24
Speaker
fear and you're you're scared to put yourself out there because it can be difficult you you're putting yourself out there as your own personal brand you're putting yourself out there as your company brand and people kind of get a little hesitant when you're approaching it from those angles because you don't want to fail right and that's connected to your livelihood so if you screw up big time they're got sure your money or your sales so
00:02:51
Speaker
And you don't want to sound a lot of people are afraid to say that they're going to sound dumb or maybe they're going to be sound boring, come across as, you know, somebody that others don't want to listen to because it's just not interesting. So I think something that you got to get past. I think marketers too, who have the mindset, especially in B2B, that
00:03:10
Speaker
Oh, we can't do content marketing because our industry is boring. There's always a story or an angle. You have to get out of that boring mindset and think about what can you tell people about your company culture, about how your brand solved a problem, or even touch on those customer questions as topics for that podcast. So don't be afraid of boring. Find ways around boring.
Time Management for Podcasts
00:03:33
Speaker
Yeah, and if your customers or potential clients are asking these questions, then they're questions that your audience wants to know. Yeah, so it's not boring to them for sure. Exactly.
00:03:45
Speaker
There's also issues like we even said earlier around time. Sometimes there just isn't enough time or resources to tackle a new media channel. But just like we said we had done, time can be an excuse. So while it is a commitment to a podcast, it's
00:04:06
Speaker
It's the same discipline and process that you would plan for your videos or your blogs, anything else that you're doing content marketing. So you just need to take time to plan, hustle for any guests you want to interview, do the research, and then record and promote. I know that's several things, but it is possible to do without a lot of investment.
00:04:32
Speaker
Yeah, and when it comes to time, we've been talking about doing a podcast for a couple of years now. And our big thing was we didn't have time. So we have come to the point where we're making it a priority, and we're going to get into doing it and doing it on a regular basis. But like you said, it does take commitment.
The Importance of Planning Episodes
00:04:55
Speaker
It's not something that you can just willy-nilly wing it, which
00:05:01
Speaker
as people that know us knows that I'm more of the wing it kind of person on our team. And for me, I was like, well, yeah, we'll just kind of have some questions or topics lined up to talk about and we'll just go with it and not worry about anything else. But
00:05:20
Speaker
as we've gone through this process and you've walked us through, we do actually have to plan this. It's not just a week kind of situation. So definitely this process, as much as the frustration I might've had going through it, it definitely does make a difference when you strategize for these podcasts.
Commitment and Learning in Podcasting
00:05:45
Speaker
Right. You're not just sitting down and thinking, oh, what am I going to talk about today? It does help to take a little time just to outline. Often we'll do it, a little bit of research, and then you're ready to go. And I know it's easy for everybody thinking, oh, you guys are just doing your very first podcast. You don't know what kind of commitment or
00:06:06
Speaker
issues you've gotten yourself into, but we have seen what clients go through and we know that there's work that has to be done and we're willing to put it in and we hope you'll enjoy watching us or listening to us learn along the way.
Podcast Growth and Audience Reach
00:06:20
Speaker
So, I'm sorry, go ahead, Laina. I was just going to say, so, you know,
00:06:26
Speaker
A lot of marketers aren't really convinced that podcasting is where they need to be, the channel that they need to be on and the things that they need to be doing for their brand. So I know that you've done some research and you've got some numbers. Maybe can you talk through some of those? Do people actually listen to podcasts and is it worth it?
00:06:45
Speaker
Yes, they do. And I love podcasts myself, but I'm not the only person out there. According to Edison Research, 64% of Americans 12 and older have at least heard of podcasts. 44% of Americans actually listen to podcasts. And a lot of that is due to the growth of smart speakers and services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher,
00:07:09
Speaker
I'm kind of surprised that it's not higher than 64% that have just heard of podcasts.
00:07:18
Speaker
Yeah, that was a little surprising to me, but it apparently is higher than the prior year. So podcast is still growing. So I anticipate that more people will learn and understand what a podcast is and begin listening in the coming year, especially with those smart speakers and more people using smartphones and using services like Spotify and Amazon Music, which also streams podcasts.
00:07:47
Speaker
Some more information about the numbers behind podcasting. 26% of Americans that listen to podcasts listen monthly, and one-third of Americans who listen monthly are in the age range 25 to 54. So, especially if you're in B2B sales and marketing, that's probably a sweet spot as far as the age range of people go.
00:08:10
Speaker
And in 2018, 6 million more Americans listen to podcasts weekly versus 2017. So it's growing.
