Reason #4 for a Corporate Podcast: Improve Sales

Written by Scott Whitney

Reason Number 4 — Improve Sales

Improve sales?!? NOooooooooo! Isn’t podcasting all about putting out a show for purely altruistic reasons? It certainly can be. But for all the companies I’ve talked to, they recognize that for a podcast to be successful in a corporate environment, it must meet one of two criteria:

1. It must improve sales, and/or
2. It must motivate the listener to take action on their behalf

Be assured that a podcast can improve sales. I know this to be true because the first podcast I produced improved the company’s web-based sales by 23%. We did this by providing a show that gave the listener what they wanted while at the same time providing a call-to-action that didn’t feel “salesy”. Within weeks we were seeing sales directly related to the podcast.

How NOT to improve sales via your podcast

Pitch, pitch, pitch. In my profession, I listen to a lot of podcasts. And many of the corporate podcasts I’ve reviewed since August of 2005 have failed to meet the criteria your listeners have for every podcast…that is, to either be entertained or educated (or both). Instead, these podcast were almost assuredly written by the folks in marketing who wanted to list all their features and how great their product is and why you should buy. This, I’m afraid, doesn’t get the job done. Remember, telling is not selling…teaching is. If you are educating your listeners, you are helping them discover on their own why doing business with you might be a good idea.

Has your podcast helped your sales? Let us know and we’ll spread the word on what works and what doesn’t.

Posted on Monday, February 4, 2008 · Leave a Comment