An interview with Matt Ward,
owner of inConcert Web Solutions.
Q: Matt…Why do you think business owners should listen to podcasts?
A: Podcasts are really about knowledge sharing, which in that world is sometimes referred to as “Knowledge Bombs”. Podcasts are full of idea’s to grow your business. The purpose of listening to a podcast is to learn new information and different perspectives on running a business. Ideally a business owner would be listening to hear that one golden nugget. That one idea that could help you improve or succeed in your business. Most importantly with podcasts you learn with No Additional Time (aka N.A.T.)! Business podcasts like SPRH were created to share knowledge and information about taking massive action in business. They interviewed Erik Wahl about creativity They also interviewed Evan Carmichael talking about “Your One Word” that defines your personal mission. Podcasts allow you to hear great minds talking about what they think works for them, and what perhaps could work for you!
Q: Why should business owners start their own podcast?
A: One reason is because you want to reach your consumers somewhere new. You can be in their ears, and minds just about anytime. However, please be careful with your intent here, there really is no value in selling through podcasts. The goal should be to inform your listeners and give away free information. Become an expert in your field, and build trust. Insight and education should be the goal with a call to action at the end that adds additional value for the listener.
A podcast is another form of communication to reach your prospects and clients in a new form of media. Since podcasts are audio based, and downloadable…people listen to them when they workout, when they are driving down the road, or maybe even while they are conquering their favorite mountain. Whatever works for you, don’t miss out on this free giveaway!
Q: Do you have an example of someone you advised to start a podcast?
A: Yes, there was a local general contractor that was already hosting a weekly radio show on a local AM station. Every week he did a ½ hour broadcast. Because of this he already had the content for the podcast! A few simple steps and he could be podcasting and reaching new prospects, and current clients in a completely different way. He could be gaining trust and getting referrals from listeners every week at a time with limited additional time or resources.
Q: Can you give me an example of a business that could be a podcast?
A: “The Favorite Sun” is a vacation rental property in Fort Myers Florida – The podcast could be about Fort Myers, and Sanibel Island. The owners of this property could talk to business owners in the area, find out what’s new and noteworthy about their businesses. By interviewing these business owners they are gaining exposure for their property. They could also talk about what to do, where to go, and all types of local entertainment. Consumers love easy, free information, and what business wouldn’t love the free exposure. Every single time the podcast gets downloaded, they are advertising their rental property. Also every person they interview becomes aware of their rental and would most likely look at it online, as well as share the episode page from the website. This results in building trust, making friends, and consistently networking. It’s a great marketing idea, with good reach and exposure.
Q: Can you tell me a little about cost associated with starting my own Podcast?
A:
- It’s ideal to have a website to showcase the podcast episodes when they are completed each week. This allows you to generate additional content, which is great for Google Search results. Generally speaking, most podcast hosts either have a specific website, or they add the podcast to their blog section of their website, and they use the show notes as content for the post, along with the audio file.
It’s also recommended that you get a podcast media hosting account, like Libsyn, This could range from $7 – $20 per month.- You could also use a scheduler if you are scheduling guests. If you have two co-hosts, and a guest, this makes it easier to easier to schedule your podcast recording. You do not have to schedule guests, a lot of podcast do well without any guests. But if you are doing a guest based interview podcast, a scheduling tool is highly recommended.
- A virtual admin is also available for some of the administrative work, like typing up the show notes. This can take you about an hour or two per episode, so outsourcing this task is a more efficient, allowing you to focus on the content creation of the podcast and not the administrative tasks of it.
- Podcasts are always better with great graphics. We highly recommend a simple graphics software tool called Canva for that.
- You don’t need, social media, but if you want to get the word out, it’s highly recommended. We recommend at least, twitter, and Facebook.
- You need a good (not great) microphone, and a set of headphones or earbuds so you don’t get any feedback when recording.
- If you are doing a guest hosting podcast you would also need software to record, we recommend skype, but you can also use zoom, and you will need call recording software, like ecamm or pamela.
Overall the cost would be a about $200 to start up, and then ongoing monthly could run you as much as $200/month.
