Why you Should Create a Podcast for Your Online Business

For the past few years, I have been doing a podcast that we call Small Business Success with Steve Strauss. In it, I have interviews with entrepreneurs, authors and industry leaders, share stories of small business success, offer tips and strategies – the whole shebang. Just recently for example, I interviewed Amine Khechfé, the general manager and a co-founder of Endicia on the topic of online shipping.

The podcast has turned out to be a great way to grow my business and brand, and it is something you can do too to boost your operation. Here are some benefits to be derived from hosting your own podcast:

• It establishes you as a thought leader. By hosting your own show, you immediately get seen as an expert.
• It allows you to meet other experts: You will find no shortage of people who want to be on your show if you decide to use an interview format. People love to find new platforms to get their message out.
• It grows your brand: New people will be exposed to your brand and will learn about your business.
• It will lead to more business: Who wouldn’t want to do business with someone who has a great brand and is an industry leader?

Let’s say that you own an online businessand that you use online shipping services to deliver spa products all over the country. Do you see how having a “Spa Talk” show might be a boon to your business? And don’t think you wouldn’t get listeners. If I had a spa guru tell me how to make my hot tub work right, I would definitely listen, and so would many others.

Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Develop a roadmap for the show:

   Including an intro, body, conclusion and duration.

2. Figure out how to produce it:

   I found a great engineer who has a studio and helps me record the show. He then cleans up the tape and uploads it to iTunes, Stitcher and my website. You can also do it yourself using BlogTalkRadio.

3. Find great guests:

   It really helps to have guests on your show: interviews are better than monologues, and guests will have the incentive to help you push out the show when their episodes air, leading to even more listeners. You can find guests by speaking with your colleagues and associates, and also by using a service called HARO.

4. Be yourself, but practice:

   Let your personality shine through, and also, learn your new craft. Hosting a show is like any other skill – it takes a while to learn.

As in life, practice makes perfect (or almost!) in podcasting too.

For more insight, check out our ecommerce tips and trends page.