Brochures don’t build relationships the way podcasts can.
In today’s world, everything is about relationships. From business to personal life, technology allows us to connect with each other much more deeply. However, easier communication means more competition, so building strong relationships is imperative to success.
To weed through all of the noise, trust and recognition are at the top of our values. So, how do we build this trust? While there isn’t one special formula, I can tell you that sticking with old methods of communication just won’t cut it. The digital revolution has made information sharing so much quicker and easier, that you simply cannot fall behind if you want to be heard!
Brochures
This is where brochures come in. Printed marketing materials made their way onto the scene and quickly became synonymous with brand recognition. Imagery, strong visuals, exciting color, and high-quality printing made this possible. However, our digital world is leaving tangible printed materials behind! Why waste the paper when you can deliver the same thing digitally?
So, you end up putting your brochure online. Great! But it is still one dimensional! With the advent of social media, communication today is 3D. Hear it, read it, see it, interact with it. This is how we want to consume information now.
Podcasting
This is where podcasting comes in. Think of your podcast- your audio-only conversation- as your brochure in 3D. Your content is streamable while your listener is multitasking. You are able to link to materials in show notes, advertise within your episode, promote upcoming events, etc. Your conversations create questions that leave your audience thinking long after the episode ends.
The detail you can achieve is immeasurably more thorough. For example, instead of posting bullet points about your youth programming on a brochure, you can have a real life conversation with a young person about their actual experience on your podcast. You can tell their story. Dive deeper into it. Connect! This type of personalized communication is what sets you apart in the fight for consumer attention.
Achieving this depth with your podcast content is key. The following are points to keep in mind as you create that content, to facilitate relationship building with your listeners.
- Make sure that you are using your podcast content to do more than marketing. It is a platform for exploring.
- Your podcast should be conversational and not overly scripted. It’s better for the audience to think they’re listening in on a conversation rather than something pre-written and rehearsed.
- Bring guests on your show to tell success stories! This is what listeners care about, and are inspired by. People care to learn about other people’s real experiences.
- Build a relationship with your listener base through the open and candid conversations on your episodes. Show your personality and lead with your unique point of view.
- When building your podcast content, always keep in mind is exactly WHO and WHAT your podcast is for.
- Be able to fill in this blank: “Only on my podcast,_______________________________________.”
For more helpful tips on content creation, check out our post on the three main content categories HERE!
