Lessons from a Digital Marketing Virtual Assistant who actually does the work:
Want to know what I’m really excited about in the digital media world right now? Podcasts. Why? They are a booming business right now. And they take everything that I love about being a unicorn VA and put it all into one fun, interactive package. So if you’re a business owner or a digital media virtual assistant, you should be getting excited about podcasts too. And here’s why.
Podcasts are a Booming Business
Sure, podcasts are not a new thing. They’ve been around for a long time. You can find podcasts now about everything from salsa dancing to solving true crimes. People have been producing them (and listening to them) for years.
But they’re still growing at a huge rate. There are over 900,000 shows and over 30 million recorded episodes. It’s staggering. And it’s estimated that there are over 2,000-3,000 new shows added each month.
Why Are Podcasts Important to Me?
Well, for one thing, if you’re a business owner or unicorn VA, they’re gold for you to listen to yourself. Especially if you niche down into a specific field of focus or growth. For example, I recently spoke with successful VA Samantha Semans who has niched down as an expert on Facebook ads and social media marketing. She is a regular subscriber to Nick Mulready’s podcast about FB ads where she gets the latest updates and trending ad advice.
But if you’re a business owner, or a savvy virtual assistant who wants to make your client’s business grow and succeed, you need to think bigger. And think about the possibility of starting your own podcast to grow and expand your brand, and scale your business.
Why Small Business Owners Need a Podcast
Yes, I know it’s scary. I know it’s a big leap. Especially if you’re not used to putting yourself out there as the face (or literal voice) of your business.
But there are a lot of important reasons that you need to get over that initial fear and think hard about the potential gains. Because there are lot of benefits you would get with a podcast:
- Serve Your Audience: Are you relying on just written content like blog posts or facebook communities? Think about all of the extra times that you could reach that audience if they could listen, too, instead of just read. And then think of how many more people you would reach that aren’t reading your stuff right now at all. The commuters, joggers, traveling business people, busy stay-at-home moms… They all probably have headphones on for at least a portion of their day even when they have no time to sit and read.
- Content Creation: A podcast is a perfect supplement to your blog content. We communicate much differently when we talk than when we write and read. All of those nuances and subtle differences bring a lot more potential benefits to your audience when you offer them both. And people feel a lot more connected to you personally, building that KLT factor, when they can put a face or a voice to your brand.
- Expand Your Sales Funnel: Whether you’re currently promoting your favorite brands through affiliate links, launching a new course, building your email lists, starting a new paid membership community, or just selling new products, this is going to be the icing on the cake for your conversions. Listeners that feel connected with you are going to catch onto your genuine excitement and sincere recommendations in a way that you just can’t duplicate in written text. And they’re going to be that much more likely to buy, subscribe, and follow.
- Build Your Reputation: Having a podcast raises your visibility. It makes people take you more seriously and view you as an authority and expert in your field. And that means that they’re going to want to get more from you in all of their online activities, from social media to paid products.
- Get Found Online: Podcasts are another avenue to build your business’s presence on the internet. Another place to park your brand and connect. And to be searched and discovered on a new platform, with a totally different potential audience than what you already have.
- Leverage Guests’ Audience: Just like I wrote in my post about Instagram takeovers, having guests on your podcast will expand your own content options while letting you tap into another expert’s own warm audience. Their followers and subscribers will be new listeners tuned into your message, and a lot of them are going to keep coming back for more.
- Demographics You Need: Chances are, the listeners who come to your podcast are going to be more engaged and affluent than the average online user. They’re the audience that can really appreciate your brand’s offerings and products. And they are more likely to have the financial background to become loyal customers who want to invest in whatever you have to offer.
But I thought you were anti-podcast?
No. Well, I do call my weekly Facebook live interviews my “anti-podcasts” because they are interactive conversations. I sometimes get frustrated listening to really great podcast conversations and not being able to participate.
So right now, I do weekly FB lives where I interview guests. Because I like the format of interactive conversations with students asking questions.
But that does not mean I don’t support podcasts! I love them. I’m just being lazy because I know how much cost and effort goes into producing one. And honestly this just came to me on a whim to start having experts in my group. It’s definitely a work in progress. (If you’re not already getting access to these expert interviews each week, join my free group now to hear more).
But I have had the opportunity to be a guest on several podcasts recently and it’s been a lot of fun. Like this episode of the The Multipassionate Entrepreneur Podcast where I talked about the 5-figure launch of of my digital media crash course for VAs. I love chatting with the host, sharing ideas, and just laughing and getting to talk shop. It’s something that is new for me but it really resonated. And it was exciting and engaging.
So I definitely think I need to take my own advice. I’m thinking a podcast will be in my future. Because there are some key differences to a podcast vs. FB lives.
For example, with podcasts, more people can find you than if you’re limited to only facebook. It’s also more official, and looks more professional right off the top.
Of course, it can also take more energy, effort, and time to produce. There are more initial hurdles to setting it up. And it can be costly, especially at first. It can take a while to build your audience and start generating revenue from the podcast.
The Takeaway: Start thinking about why podcasts would help your business or clients!
I am very excited about the potential of podcasts right now. But I know that podcasts aren’t easy. It’s not going to be something that you can just jump right into on a whim. It will take time, and careful thought and planning, to make it worth it.
That’s why I wanted to plant this seed right now. So that you can start thinking about adding podcasts to your brand as you’re planning out your year. Or if you’re a virtual assistant, start thinking now about podcast tools. And how you can use your unicorn VA skills to offer this service to your clients.
And make sure you subscribe to my blog posts because I’m already planning more posts about podcasts here. I want to give you a series of podcast info that will get you excited, too. And help you get started on the path to creating your own successful podcasts. So make sure you don’t miss those upcoming posts!
And in the meantime, jump into my free facebook to catch my weekly “anti-podcasts” to give you the trending hot digital media topics and techie details you need!
You’ll especially want to catch this recent interview I did with Emily Porter, a rockstar VA who has niched down to be a podcast manager for her clients. She has a lot of great info for business owners who want some insider tips about the business of creating podcasts. And for the unicorn VAs that want to help them! So first make sure you’re a member of my free facebook group for digital media marketing, and then check it out:
See you in the podcast universe!
-Emily, Digital Media Consultant (and Virtual Assistant …)
“I WILL MAKE AN ARMY OF VAS WHO CAN HELP THESE TRIBE PEOPLE!!!”
Yes, you really can work online:
Feeling overwhelmed and not sure how you can work from home and build your own online digital media business? Take a deep breath – you can do this. First start here with my list of 10 popular tasks that online businesses need help with the most!
These are the tasks that new clients are constantly asking for help with, and skills that they really need to find in a virtual assistant. Get access to this free download right now. Then make sure your own VA toolkit is up-to-date and relevant, and decide where you might need to invest in new growth and development for your biz.
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