The bCast Blog

Let's welcome our guest writer  Ashley Halsey!

Podcasts are still quite new as a medium, as they've been around for just over a decade. However, they are now becoming a huge force in the world of marketing. They offer you opportunities that you've just never had before. They're especially useful for marketing events, as they give you a new channel to spread the word. Here' s what you need to know about podcasting and event marketing.

Guest On A Podcast Or Start Your Own?

This is the first question you need to ask yourself. If you want to reach people, you'll need to be on a podcast in one way or another. You have two options: either guest on a podcast, or start your own.

If there's a podcast in your industry that's well known and highly respected, you can reach out to them and ask to guest on it. If it's a podcast with a lot of reach, that's a whole host of new people that can hear about all your latest event.

On the other hand, you have the option of starting your own podcast. This is a good idea if you have lots of ideas for episodes and relevant topics that you want to cover. However, it's a lot of extra work to take on, and of course you'll need to work hard to promote it too.

Take Advantage Of A Wider Audience

When it comes to podcasting, it actually has a wider reach than many other mediums. Most are free to listen to, and they can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection. Around 22% of smartphone users will have listened to a podcast on their device in the last month, although you don't need a smartphone to listen to them.

There's also research that suggests that listeners stay tuned in for an average of 22minutes. That's 5 times longer than reading a blog post. That's something you'll want to consider when you're looking to market your event.

Promote Your Event The Way You Want

Podcasts as a medium are highly flexible. 'Your event isn't the same as anyone else's, so your podcast doesn't need to be either' says podcasting blogger Ami Harrison, from Draft Beyond and Last Minute Writing. 'You can use it to share the history of your event, go into detail about what you do there, or anything else you can think of.'

Many like to use podcasts to bring in influencers. It's a great way of giving them a platform, and using them to bring in their audience. You can then ask them to come to your event and do a presentation too, to encourage people to come along.

Use Recorded Material In Other Communications

Once you have that podcast recorded, you'll have a link that you can share around wherever you want. 'It's so easy to share a podcast in this day and age' says event manager Tim Santoro, from Writinity and Research Papers UK. 'You can put the link on social media, in newsletters, in emails, and so much more.'

The further you can spread the podcast, the better for your event. Social media is always a great place to, as those posts are so easily shared by your followers. That makes it easier than ever for people to hear about your event, no matter where they are in the world.

Keep The Event In Mind

It's not just the weeks leading up to your event that are important. Once the event is over, you want your attendees to still be thinking about what happened during it. A podcast is a good way to ensure that happens. You can release a podcast after the event, going over what happened and any important things that were discussed or discovered during it.

This keeps the event fresh in people's minds. If you've started your own podcast, then you can release episodes year round. This keeps it in their recent memory, making them more likely to book for next year's event, too.

These are just a few ways that podcasting can benefit your next event. You can use them to spread the word, and keep listeners thinking about the event once it's over. Give podcasting a try, and see just how much it improves your marketing reach.