What is a podcast?

A podcast is a piece of audio with a definite frequency and vocation of continuity that can be downloaded on the internet. More broadly, podcasts with still photo montages can also be considered podcasts.The etymological origin of the term is now obsolete, as it comes from “iPod” (device for listening to music and audio through Apple's iTunes system) and “broadcast” (content broadcasting). This definition made sense a long time ago, when it was necessary to have an iPod to play them, but today podcasts can be easily listened to from any website.

A podcast is also content

• It's digital audio that can combine voice, music and sound effects.
• Usually presented in mp3 or wab format.
• Podcast recordings are hosted on a website where they can be downloaded and often played live.
• It allows a very varied content: news, tutorials and other educational content, radio pieces, etc.
• No big investment required, just a basic digital recording system.

How to use a podcast in your online marketing strategy

The big advantage of audio files is that they are dynamic and easy to consume, since they do not require a lot of user concentration, such as articles or ebooks. Anyone can listen to audio content while driving, playing sports or preparing food, as if they were listening to the radio.

So the smartest and most effective way to include a podcast in our content strategy is to take advantage of its differential features. In this line, some ideas of using podcast in online marketing would be:

• Try to make the podcast complementary (expand information) in relation to text content, without limiting ourselves to repeating what we have already written in an article.
• A format highly appreciated by the public is the response through a podcast to questions, suggestions or complaints from followers or customers.
• Another good idea is the collaboration of experts on a topic or influencers from a particular sector.

Some tips on using podcasts

• Podcasts should always be published with a title and description with the appropriate keywords, following SEO parameters, as search engines are currently unable to perform a proper audio search.
• At a strategic level, we should try to focus podcasts on branded and try to position ourselves as experts on a number of topics or a particular sector.
• Although making a podcast is quite simple, we should not neglect aspects such as audio quality and, in some cases, the use of music and effects to make it more attractive.

Why are we interested in working on this format?

• It is a simple and economical type of content to elaborate.
• It is becoming more fashionable and users are aiming for its consumption due to its ease of reception and because of the novelty factor.
• It gives us a competitive advantage for its ability to give us visibility to our brand and position ourselves as experts.
• Not too much competition in this format yet.