With more than 2.4 million podcasts online, and nearly 400 million listeners tuning in, podcasts are an excellent way for businesses, including eCommerce stores, to spread the word about their products.
Podcasts have a unique reach as they are consumed in a wide variety of settings, but put you directly into your listeners’ ears.
Because podcasts allow listeners to tune in while shopping at the grocery store, working out, driving to work, and more, they give business owners a unique opportunity to connect directly with them in a more intimate way than with other forms of content.
If you run a Shopify store or any eCommerce business, keep reading to learn how starting a podcast can boost your business and sales!
Why Podcasting Works for eCommerce Store Owners
Launching a podcast comes with many benefits for eCommerce store owners. Here are just a few of them:
1. Podcasts are incredibly accessible to a wide variety of consumers.
2. Podcasts can be listened to from multiple sources such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts etc. These podcast directories will help you reach a larger audience to promote your business to.
3. Having a podcast will make your brand more recognizable.
4. Podcasts are a way to deepen your connection with your potential customers. They’re personal, and as a result give your audience a chance to get to know you and your business better.
5. They also allow your audience to give you feedback through reviews, social media comments, and live chats.
6. Because most people are listening to podcasts on their mobile devices that typically have internet access, they can easily click through to your shop and peruse your goods at any point throughout the show.
Because of these benefits, it’s probably not surprising that many popular brands such as Sephora, Lyft, and Tinder have all created podcasts to connect with their customers.
The more you increase your online presence, the more opportunity you’ll have to reach potential customers!
How to Promote Your Shopify Store on Your Podcast
There’s a fine line between good promotion and bad promotion.
You want your podcast to boost your business and sales, but you don’t want to sound like a 30-45 minute long advertisement.
You created your podcast to promote your brand, but have some fun with it too!
The more open and personable you are on your podcast, the bigger audience you’ll attract.
Let’s say you’re running a fashion eCommerce business.
In this case, your podcast can be centered around fashion. You can discuss trends, fashion news, big names in fashion, and more in your show. By crafting your show into the fashion niche, you’ll attract potential customers for your brand.
The bottom line is: you don’t want to center your entire show around your business and what you’re selling.
Your show should consist of content in your chosen niche, and you’ll be able to seamlessly plug your brand into it.
If you want listeners, you need to deliver value, not just a sales pitch!
Tips for Creating Your Shopify Store Podcast
Many people shy away from creating podcasts because they fear that they take too much time.
While creating a podcast does require work and time, there are ways to utilize and decrease your time spent.
Batch and schedule
Organization and preparation are key in creating a podcast! By planning everything ahead of time, you can determine the time needed to make your show.
You can then record multiple episodes within a single sitting and schedule their releases.
Audiences prefer podcasts that follow a consistent release schedule, so batching and scheduling the release of your podcast will benefit you in many ways.
Outsource things you don’t have time for
If your schedule doesn’t allow you the time needed to edit, transcribe, or find art for your podcast – you can outsource it.
Hiring people to handle the details of your show will save you time and energy. There are many freelancers out there with experience in podcasting, you just have to find them!
A couple of good places to start are Upwork, Fiverr, and podcasting community groups on Facebook such as the one run by Podcast Movement.
Repurpose your show
Since you’re already creating the content for your show, you might as well expand the reach.
You can repurpose your podcast into blog posts, newsletters, social media content, etc.
For example, you can transcribe each episode and then add the transcript and embedded audio file into blog posts. Not only will this improve your opportunities to be found in search engine results, but it gives people additional ways of consuming your content.
Additionally, if you can you may want to consider filming your episodes while you record them. This will give you a prime opportunity to wear your goods if they are clothing or display them in the background if it’s some other type of product for sale.
Where to Go from Here
Your Shopify store needs customers, and creating a podcast is a wonderful way to draw them to your shop. Just remember – your podcast isn’t an infomercial.
So where should your sales pitch go? Once you create your podcast delivering maximum value, your links to the products you’re selling can go into your podcast episode descriptions.
You can also include a call to action in each episode at the end offering discounts on your merchandise or just telling people how to shop your products.
If you go about it the right way, your podcast can be a wonderful marketing avenue for your Shopify business.