Business Podcasts and Ad Revenue
00:08:20
Speaker
69% of podcasts are consumed on a mobile device and 22% of Americans listen in their car. So there's all kinds of opportunities for you to ride along with your customer or be right there in their pocket to listen to them. You just have to take a little time to plan out
00:08:38
Speaker
that topic, the stories that you want to tell, and how to connect with people through audio. And the 22% American have listened to podcasts in their car. That's one
00:08:52
Speaker
big thing that I hear a lot of sales people especially talking about that you have to constantly be constantly be learning and listening to a podcast, a business podcast in the car on their commute to work. I've heard so many of them mentioned this and that's that's a huge thing that I think will probably start growing.
00:09:16
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. Okay, Alaina, you mentioned that salespeople talk a lot about podcasts. What about other business people or business topics? Is that a big thing on podcasts from what you've researched?
00:09:30
Speaker
Yeah, so business podcasts are in the top five genres of what people are listening to. According to Nielsen Podcast Insights, a marketers guide to podcasting from 2018, they go into those details and they talk about that business podcasts have 36.7 million casual fans and 21 million avid fans.
00:09:55
Speaker
Right there, you've got a huge massive amount of people that you can reach and share your information and add value to what it is that they're doing in their sales and marketing strategies or whatever business you're in.
Strategies and Sponsorship for Success
00:10:12
Speaker
So I think it's definitely worth it when you think about and look at what do people listen to. There's tons of people listening and business
00:10:21
Speaker
is in the top five genres. So it's definitely an area that you need to tap into. Yeah, and another point that we learned from the Interactive Advertising Bureau is that business is one of the top five categories in terms of ad revenue. So the top five podcast subject categories, believe it or not, business podcasts are seeing a lot of ad revenue. Now, I don't have any
00:10:49
Speaker
far off dreams of this podcast having any sponsors right away. But if we were to really do our jobs right and do it well, you never know. We could have some sponsors here besides Jackson Marketing. Exactly. I mean, like you said, you never know. It's just about, you just got to get out there and start doing it and see what comes your way. Right. So let's talk about a little bit more into
00:11:16
Speaker
Why the heck are we doing this? Yeah, why would we put ourselves for this? It's extra time. It's a lot of extra research and things like that. But like I've said in the past, we didn't have time for it, but we have to make it a priority. So, you know, what is it that is going to
00:11:39
Speaker
get us to that point you know why are we doing this or we want it to be a thing where people get to see how the sausage is made and walk with us on our journey and hopefully we will inspire someone else out there to say hey you know what it's not that big of a deal i can do this or at least figure out what not to do you know exactly so as newbies
Using Anchor FM and Podcast Naming Challenges
00:12:00
Speaker
We've already, even though we just started, learned some things. So the first one is, you don't have to pay a fortune just to test the waters, right? Right. So you found a service for us. Right. It's a service called Anchor FM. It's free for people to start podcasting on. And it was recently acquired by Spotify, just this past week, I believe. So as Spotify acquired it, there's some money and expertise behind it.
00:12:30
Speaker
and you're gonna get some help distributing your podcasts to Apple Stitcher and other podcast services. So it's really helpful. It also comes with the option to let people leave voicemails for your show so you can incorporate that into future episodes. It's just a really nice service and they even help you find sponsors. And it's free, so that's the best part about it. Right.
00:12:56
Speaker
The next thing that we had the most difficult time with, I would have to say, was nailing down the freaking name. It was so hard. It seemed like it should be so easy, but you don't want to go too far, too clever or too far too boring or whatever.
00:13:21
Speaker
torture in a way. And while the marketing mix, marketing mix is a standard marketing term, we're talking about mixing it up, right? Did you just dance while you said that? I did. I was dancing moving my shoulders. You know it, girlfriend. You were churning that brew, weren't you? Oh, yeah.
00:13:41
Speaker
So, so we even enlisted our niece and our sister to try and help us come up with ideas, you know, thinking a 13 year old might spark some great ideas, but she was not very helpful. Yeah, we had to come up with this a little crazy and was sending us all kinds of stuff. And it was quite the process. It really was two weeks. No, a week later, we finally nailed down what we wanted to do. Yeah.
00:14:09
Speaker
I think this third point that we wanted to hit on is something you already covered a little bit, Alayna, that we just can't sit here and wing it. We have to do a little research and planning. Yes, I have been caught with my head between my tails on this one. Your head between your tails? Yeah, I've got more than one. I don't know what saying to use right there.
