Winning Through Marketing - Podcasting

Podcasting is our next post in our series of marketing. Aside from our Winning Through Marketing introduction post and our Ultimate Lead Guide series, also check out:

Cold calling
Email marketing
Sales Letters
Networking
Social Media Marketing 

Podcasting? Really? Of all the 100+ marketing channels out there, you picked this one next? I can almost hear what you're thinking. What's more is that I never did this for our cleaning business. Imposter syndrome! Well...and I did want to make a selfish plug for Beyond the Mop. I just made a repeat appearance at Podcast Movement outside Washington, DC and the timing is energizing for this post. 

Hey, I get it. You're probably equating a podcast to a True Crime series. Or maybe you're on YouTube and run across some great content, as a podcast in video form. But podcasts work.

Improve Your Branding

Branding gives your business an identity. It helps identify who you're about and gives your audience a chance to learn more about you. Trader Joe's does a great job on this using a podcast. They use the podcast to highlight their food sourcing, to share recipes, to give a behind-the-scenes of their brand, and to highlight who and what they're about. 

Build Credibility and Authority

It's noisy out there. Depending on your market you could easily have hundreds or even thousands of competitors. 95%+ of these cleaning companies say the EXACT same thing in their messaging, value propositions, and more. It's almost difficult to tell the difference from one company to another. But you can stand out with added credibility. You can be seen as an authority and thought leader within the cleaning space. Even if you decide not to become a podcaster, consider being a podcast guest. 

Use Your Podcast as a Lead Machine

Your listeners would want to know more about you. What do they do? They begin to search for you. The podcast will boost your SEO value, make your website more seen, and increase your odds of winning local business. Moreover, you can set up lead magnets on your site and capture names, business names, and emails for email marketing. 

Use a Podcast to Help With Your Content Marketing

Content is king and sometimes those in the cleaning business tend to be repetitive with the same types of posts, like before and afters, or announcements they're looking for new clients. Scratch that. Be different. If you have a video podcast, you can easily create short form content to grow on sites like Instagram. Or keep it long and now you have a YouTube video, or even share on LinkedIn. If you're audio-only, you can create audiograms through sites like this one and share audio with ease. It makes sharing your brand so much easier. 

Sponsorships and Paid Referrals/Affilaites

Talk about cleaning won't likely get you in the top-listened to podcasts. Unless you really have a unique show, you won't get all that much traction. But sometimes you only need a little bit to get noticed. If you're a top podcast in the cleaning category in your market, do you think it's possible that your suppliers may want in on the action? I can see scenarios where you can create an affiliate deal or sponsorship deal by promoting their company on your podcast. That might get you some cheaper cleaning products or even cash in your pocket. You can also use it for paid referrals. Offer paid referrals to any listener who is willing to promote your cleaning biz.

Build a Community

Finally, podcasts can help you build your community. Once you have that strong community, you'll experience more opportunities in your cleaning business through increased sales, more referrals, and added traction.

So, how do you build a podcast?

At a minimum, you need a podcast host. Examples include Buzzsprout (I use them), Libsyn, Podbean, Blueberry, and more. And you'll need a microphone, of which you can easily get a USB microphone for under $100. Some people even record using their iPhone mic. You don't have to be fancy or polished. Hit record. Upload the audio (or video), and you're all set. Buzzsprout will help you get found on sites like Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, and more.

Ideas for your Podcast:

• Have a show featuring your prospective clients. Don't talk about cleaning. Interview them about their businesses. Put the spotlight on them.
• Have a man-on-the-street style interview. Go around your community interviewing people. Or highlight goings on within your community. You don't have to talk about cleaning, but your cleaning company can sponsor your show. 
• Use the podcast as an authority. You can talk about latest trends in the cleaning industry, or use it to highlight the benefits of hiring a cleaning company. 
• Do a "how-to clean" style podcast. Use it to demonstrate best practices in cleaning. Your future clients won't nix you because you're teaching them how to clean. They'll realize they'd rather hire you instead.

Hope this helps. In my new cleaning company, podcasting is one of my top marketing goals.

Next on Deck: The WHYs of Listing Supplies in Your Contracts (Coming 9-4-24)