The Benefits of Podcasting & the Rise in Audio.
By Shawn P. Walchef
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If you are reading this, then you are probably considering starting your own podcast.
Maybe you have done some research about the traditional barriers (of entry) required to starting your own podcast; like the equipment you need, where you want to host your podcast, the format of your show and your plan for getting featured in the iTunes New & Noteworthy Section.
Maybe, you have heard a lot about the “rise in audio technology,” and are curious about how podcasting can benefit your business.
Maybe, you understand how Bluetooth technology in cars is changing radio consumption the same way the DVR changed how we consume television shows as well as the option to fast-forward through the commercials.
If you are still not convinced, here are some quick links we recommend if you require more evidence on the benefits of audio technology:
- Our Behind The Smoke NBBQA Presentation was broadcasted on Facebook Live: How to Turn Your BBQ Business Into A Media Company
- THE RISE OF AUDIO & VOICE – Gary Vaynerchuck
- Gary also puts out an incredible podcast called the GaryVee Audio Experience. His Keynotes are a great place to start listening.
- Voice is bigger than Amazon Echo – Medium Article
- How Brands Can Find Their Voice On Alexa, According To This Amazon VP – Forbes Article
Podcasters are thirsty for knowledge & eager to share.
In August of 2017 our Behind The Smoke Media team attended the Podcast Movement Conference in Anaheim, California so that we could learn from the best podcasters in the industry and talk to others who were just starting their podcasting journey just as we had. We learned in multiple educational sessions about the following themes that can also resonate in the business of barbecue.
- Do not get into the podcasting game if you are looking for an immediate return on investment (money or downloads incurred) for your time spent on podcasting.
- Do not obsess over growing your download statistics.
- Focus on bringing value to those who ARE listening.
- Focus on finding a way to engage with your listeners.. how do they contact you?
- Produce great content and most importantly, do it consistently.
- CONSISTENCY is key. (We publish our podcast every week, some do once every other week, one every month, etc)
- Podcasting is a Low-N-Slow process. Those who work on improving their craft for the long term will win.
Thanks to being asked to appear on other podcasts, I have been fortunate to learn from the hosts who are gracious enough to invite me on their show. It was during the recording of my episode on The Real Value Exchange podcast with Joe Alex Lemon when Joe turned me onto the Anchor App and how much it helped him to launch his official podcast.
Download The Anchor App For Free Now & Start Podcasting Today
After talking to Joe about his experience with Anchor I knew that I had to learn more about the app and the best way to learn anything is to get involved. I knew that we were going to presenting information on audio technology, podcasting and turning your business into a media company in front of the biggest names in the world of barbecue and I would have been uncomfortable not understanding how a new improvement in technology has allowed more people to start their podcast without the steps we had to take just one year prior.
A few facts I learned by starting My BBQ Anchor Podcast Project:
- Anchor is the easiest way to make a podcast. Period. I published my first episode using the anchor app within 25 minutes of downloading the app and all I used to record the episode was my iPhone X and some earbuds. [spp-tweet tweet=””]
- Anchor allows you to record a high quality podcast and also helps with distributing it to Apple Podcasts which is a significant step for new podcasters not using the app.
- You can easily add transitions and song files to your podcast episode without any need for sound engineering equipment, apps or software.
- It is much more difficult for me to talk about a topic without a guest and my trusted co-host which is the format of Behind The Smoke: BBQ War Stories.
- This App will also allow me, my producer, Cory Wager, and even my co-host, Derek Marso to add content for our listeners that are more topic focused with practical implementation advice.
Check out My BBQ Anchor Project and send me a message through the app.
Please let me know when you launch your Anchor Podcast and share it with me so I can take a listen.
Sharing Our BBQ Business Journey Through Podcasting
I can tell you from experience that starting a business and digital marketing podcast with one of my best friends has been the single most significant digital marketing decision I have made in the last ten years for our barbecue business.
On April 20, 2018 our business, Cali Comfort BBQ will be celebrating our ten year anniversary of doing business in East County, San Diego.
When we opened our doors in 2008 we had no idea how to run our own restaurant let alone market our business so that customers could find us. I was told by numerous close friends that I was “fucking crazy” for opening a business in a location that was perceived by many as a sketchy part of town.
The real estate mantra when performing a site selection for a new restaurant concept has always been, location, location, location.
So why was Spring Valley going to work for our new sports bar concept we would be adding to an existing breakfast eatery model?
I think it was a combination of blind faith, dumb digital luck and a burning persistence to not fail.
Now looking back ten years later I have wanted to write some epic blog post about all our failures, all our little victories as well as the secrets to our successes. As I write this my General Manager, Eric Olafsen, is finally taking his first well deserved vacation time in the last year which means I will be stepping up and covering his shifts while he is gone and our our manager in on maternity leave. Business is not easy and not always sexy. No one cares that writing this blog post is important to me if it helps just one person gather the courage to start their podcasting journey.
So why does all this matter?
If you are passionate about marketing and digital marketing in particular then you are consistently getting bombarded with advice about sharing authentic content and that content is king.
I argue that content is king only when painting the entire picture with context.
Audio is the answer to context.
There is nothing more intimate than speaking directly into someone’s ear buds while they are working out at the gym or providing access to a conversation that is real, genuine and not overly produced. Podcasting provides that intimacy.
Podcasting provides that context into your “Why”.
For the last year, Derek Marso, a third generation butcher and I have hosted our podcast, Behind The Smoke: BBQ War Stories on a weekly basis. Every week we have interviewed a guest who we admire in business and talk about all the things that don’t get discussed in business class. We dive into the reasons why entrepreneurs are willing to jump off the entrepreneurial cliff and talk about the painful rocks that make them bleed along the way.
As I mentioned early we recently returned from presenting and covering the Nation Barbecue & Grilling Association’s, #IAMBBQ2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. We wanted to teach other BBQ Business owners the benefits of podcasting, audio technology, the Anchor App, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Yelp just to name a few. If it were not for podcasting we would probably not have attended this year’s trade show in Fort Worth.
Podcasting has forced us outside our comfort zone and allowed us to discover opportunities we never thought possible.
Start your podcast today by downloading the Anchor App now.
Create.
Publish.
Promote.
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and you will grow in ways you never thought possible.
