A Conversation with an Associate Executive Director
March 22, 2019
Design Thinking for Associations | Part I
April 19, 2019
I remember listening to my first podcast ten years ago. It was a daily podcast about my favorite basketball team; the audio production was shoddy, but it was chock-full of engaging information and it helped me become a better fan, so I subscribed and kept listening. I wondered to myself if there were more podcasts about things that interested me.
As a newly-graduated English major who loved marketing, I wondered how podcasts could benefit brands. Fast forward to now, and I’m a subscriber to 16 podcasts and listen to over ten hours of content per week. On top of that, I produce several podcasts across Innovatis Group’s many clients.
So why do I believe in podcasts so much? What started as a DIY way to make content for literally anything is now a legitimate way for businesses, brands, and associations to reach out to their customers and members on a relative shoestring budget. Keep reading to learn why you should consider podcasting as one of your sources of content!
Audio gives a broad palette of choices to the creator.
Podcasts can vary from short-form to long-form, 10 minutes long or (if you’re really ambitious) two hours. From Serial to NPR, imaginative and enthralling storytelling has taken on a whole new dimension, as has current events and news reporting. As long as you have a voice, you can (literally) make a podcast however you want and about anything you want.
Podcasts can be consumed almost anywhere.
Probably the most desirable feature of podcasting is the fact you can listen to them while doing other tasks as well. Blogs have their time and place (who hasn’t read a blog at their desk between tasks at their office?) but listening to podcasts is an enjoyable way to pass the time doing virtually anything. Podcasts are easily the most “flexible” form of content.
Podcasts are gaining visibility (audibility?) as a medium.
It might have been correct ten years ago to say that podcasts are for younger audiences, but podcasts are becoming increasingly more popular with older audiences as well. Edison Research conducted a study in 2018 that found 1/3 of Americans ages 25-54 listen to podcasts monthly, while the 2019 report found that 51% Americans have listened to a podcast. I would be surprised if that statistic plateaus any time in the near future.
You can highlight what makes your community great – the people.
One thing I love about creating podcasts for clients is that I get to highlight people from the fantastic communities that we serve. It’s a great way to get to know people you might not know well and the expertise they bring to each community. For example, our IAUG episode featuring Tyler Preder is one of our most popular in the series because it takes a member of a vibrant community and spotlights him. We’ve received many comments about how he shared parts of his story no one else has heard before. The same goes for our podcast with Mark Fletcher, who shared his near-death story and how it inspired him to do great work. It’s also a unique way to bring awareness to the activities your organization holds or new offerings for your group’s membership. After all, you don’t have a great community without great people. Share their stories and expertise!
Podcast content can be repurposed.
Creating long-form content like podcasts can act as a farming system for other types of content – blogs, memes, images, etc. Each one can be published for email blasts and social media posts and once you create evergreen content, you can reuse it to cushion your content calendar.
Engaging content for brands or associations is just one way that Innovatis Group can solve your community’s needs. Contact us to begin the conversation about leveraging engaging content and much more.