We all know the stats: audio consumption has never been higher, and that makes it even more critical for radio brands to have a strong podcasting strategy. The popularity of podcasts, both original podcasts and your time-shifted key content being made available on-demand, continues to grow—particularly as listeners and creators find themselves stuck at home in quarantine. Using podcasts and audiograms are an excellent way for radio brands to recycle their brand across multiple platforms (especially social) to build brand audience and loyalty, and keep your fans engaged 24/7.
But as we also all know, efforts that don’t drive real audience and revenue growth can sometimes turn a high priority into a nice to have. Fortunately, Futuri Media has a suite of tools that make it easy to podcast with purpose.
1. Schedule or Work from ANYWHERE.
The entire world is adjusting to our new need for more work-at-home (and in some cases, broadcast-from-home) options, which can be challenging for radio stations that are used to creating and scheduling all of their content in-studio.
But, thanks to Futuri’s POST, your station can have a single system solution to manage and publish original podcasts from wherever you want. If you’re struggling with bandwidth or staffing reductions, POST will save you time, it’s work-at-home-friendly, and it gives you the flexibility your station needs right now. POST lets you easily publish and schedule publishing content without neglecting your advertisers or leaving your distribution channels asleep at the wheel.
Speaking of being asleep, publishing content around the clock to stay top of mind with your audience doesn’t mean you actually have to work around the clock. Especially if you find yourself performing as the one-man-content-creation-band with your stations, be sure to lean on the POST Episode Scheduler function, which can help you manage the flow and content delivery to your social platforms. POST also makes it simple to create a video file of your podcast or export it to your station website, RSS feed, social accounts, or wherever else you need it.
Keep publishing that content consistently and you’re in a great position to take advantage of the growth in audio consumption driven by adults working from home. Here’s an overview from Futuri’s TopLine, which uses data-rich insights to help sales professionals articulate the unique value of their audience to advertisers.
2. Become the Next Great At-Home Content Creator.
One of the most exciting aspects of the current podcast boom is how many content-creation opportunities it opens up BEYOND the actual podcast itself.
Think of the creators who are killing it right now when it comes to connecting with their fans. They’re creating original podcasts, videos, and even whole shows from the comfort of their own home. Creating a plan that pairs POST, with its video creation capabilities, with live platforms like Instagram Live allows your entire team to do the exact same thing.
And we’re not just talking about publishing videos of your talent recording their shows. Does your team have talents that could inspire content to engage audiences that are working from home and/or sheltering in place? Maybe they’re amazing at cooking or know everything about wine, the golden age of a sports team with an upcoming anniversary, or music? (Speaking of which, a recent Futuri / University of Florida study of country radio listeners who have listened to a podcast in the last month named music as their favorite podcast topic genre [more on that here]. For most stations, chances are your team really knows how to talk about music!)
POST gives you the tools you need to create original podcast series or videos—right from home—and allows you to share your knowledge with others, grow YOUR brand, tie it back to your radio station, and create new revenue streams for both you and your station brands.
This is a great time to be thinking through branded content that’s a programming fit and a home run for advertisers as well. That wine expert on staff? How about a podcast series done in conjunction with a local wine shop? Have a fitness junkie who’s adjusting to not being able to hit the gym? Why not develop a series around working out at home with a local gym doing virtual training sessions? These are excellent ways to grow your brand’s audience while capitalizing on growing audio ad spending. Here’s another overview from TopLine that breaks that down.
3. Engage and Educate Your Audience.
One of the great things about POST’s content tools is that they’re easy for anyone to use. In minutes, you can create a simple podcast or video designed to get your audio on platforms like YouTube, or you can spend a little more time using its advanced tools to create visually engaging, content-rich videos for your socials and website.
So why not take advantage of those robust tools for the good of your workforce and your community during the pandemic?
You can maximize the productivity of your newly remote employees by providing them with content creation tools that allow them to publish daily video and audio content on your website, social channels, Spotify, or wherever else you want to engage your audience. (And they don’t even need to put on pants!)
Or, if you’re looking to help your community during the COVID-19 crisis, your station can utilize POST to create free online classes in partnership with local schools or universities. You can help educate your listeners with on-demand content, grow enrollment in nearby educational programs, and even use these opportunities to generate revenue at the station level.
It’s good for you, good for your staff, and good for your audience. That’s win-win-win!
Radio stations are adjusting to the world’s “new normal” just like everyone else. Thankfully, with tools like POST and the rest of Futuri Media’s software solutions, you can create better, more engaging content from the comfort of your own home in a way that makes sense for your listeners and your revenue growth.
You can learn more about POST and everything Futuri can do for your station HERE.
