Creating content for a blog or a podcast can create awareness about your business, and while it can be a powerful way to grow a business, it also comes with risks.
Today I am taking a sweeping view of both Blogging and Podcasting, and asking if it's right for you...
First, it can be a lot of work for very little return. I am talking a LOT of work.
For example: There’s upskilling yourself or your people, getting the right tools (podcasting can be VERY expensive), and putting it all together, then putting your work out there, promoting it, and giving and receiving feedback.
And secondly, if all that work doesn’t add value to your bottom line, or also add value in the mind of those reading or listening to you, then what you have done is just created a bad first impression!
So how do you decide if creating that content is right for you?
Consider these 4 simple questions:
1. What problem is it that you are trying to solve?
If you are looking to grow your business, or tell your story, then producing content for a blog or a podcast is only one way you can do that.
Consider what else you have planned (and you really should have a plan); Maybe you are currently investing in more traditional media, or looking to grow your sales team, or maybe you should look at other marketing ideas including digital advertising or promotional marketing.
If you have a lot going on, then you may not need to get started in blogging or podcasting right now.
2. Do you have the time or the resources available?
While writing a blog and producing a podcast are about creating more opportunities to get your story out there, they also come at a cost in both hours and material.
If you’re unable to invest in their success with the right time, the right talent, and the right production values that your audience expects, then you’re going to be better off without them. Because you will damage your brand if you get it wrong.
Seriously… sit down and assess the amount of time and money it will take to do them well, and stack that against what else you might be able to do instead.
3. Do you have the skills to succeed in the current marketplace?
Now, some podcasts and blogs look easy to make, but that’s exactly why you need to stop and seriously think about what it is that you want to create.
Because it is relatively cheap to start blogging, not so with podcasting, but both arenas are very crowded (and some industries have thousands of blogs and podcasts – yes that’s right – THOUSANDS!).
AND... They are dominated by people who have had a massive jump start on you and they have been practicing and refining their craft for years.
Creating content for both blogging and podcasting isn’t ONLY about competing with other businesses to get their name out there; It’s also about competing with the creators of both, for the time of the end consumer who has to spend 3 minutes, or half an hour with your produced content.
That means you must have something to say—in a way that people will prioritize their time to read or listen to it. Remember, we are ALL time poor right now.
If all of this feels daunting to you, then that’s good. It means you’re thinking about the competition in the right way, and it will also force you to create something special that people will remember.
4. So… Do you know what’s missing from your story?
Every good business has something that distinguishes it from their competition... but not every business knows how to bring that story, value, or purpose to life in a way that is going to have people coming back time and time again.
To create amazing content, you should follow the basic rules of the three E’s: That’s Education, Entertainment, and Emotion.
Education: You must know how to communicate and educate clearly, without confusing the end consumer of your product.
Entertainment: You need to be able to entertain people, without being preachy, over long, or boring. So, having a personality that pop’s is a major drawcard.
Emotion: You MUST be able to form an emotional bond with your end user, from laughs about or with them about the things you have done, through to the disappointments that they are along with you for.
Think of your content in your blog or podcast as a journey. That’s not to say every piece of content requires all three of the “E’s”, but that’s the perfect formula for greatest payoff for you and your audience.
Along the way you will have those who love you, those who help you, and those who hinder you (and the haters can REALLY get to you at times).
Wrapping This Up
While not everyone (despite what you may have read or heard) needs to create a blog or a podcast… Every business does need to control their narrative.
The better you do it, the more powerfully you can transform your business into something that meets people where they are, connects with them, educates them and makes them act.
Now maybe that’s with blogging or podcast content…but maybe it’s not! It could be with your radio ad's (just saying!).
Perhaps you should be a guest appearing on someone else’s podcast or blog first. Then you can see just how much work is required, and what the end results are.
In the end, let your resources and your business needs drive your decision before you dive headfirst into blogging and podcasts.
