Social media is a pretty big part of our lives. In numerous ways, it’s changed the landscape of civilization. That, combined with the evolution of the smartphone, has completely changed the way we function on a day to day basis.
According to zdnet.com, the average American spends 5.4 hours per DAY on their smartphone. Now, not all of that time is dedicated to social media. But a lot of it is.
Think about how much time you spend on your phone per day. Now, how much of that chunk is spent on Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? For most people, I’m willing to bet more time is spent on those sites than productivity apps.
Social media and podcasting seemingly go hand in hand. If you’ve built a strong social media following, you’re going to use those platforms to communicate with your audience and let them know you have a podcast. Likewise, on your podcast, you’re going to encourage your listeners to follow you on social media.
This practice has been ingrained in us: Cross-promotion. Giving our audience as many outlets as possible to connect with us. But…is this changing? Is social media becoming so crowded and noisy that posting links to your content into a newsfeed is merely dumping them into the abyss?
It’s been proven that podcast listeners, even more so than people who don’t listen to podcasts, spend a lot of time on social media platforms. In fact, according to podcastinsights.com, 94% of listeners are active on at least one social media channel — versus just 81% for the entire population.
Reading that stat, it seems completely logical to be on social media as a podcaster. Those numbers strongly suggest that podcast listeners are more likely to follow companies and brands that also exist on social media. In my opinion, this makes it wise. But it doesn’t make it mandatory.
The way I’ve always looked at social media and developing an overall digital presence is this: the approach you take, the content you share, the vibe you generate, the personality you project, the way you interact in the digital space – all of this is a powerful indicator of how you’ll treat consumers if they decide to do business with you. Your digital presence is an extension of your brand – and the experience someone has with your brand in one capacity will play a key role in the experience they have with the other.
Now, is that a blanket statement? Absolutely not. I’ve had situations with businesses where my in-person experience was great, but I was ignored on social media. Or I had an odd experience with a brand and communicated same to them via social media and had things rectified.
My point is this: if a person is going to familiarize themselves with your brand in the digital space, doesn’t it seem logical that a podcast would build that connection? And, if you build that connection via your podcast, the numbers I’ve shared today provide pretty strong evidence they’ll find you on social media shortly after falling in love with your show.
A well-executed podcast can be the catalyst to a lot of things, one of which being social media growth. Establishing trust, building loyalty, and showcasing authority also come into play, and all of the platforms you choose to implement into your marketing strategy can put you in a prime position to build your customer base — if you utilize them the right way.
ALL. OF. THAT. SAID, why is it important to put heavy emphasis on building your audience OUTSIDE of just social media efforts? There are several factors, and I’m going to talk about those factors here.
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I covered this in Episode 47 of Pod Theory. You can listen below and subscribe to the show wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
