The New Marketing Show was an idea Kevin and I had since we merged companies. We wanted to dive into more rich media content last August, but we were not sure about diving into podcasting. The one thing we knew is that the world does not need another marketing show or WordPress podcast.
We took our time, let the dust from the merger/acquisition settle and ran with The New Marketing Show when we felt the time was right.
The time will never be more right or perfectly wrong to begin your podcasting journey.
I am not a complete stranger to podcasting. Some years ago with Jay Baer, we built the now-defunct Marketing Podcasts.com search engine. After Marketing Podcasts.com exploded, I was featured on Hacker News, and I guested on many popular shows like EOFire and Excellence Expected. I even had a short-lived fun podcast for a little while. I knew a lot of podcasters with successful shows and books on the topic; I knew what I was getting into. At least I thought I knew what I was getting into.
My Co-Founder, Co-Host (and brother) Kevin was a podcast rookie. His rich media specialty is photo/video, so this was a little foreign to him when we talked about getting the show off the ground. Through trial by fire, he is getting to be a seasoned veteran. You see, neither of us is incredibly polished speakers. We pride ourselves on being a little rough. We are marketers by career, not silver-tongued salespeople.
Enter The New Marketing Show
Our podcast fills a couple of voids. For our business, it gives a voice to talk about what we are passionate about, which is WordPress Development and Digital Marketing. This voice helps the business’ position as thought leaders and subject matter experts. Personally, I LOVE audio technology, and I get to fulfill that passion as an audiophile. (BONUS!)
As stated previously, the world does not need another marketing show. This is where the premise and positioning of the show come to play — how does effective marketing solve business problems. This is the same ethos as how Trinity Web Media operates — We solve business problems.
The show launched officially on January 12, 2018 and it has been a whirlwind of lessons ever since.
What We Learned Launching The New Marketing Show: Tips When You Start Your Podcast
Focus on sound quality. That should be a no-brainer, but it’s not as easy as it sounds in the beginning. We use Zencastr to record the show and Garage Band to edit. Are there better tools, I am sure there are, but this is the technology we know, so this is what we use.
Use video as a tool. If you are co-hosting a show or plan on having guests use a video component to see your co-host or guest. This helps keep the conversation natural and will reduce the times you (me) talk over someone or when someone else is talking. Use Hangouts, Skype, Zoom, etc. to see each other even if you do not record the video for publishing.
Stay true to your show’s premise and topic. Nothing is worse than listening to a show ramble on and on about things that have nothing to do with the show. For me as an avid podcast listener, this is the quickest way to lose me as a listener. It is the same for your audience.
Have a show goal. Like everything else in marketing, starting without a strategy is a recipe for failure. You would never open a brick and mortar store without a plan, why do so with your show. Measure everything and review, refine, repeat. [Also, as Evo Terra pointed out in an article ‘Stop The Madness & Start Putting Your Podcast First‘ this should be the focal point of your content strategy.]
Use a reliable host, supporting website and syndication. We use Podbean for The New Marketing Show. Podbean takes care of our RSS feed to iTunes, Stitcher, I Heart Radio and other podcast platforms. Podbean also gives your show an show archive like website, but also make sure you have a website to support your show. This site can be a unique site specific to your show or an archive page with individual podcast posts on your businesses site. (This is the approach Trinity Web Media took for our show.) While iTunes is still king of podcasts, don’t snooze on Spotify, Stitcher and other podcast directories.
Critically listen to podcasts you admire. On the average, I listen to three different shows a day. These shows range in topics from skateboarding to business. I listen how the hosts interact with the guests. I listen for the intros and outros, theme music, how guests are introduced, the show spots, segues and everything in between. Listen and learn.
Ask for help. Asking for help is hard for some people, but thanks to some great pros in my life who are generous with their time and opinion, it has helped us tremendously. I use Twitter a lot when it comes to asking for advice from specific people or crowd sourcing tips. Ask, and you shall receive, just be careful what you ask for…
Market (the shit out of) your show. There is a fine line between marketing your show and over promoting the show. Use social media wisely to introduce your show to a new audience and engage your existing audience (when you earn one) without being annoying. Unless you are someone of stature in your business the growth will be slow. Be patient, let the show grow on its own, but market the podcast as a product and extension of your brand.
Market and highlight your guest. Believe it or not your guests are there to promote what they do and their initiatives. You should never over promote your business as your host your show (people know who you are) but, let the guests talk about what they do and their business. This way your guest will promote the show with you and hopefully introduce your show to their audience.
Post frequency. The New Marketing Show is a weekly show, but we post bonus content two other times a week from our video archives. We covert Trinity Web Minutes YouTube posts to audio and produce and post in the same manner we post our regular show. Create a schedule, commit to that schedule and stick to it.
Show notes are an art. Ok, well maybe they are not a form of art, but having complete show notes is very important. Google can not index sound yet. Your posted show notes are the SEO lifeblood of your show. Post good show notes that help the audience better understand your show and search results will follow. Always write for an audience not for an algorithm.
Be patient. As mentioned in the above point, be patient and let your show grow at first organically. This gives you an opportunity to hone your skills as a podcast host and podcast editor. Keep producing shows and keep on the path.
Do not underestimate how much work it is having a good podcast. You need show art, social media marketing assets, time to record, time to edit, time to post, etc. Having a top-notch show is a lot of work with a potentially high payoff. Give the show the respect it deserves.
This is an exciting journey and while this is not a complete list of lessons, it is what we have learned to date. Trinity Web Media looks forward to staying the course and growing as podcasters.
With Podcasting Gratitude and Friendship We Thank…
Here are the podcasters and podcasting resources we use as examples who keep us inspired.
- Evo Terra – Friend, mentor and author of Podcasting For Dummies and Co-host of SheVo Take on The World.
- JLD – Thank you John Lee Dumas for taking a chance on me to have me on EOFire. Your passion for podcasting and how transparent you are with your podcasting business is the standard we seek.
- Mark Asquith – Thank you for your conversation, your show Excellence Expected, and the technology you are moving the needle on with JLD with Podcast Websites.
- The Nine Club Show – Hosted by Girl Skateboard Pro, Chris Roberts this is my favorite interview show. The topic is skateboarding, but the production, interview quality and fun banter teaches us tons. Love the show.
Thank you for reading and while you’re at it why not subscribe to The New Marketing Show.
