Yesterday, I wrote about exponential technologies and the massive impact those have made on our culture and how we communicate.
Social media is a good start
Getting good at social media is one way to reach people now, but it has limitations.
Social media experts like Brady Shearer say the most important thing you can do is “stop the scroll.” After all, if people scroll right by your article, audio, image, or video, then you don’t get their attention and they miss your message.
Ultimately, most social media messages are sound bites.
Since social media includes text and images, maybe we can just call them “message bites.”
Of course, the goal is usually to entice you to click a link for even more. It works well for many online marketers. Hey, perhaps you’re reading this article now because a message bite stopped your scroll.
But social media alone will not maintain the kind of connection you hope to make when you post your message bite. You really want them to get your whole message. You want them to understand the message and respond to your “call to action.”
A better way: Make your message mobile with a podcast
There’s a way to connect deeply with people who need to hear what you have to say.
There’s a way to reach people who are busy, who have less time to show up to your place—wherever that might be.
You can reach people who are always on the go. They can hear your stories, learn from your teaching, and continue their training.
You can deliver your message to them on the mobile devices they carry everywhere they go.
Don’t leave home without it? Don’t worry. They won’t.
Today it’s a smartphone. Or a smart watch. Tomorrow may be something else. But what I can guarantee you is this: The tech will be mobile.
A podcast is the best way to reach people on the go.
Why?
They can listen anywhere without having to look at a screen.
Podcast listeners listen whenever and wherever they can. They exercise with a podcast. They commute with a podcast. They shop for groceries with a podcast. Some even work while listening to a podcast.
Many like podcasts that are 5-15 minutes long. Others love hour-long shows. Still others stick around for 2 or 3 hours, just clicking pause till they’ve heard it all.
The point is you will cultivate a deeper connection with a podcast than you will sharing message bites on social media.
If you’d like to give this kind of podcasting a try, get ready to adjust your mindset.
The mindset you need to make your message mobile with a podcast
Making your message mobile with a podcast means you have to fight through alternate messages out there. Forget top podcast charts and industry articles about the most successful shows in 2019. To make this kind of podcast work, you need a different mindset.
Podcasts like these are not about becoming famous
Popular podcasts have gotten there for different reasons. Often it’s because the host of the show was already famous and well-funded. That’s not what you’re doing with this kind of podcast.
So that’s mindset shift number one. Forget famous. Focus on the people who need your message.
Unshackle your on-location mindset
For many of you, showing up to your building is the most important thing.
If you’re a business, getting customers into the door to buy something is the only ROI that matters.
If you’re a school, the return on investment you seek is a rise in enrollment and tuition.
If you’re a church, any kind of marketing and advertising has to see an almost immediate increase in attendance to count.
This on-location mindset does have its place. But that’s not the point of this other way to use a podcast. And that ROI is not what you need to look for.
Making a podcast is not the new advertising channel to throw money at.
Podcasting is about connection—with people.
Connecting in a way that makes sense to them.
Connecting in a way that demonstrates you understand the challenges people face today.
And when you make that connection, they will listen to your message.
