5 Reasons Your Small Business Should Start a Podcast Today

Since the dawn of digital there has been a ton of talk about what your company should be doing for digital marketing. Whether it is paid search, social media or blogging, there is no shortage of ideas and advice. However, one of the undeniable forces drawing businesses and their customers closer together is the ability to weave a better story.

Content marketing is a great way for brands to tell their story, and I would argue that one of the best vehicles for content marketing today has to be the podcast. Indeed, podcasts like Serial have found a way to captivate an audience of hundreds of thousands, and create a loyal following. The buzz around that particular podcast has primed the medium for take off.

Besides uncovering interesting and relevant information chosen by the person, podcasts are an easily consumable content format, and it doesn’t require a person’s undivided attention like video or text-based content does.

Here are five reasons of why you should start exploring the benefits of podcasting for your business, now:

1. You can become more intimate with your audience.

When there are a zillion more brands and businesses vying for audience attention in the online space, it’s evident that the plain old tricks of content marketing may not keep working for your business. You’ve got to be different. By allowing you to talk to your audience directly, in your own voice, podcasts help you connect with your audience on a deeper and more personal level. 

2. You have the whole playground for yourself. Well, almost.

Despite the benefits and the relative ease of podcasting, few businesses are actually doing it. Including podcasts in your content-marketing strategy can give you the leverage that helps you stay ahead of your competitors.

Take cues from the experts who are doing it right. I’ll point you to some very credible voices doing a great job of podcasting: Michael Stelzner, Pat Flynn, Jay Baer, Srinivas Rao, and of course you should give Serial a listen. This gang can help you start your podcasting venture on the right foot and Serial will show you a prime example of what is working for this medium. 

3. There are many possibilities with podcasting.

If you think that podcasts are for one-way communication with your audience, you might be mistaken. You can share your ideas with your audience in so many different ways with podcasts. You can review products and services. You can invite an expert or thought leader to be a guest on your “show.” You can interview experts, and even consumers. Podcasting is a great way to put forth the views of people your audience is most likely to trust -- experts, and their peers.

4. You can distribute podcasts through multiple channels.

While the most common thing to do is to broadcast your podcasts on your website or blog, you can spread their reach across the global audience through services like iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud. You can also use social channels to share your podcasts with your audience.

5.  Podcasts connect employees to their organization.

Podcasts not only brings your brand closer to your audience but also give you a scope to connect with your own employees. You can use podcasts for training your employees, making announcements and applauding them for their good work. Once you earn their trust and satisfaction with your brand, they will be among the first ones in line to buy your products or tout your services. 

There’s nothing stopping you. Go get your recorder and start podcasting. I’m sure it will be one of the smartest decisions you’ll ever make for your small business.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241858

4 Reasons Your Customers Aren't Sharing Your Content on Social Media

Content marketing and digital media strategies often (if not always) include social sharing as a metric for success. Creating highly engaging, widely relatable content is a crucial step towards earning an audience's attention. But while pageviews are important, marketers need a deeper understanding of why people share it to create content that will reach further.

To learn more about sharing motivations, we surveyed more than 1,000 adults and asked them about the aspects of their identities that matter most when they share online. Combined with some research on why users hesitate to share, we now have a better understanding about how audiences use content to talk to each other, and about themselves.

1. 71% of users are reluctant to share content.

71% of Facebook users censor the comments or posts they compose, according to a recent study by researchers at Facebook and Carnegie Mellon University. Over a 17 day study period, they found that 15.3 billion comments and posts were written but deleted before being shared.

There are many considerations that factor into this censorship process. One is a user's concern for how a comment or piece of content may reflect on themselves. Another is the appropriateness of a message for the various social circles--ranging from friends to family to employers to clergy members--who may all be a part of the same contact list, and will thus all see the same post.

Regardless of the cause, the widespread act of self-censorship is a flag to content creators that audiences are highly selective about what they share and actively review and consider the content
they amplify to their friends and followers.

2. Salient identities prompt us to take action.

According to social science, five broad categories encompass the aspects of ourselves that help determine how we behave:
Relational Identity
Personal Identity
Social Identity
Superficial Identity
Collective Identity

We assess the importance of each factor in every social situation we encounter, and prioritize these aspects according to our current circumstances. Collective identity, which focuses on groups we are a part of, may be the most salient identity at a soccer game, but personal identity (which revolves around values and goals) is likely more important during a job interview.

The ranking of these identities is important to understand when it comes to online sharing. The aspects that are most salient when users are on social media determine the type of content they are most likely to share.The more your content can help them amplify the way they want to be seen, the more shares your content will earn.

3. Users want to be seen as being a good friend.

84% of respondents in our survey said that "being a good friend to those I care about" is an important factor they consider when they use social media; 20% said that their relationships are "extremely important." These concerns for relational identity were the most salient across every generation in our survey, but strikingly so among those in the 65 age group.

Content creators will gain the most traction by building campaigns that help people relate to one another when they share it. BuzzFeed has found unique success online by tapping into this very insight, according to Ze Frank, head of BuzzFeed video, and focusing on content that encourages users to share and say "I know you, I like you."

4. Sharing goals and values.

After their friendships, 63% of social media users said that their values, goals, and dreams--aspects of personal identity--were the next most important concerns on their list. This was particularly true for younger generations; both younger and older Millennials ranked personal identity factors higher than older groups.

It's important to note that while values were highly ranked, religion was ranked as the least important factor in this study. In fact, 55% of respondents ranked this factor as "not important" when they consider whether to share content. Content marketers may want to broach content relating to personal identity from angles of inspirational quotes rather than from a standpoint of religious or political affiliations.

http://www.inc.com/kelsey-libert/4-reasons-your-customers-aren-t-sharing-your-content-on-social-media.html