00:14:36
Speaker
That's okay. We know what you meant. Okay. So obviously you cannot just wing it. And definitely I'm realizing that because you just have to have a little bit of structure.
00:14:52
Speaker
So yeah, you don't have to read everything. You don't have to have a script that you're reading, but having somewhat of an outline to follow is definitely good to keep you on track and within your time and things like that. I've been sold.
00:15:11
Speaker
I think the final big thing that we've figured out, which I don't think we ever had any intention to do anyway, is you don't have to go buy a full blown studio kit or the most expensive microphone out there. Start small, just
00:15:30
Speaker
Get a decent mic. Use your computer. We're using Zoom right now to record this first podcast. Or you can try a podcasting app on your phone. Anchor even provides one to its users, and I'm sure there's others. Yeah, and I think this is key because you'll hear a lot of people that are haters out there saying, oh, you have to have the best mic. You have to have the best this or that. And you know what? You don't.
00:15:59
Speaker
You just want to have something decent to get you started. The most important thing is the ideas and content that you'll be providing. Don't get caught up in, like you said, a full-blown studio. Focus on your ideas because that's really what's going to keep people coming back and listening.
00:16:22
Speaker
the energy that you're sharing in your podcast. So I think that's definitely important because I think a lot of people probably don't podcast now that we're talking about because they don't want to spend the money. Right. And you don't have to. So I think that's a very important point to bring up.
Encouragement and Key Takeaways
00:16:42
Speaker
So let's just run through a few of the key takeaways that we want to share with people to kind of encourage them to get into podcasting. I'll let you go first, Selena. So I think one of the key takeaways is that
00:16:59
Speaker
business podcasts do work and people do listen. So don't think that people are only going out and listening to the drama ones or the comedy or things like that because business is in the top five and it banks on advertising. So that's something to definitely remember.
00:17:21
Speaker
And if you are sharing the right content, even if you're not making money on advertisements, you could see an increase in leads and sales, thanks to that podcast effort. Yeah, yeah.
00:17:32
Speaker
Another important takeaway is there's really kind of a low barrier of entry. You don't have to spend a fortune to get started. And there's even free services like Anchor FM to help you get your podcast out there. Exactly. And then you have to make it a priority. That is key. Like we said, years we've been trying to do this. And now we said, OK, on Friday, we're going to do it.
00:17:59
Speaker
We had something come up in the middle of doing it and we could have got sidetracked, but we were like, no, we need to do it. So we've made it a priority and we're getting in here and we're doing it. So priority, priority, priority. Right.
00:18:14
Speaker
Another thing for those of you who want to do a podcast, but you don't want to be the host, but it's right for your company, tap somebody else, find an executive or another person who wants to be out there, who's comfortable. You don't have to be the voice, you just need to be the mastermind who's going to help bring in leads and awareness for the company by using the podcast. We looked at having our dog do ours, but then we have to get a translator and all that stuff.
00:18:44
Speaker
Right.
00:18:46
Speaker
And then finally promote. Exactly. You got to promote it. You can't just do it and then just hope people will come. It's not like if you build it, they will come. You have to promote it. You have to get it on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, do some fun graphics for it and maybe even do some snippets. Like we do that with some of our clients. We do audio snippets from the podcast and share those. So you just, you have to promote it or nobody's going to know about it.
00:19:15
Speaker
And maybe you want to get a few under your belt first. Just feel it out, get ready to promote it. Maybe you're not ready right at the beginning, but when you're comfortable and you feel like your show is finally at a point where you really want the world to come, get out there and go crazy promoting. Exactly.
00:19:34
Speaker
So hopefully we have given some information that will help some of you that are thinking about podcasting and that will give you a little push to move forward and take that next step.
Reflecting on the First Episode and Feedback
00:19:50
Speaker
Yeah, I hope so. So we've just finished our first official episode. Alaina, how do you feel about podcasting? It's not so bad. It's pretty good.
00:20:02
Speaker
I even did a little dance and nobody could watch it, but you knew I was doing it as you pointed out. So hopefully you all enjoyed listening to this show and we'll come back and give us a chance as we get better and better with this. We'd love to hear your thoughts. If you visit our anchor page through the anchor app, you can even leave us a voicemail and we'll have this posted on our website too where you can add comments there. Yep.
00:20:31
Speaker
So until next time, this is the Marketing Mix. With Stacey and Elena. Yep, yep. Thanks, guys. Bye. Bye.