Zinkdo Podcasting: making podcasts part of your online strategy

The podcast is already an ideal complement to an online corporate communication strategy. A quality podcast with a strategic vision will help communicate your company's products and services to your target audience, your CSR policy and can even position you as a benchmark in your sector if you get microinfluencers or authoritative voices involved. In addition, the podcast can serve as a gateway to get users interested in what we offer; if they listen to us, they are more likely to visit our website, follow us on social media, send us a web form or even buy our product.

For all these reasons, at Zinkdo we offer you a pragmatic package:

• A journalist like Lluís Reales to script the content and do the interviews. This project is a collaboration between Lluís and Zinkdo.
• Plus our experience in content and campaign management to promote your podcast and get the audience you need, integrating the podcast into your online strategy.
• Plus our performance analysis layer for ongoing measurement and optimisation.

Today we present to you the final outcome of this offering: Zinkdo Podcasting. Let’s look into it in more detail...

Is podcasting as powerful as it's made out to be, or is it just another fad?

The percentage of people listening to podcasts has been growing steadily in recent years, and Spain is no exception. According to the latest online audio report by IAB Spain, the percentage of listeners out of the total number of Internet users stood at 19% at the beginning of 2020, nine points higher than the previous year. Other studies, such as the one by VoxNest, state that the period of confinement caused by the Covid-19 pandemic increased the figure to 25%, and that Spain is the second European country where this format grew the most, only behind Italy.

This trend, which we already discussed in our talk on 5 key ideas in online communication in 2020, is part of a general context of increasing audio consumption. The same IAB report states that 68.5% of Spanish Internet users listen to audio online daily, and 29.1% do so several times a week. These are hyper-connected listeners, accustomed to using not only laptops and smartphones, but also tablets, Internet-connected TVs and smart speakers. It is therefore logical that companies are beginning to see podcasts as an element to be integrated into their corporate communication strategies.

Why a podcast?

Just like social media, the podcast is a means of communication that works to attract our target audience and build loyalty. But it has a fundamental advantage: while we are the ones transmitting the message, the person listening to us does not have to devote 100% of their attention to us. In other words, they can be listening to the podcast while travelling on public transport, while driving, while cooking, while doing sport or while carrying out domestic repairs. This makes the podcast a very attractive format, as users increasingly value the ability to multitask.

This feature of podcasts is neither new nor unique; in fact, this is how radio has worked for almost a century. The difference lies in availability and connectivity. Firstly, although it can be broadcast live, the podcast is usually available on a delayed basis through platforms such as iVoox or Spotify so that the user can listen to it whenever they want. In terms of connectivity, the user has the option of listening to the podcast from any device connected to the Internet and can also share it freely via social networks or messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

We must also bear in mind that the audio format allows us to be warmer and closer to the public. It is likely that the user will prefer to listen to our content rather than read the articles on the corporate blog; above all because, comparatively speaking, we are asking them to make a minimum effort. Moreover, the possibility of listening to several voices in the same programme or inviting experts for interviews and discussions makes the podcast a more dynamic and entertaining format. If it is well produced, a ten-minute podcast can convey the corporate message better than a forty-slide Power Point presentation.

What is involved in making a podcast?

Although the production and dissemination of a podcast is quicker and cheaper than that of other content, such as videos, its success requires prior planning, professional production and subsequent monitoring that allows us to know if it is working as expected. If we just turn on the recorder and start talking, we will most likely be wasting time and money.

At Zinkdo we have launched the Zinkdo Podcasting service with the aim of helping you to add this tool to your corporate communication strategy. Specifically, we take care of the following points:

• Planning: we will meet with you to understand your business objectives and communication needs. From here, we will define the characteristics of your podcast in terms of duration and frequency, and we will draw up an editorial plan that will include both the cross-cutting message of the channel and the specific content of each programme.

• Production: at Zinkdo Podcasting we have journalists who can write the script for the programme and conduct interviews. In addition, we know how to use audio editing software to make professional montages and incorporate other elements -whether jingles, transitions, sound effects, voice-overs, etc.- that enrich the listener's listening experience. The quality of the podcast is very important to protect the reputation of your brand, product or service.

• Dissemination: it is not enough to upload the podcast to iVoox and Spotify. We must optimise the title, descriptions and keywords of each programme so that we can be easily found, and we must link it to our social media or to those of other podcasts and authoritative voices that help us in its dissemination, something that is complemented by our actions with microinfluencers.

• Measurement: we will establish indicators and objectives that will allow us to know if the podcast is having the success we expected. We will not only measure the number of listeners on platforms, but also the interactions they have registered, comments, downloads, number of subscribers, etc. With this data we will be able to draw conclusions to reinforce or redirect the podcast’s content.

If you want to know more about our Zinkdo Podcasting service or you need advice and resources to start up your corporate podcast, don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll be in touch.