Over 7.6million people now listen to podcasts every week in the UK.

And with the industry experiencing year-on-year growth, podcasting could be the most powerful marketing tool your business isn’t using.

Every time a platform gains popularity, sceptics are already preparing for its demise. But with people in the UK now listening on average to 7.3 hours of podcasts per week, there’s an incredible opportunity for Northern Ireland businesses to get in on the action.

And unlike promotional videos that have notoriously low figures after 10 seconds of viewing, 72% of podcast listeners listen to the whole episode.

What that means for your local business is simple: create interesting podcast content, and your potential customers will listen to it.

Here are 4 lesser-known benefits of podcasting for a Northern Ireland business.

1. Boosts traffic to your website.

Do you struggle to get visitors on to your website?

Through podcasting, you will be able to reach a global audience. And a quick plug for your website at the beginning and end of every podcast episode is a sure-fire way to get new website visitors and ultimately, more leads and sales.

Podcasting is also one of the best forms of content marketing. Content, of course, plays a crucial role in attracting potential customers as well as keeping current customers engaged. No matter what the platform, quality content is always essential, but with podcasting, the opportunities are incredible.

2. Podcasting is an excellent alternative to video.

Do you shudder at the thought of appearing in videos?

Most people do, whether it’s shyness, self-confidence or fear of what others might say or think. Thankfully, podcasting takes the pressure off you and your appearance. That’s because it focuses on the quality of your content and its delivery through your voice. It’s a great alternative to video as all you are sharing is your voice and thoughts.

And it also allows you to build your confidence with no spotlight on you.

3. Podcasts are easy to consume.

In the era of the smartphone and tablet devices, podcasts are more accessible than ever. No longer do we have to log in to a desktop computer to access the internet; we carry it around in our pockets every day. And that means people in Northern Ireland can listen to podcasts whenever they want.

They could be in their car travelling to work and listen in. Or they could be driving from Belfast to Dublin for an important business meeting and press play.

They could even be walking the dog or at the gym and listen in to their favourite podcast.

4. Affordable and lucrative.

According to Ofcom, 40% of weekly podcast listeners agreed that they would be happy to pay to subscribe to their favourite podcasts.

And with one in eight adults in the UK now listening to podcasts every week, the opportunities of this low-cost, but hugely lucrative platform has yet to be realised.

What’s fascinating is that as of July 2020 in Northern Ireland, podcasts still only represent a small share of listening, but over the next five years, it looks set to grow exponentially.

It won’t break your marketing budget either. At Granite Podcast Studio we charge just £40 + VAT per hour for a one-off session.

Need your podcast edited too by our experts? Our editing option costs just £40 + VAT per hour.

So for just £80 you can have your podcast professionally recorded and expertly edited. Contrast that with Google PPC advertising or Facebook advertising or print advertising, and you’ll soon realise the obvious benefits of podcasting.

So, what are you waiting for? Find out more by clicking HERE.

The explosion of popularity in Podcasting over the last five years looks set to continue into 2021, offering Northern Ireland businesses tremendous opportunities.

The rise owes a lot to American podcasts from Joe Rogan, (yes, the bald UFC guy who’s always talking about Conor McGregor), and the wildly successful crime podcast ‘Serial’.

But Podcasting isn’t just useful for UFC commentators or people immersed in ‘Who Dunnit?’ crime stories; when used correctly, it can be a hugely worthwhile content type to add to your marketing plan. And while Podcasting has taken off across the Atlantic, we’ve been a little slower here to get on board.

The old saying, “When America sneezes, the whole world gets the flu” springs to mind. It could just as easily be applied to Podcasting, “When America proves the benefits of podcasting, we should all listen.”

So, let’s look at 3 reasons why every Northern Ireland business should use Podcasting.

1. Your customers are listening. Are you?

According to Ofcom, around 7 million people in the UK now listen to podcasts every week. That’s one person in every eight regularly listening to podcasts.

Still not convinced?

When we look at it at a Northern Ireland level, an impressive 22% of adults have used ‘listen again’ services or podcasts. So, one out of every five of your current or prospective customers are consuming this type of content: are you going to provide it to them, or will it be one of your competitors?

Could your opportunity be: “Hear today, gone tomorrow?”

2. Hear, Hear: Reach more qualified leads.

Let me take a wild guess and say that you use the below as part of your marketing efforts:

• Print newspaper advertising
• Google Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising
• Facebook advertising

But guess what? If 10,000 people read a newspaper, how many of those are A, interested in your business, B, see your advert among hundreds of other adverts and C, take action?

The percentage is minuscule. Now imagine that you’ve set up a PPC campaign on Google; you’re attracting clicks to your website but not turning these clicks into sales.

Or you could be ‘boosting’ a post on Facebook, but how does that translate into sales?

The sobering reality is that with all options above, your success rate could be 0.7% on a good day and you’re in a constant state of ‘Pay To Play’ – once your advertising stops, so does the website clicks and impressions.

Say hello to your new best friend: Podcasting.

If someone listens to your podcast, chances are they’re already a ‘warm lead’ – they clicked to listen to your podcast after reading a description, and they’re most likely involved in your industry or have a vested interest in it.

Take a Hospitality Manager in Northern Ireland as an example; chances are they might listen to any of these Top 9 Hospitality Podcasts.

Will they also tune in to podcasts about Cricket, Medicine or learning Italian?

Hell no, they only listen to what is of interest to them.

3. Cha-Ching: Podcasting won’t break your budget.

With belts tightening after the pandemic, it’s only natural to wonder what you can do to save the pennies.

But the beauty of Podcasting is that you can create waves (pun intended) for a fraction of the cost of traditional and digital advertising.

At Granite Podcast Studio we charge just £40 + VAT per hour for a one-off session (we’re practically giving it away at that price!).

Need your podcast edited too by our experts?

Our editing option costs just £40 + VAT per hour.

And for just £80 you can have your podcast professionally recorded and expertly edited.

So, what are you waiting for?

Find out more by clicking HERE.