A podcast is a fantastic element that can make your content strategy take off. Discover how beneficial it is.
It's time to launch your podcast! Assuming…
Check, one-two, two. Can you hear me? No, but you read me, so OK anyway.
In this article we are going to talk about podcasts, which are my favourite travelling companions when I am in the car on my way to work and back, but that is not the point.
Today I want to talk specifically about branded podcasts - don't worry if you've never heard this term, I'll explain everything - and how they can be a great opportunity within a brand's content strategy.
However, let's take a step back and start from the beginning.
What is a Branded Podcast? What is it for?
May we claim that the podcast is an evolution of radio? Yes, this can be said.
In fact, just like radio, podcasts are content that can be listened to as audio, but they have one extraordinary feature. Do you know what it is? It is extremely handy, because you can listen to it at any time of the day or night simply with your smartphone! All you need is some earphones, a platform like Spotify or Apple Music to listen to it from, and that's it.
You can listen to it while you go to work ( which is my case), while you work out at the gym (not my case), or while you clean your house or play sports (also not my case), cook your meals, and at many other times. In short, podcasts are definitely the format that best suits our busy lives!
So, if you were a brand, wouldn't you benefit from the opportunity to be part of users' lives to narrate, not only through images and phrases, a story? Perhaps, your own story?
What a branded podcast should be like
The focus of your podcast should not be the product, because for that there are social channels, e-commerce, TV commercials, and so on. What you have to do is tell a story, something authentic in which your company identifies with its values, perhaps through a branded podcast. The listener needs to recognise himself in the mission, the vision, the experiences of the brand, to be led to be identified with its activity and its goals.
The branded podcast is part of a content strategy designed in a synergetic manner to give medium and long-term benefits.
Serial podcasts are ideal for capturing the audience's attention over time and building loyalty, thanks to their usefulness and ability to inform and entertain. Successful audio content is that which excites and provides useful information that builds loyalty, as viewers' time must be 'well invested' and generate returns, whether in terms of entertainment or learning. Selling products and services through podcasts is not the first step but the final one. First of all, you should aim to generate an emotional connection with your audience in order to consolidate in their minds the knowledge of the brand and what makes it unique. Podcasts allow corporate identity to be narrated in an engaging and personal form that helps the viewer identify with what is being told.
Furthermore, they can be integrated with other content marketing products, such as videos and blog articles, in order to develop all-encompassing strategies aimed at the audience and all their user experiences.
Does the branded podcast bring benefits? The answer is: it absolutely does!
Branded podcasts, if well done, are able to create an intimate and authentic relationship with your audience.
The relationship that is created between narrator and listener is voice-based, which helps to establish a more intimate and deeper communication.
But that's not all!
This form of communication is definitely more engaging! According to IPSOS 2020 data, 61% of users will replay an episode for its entire duration - a significant increase compared to 2019, where the percentage was 45% -, which shows a great growth in the engagement and satisfaction users find in listening.
But now let's look at who has done it (and done it well). Here are some examples.
Satisplay by Satispay
Satispay used its podcast to make itself known and to tell the behind-the-scenes story of the company that revolutionised mobile payment in Italy and beyond. They discuss digital innovation, TV campaigns, startups, video games and music. In short, it has created a real moment that we can compare to an aperitif among friends.
'Come Mai Prima' by Coca Cola
A podcast that was born after a difficult period, namely in November 2020, and tells untold stories of those who have been able to believe in their dreams. Stories of those who, faced with the complexities of the historical period, have been able to reinvent themselves and their working reality.
Job Busters by Adecco
Adecco, multinational personnel selection agency, has created a podcast that breaks down prejudices and clichés about the job world, especially among young people.
"The Message" by General Electric
General Electric, a US multinational technology and services company, has promoted a rather unusual - but equally captivating - podcast in the B2B sphere, so much so that, in 2016, it won the Webby Award for the best use of native advertising. This podcast tells the story of a number of cryptographers attempting to decode a message from outer space using technology that actually exists and was produced by General Electric.
Branded podcasts: how can they support content strategy?
Certainly a great tool to include in the next content strategy ( we like to be bold!). On the other hand, from the brand's point of view, a new medium - or one more - to tell its story in an authentic and original way.
In short, the branded podcast is a great opportunity, a wonderful opportunity: are you still thinking about it