In The Headlights: June 26, 2019 Issue - Trust Insights Marketing Analytics Consulting

If you enjoyed our 2019 Marketing Trends report, we’ve refreshed it for the second half of the year. Find out what’s likely to trend for the rest of 2019 here.

Let’s talk podcasting for a moment. According to research firm Edison Research’s 2019 Podcast Consumer Report,

The audience for podcasting grew significantly in the past year. Today, 51% of Americans 12+ have ever listened to a podcast, with 32% having listened in the past month, and 22% in the past week. 41% of monthly podcast listeners say they are listening to more podcasts today compared to one year ago, with 13% saying they are listening to less. Finally, 54% of podcast consumers say that they are more likely to consider the brands they hear advertised on podcasts, compared to 7% who say they are less likely.

One of the most dangerous things marketers do with podcasts is treat them as a separate, independent channel. Podcasts must be a part of your overall digital content strategy. That means:

Measuring your podcast effectively. Downloads are only a part of the picture. What about feed subscribers – are you tracking those? What about visitors to the show notes pages on the podcast’s website? What about feedback from the show, from listeners?
Reusing podcast content. Are you providing transcripts – even automated – for your shows? If not, you’re missing out on massive organic search opportunities.
Adding influencers. If having guests isn’t yet part of your podcast’s strategy, give it thought. The right guests can help grow not only your podcast’s audience, but also its business impact.
Monetization. Once you’ve got a qualified audience, your podcast becomes more than just a marketing channel – it becomes a monetizable product in its own right.
Measuring your podcast’s business impact. How closely tied is your podcast to your other digital properties? Can you see traffic and interactions from your show move into your marketing operations funnel? If not, integrate the daylights out of it.

A podcast is a rare treasure in today’s digital marketing. Like your website, blog, and email list, it’s one of a few channels you can truly own, land you can build on rather than building on rented land like social media platforms. Treat it as a product from the beginning, implement best practices, and you’ll see it grow not only into a reliable audience attractor, but a business generator.

Shameless plug: are you subscribed to In-Ear Insights, the Trust Insights podcast? If not, click here to get it, or search for In-Ear Insights wherever you listen to your podcasts.

The Bright Idea

This week’s Bright Idea is, of course, our refreshed 2019 Midyear Key Marketing Trends Report. Find out what’s been hot this year so far, and what’s to come. What should you be adding to your marketing arsenal? It’s great beach reading.

Get your copy of the 2019 Midyear Key Marketing Trends Report here >

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Upcoming Events

Where can you find us in person?

MAICON, July 2019, Cleveland
Content Marketing World, September 2019, Cleveland
INBOUND, September 2019, Boston
MarTech East, September 2019, Boston
MarketingProfs B2B Forum, October 2019, Washington DC

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