How To Actually Gain Clients from Your Podcast

In today’s digital marketing world, your prospects and potential clients are making their buying decision far before they have even met you. A whopping 81% of consumers do online research before making a purchasing decision, so even if given a referral from a family member or friend, prospects seek information that validates that referral. With a quick online search, they should be able to find information about you and your business by visiting your website, downloading your content, reviewing shared networks, stalking your social media presence, and more.  

As more advisors today are building their online brands, though, it’s important to identify more personalized ways of sharing your voice and finding the right audience where your message resonates (and leads to new business and evangelist clients). This is where podcasting can be the key ingredient to transforming a prospect into a solidified lead who is excited to work with you, because they feel like they know you and understand how you can help them.  

My partner on this topic is Matt Halloran, the Co-Founder of ProudMouth. Matt has been featured in The Wall Street Journal as a digital communications expert, wrote “The Social Media Handbook for Financial Advisors,” and has hosted or appeared on more than 1,000 podcasts. He’s also the host of ProudMouth’s podcast, Top Advisor Marketing Podcast, where he shares marketing strategies tailored for advisors and industry leaders.

Why Podcasting Matters

Considering that in 2022, 62% of the adult population in the US listened to a podcastⁱ and 80 million of them are weekly podcast listenersⁱⁱ, the growing popularity of podcasts as a medium is still on the upward trajectory. Interestingly, podcasts are still a fairly untapped channel for advisors to share their expertise while establishing their voice on the topics they care about the most.  It’s also one of the most engaging ways to get in front of a prospect that feels intimate and builds trust and confidence.  

Now let’s talk about the modern buying journey for a moment. Essentially, there are four steps consumers take before making an informed decisions.

1. The initial introduction: This may be a referral, an introduction from an in-person or virtual event, through social media or advertising, or other marketing outreach efforts. 

2. Online validation: After the introduction, consumers search online for information that gives you credibility, including verifying who you are, what you do, if you’re credentialed, if you’re on social media, and yes – if you have reviews of your business.   
   
   
3. Subscribing and following: Digging deeper, step 3 is when a prospect will maybe subscribe to your blog, follow you on LinkedIn, watch a video, sign up for a webinar or download your content. 
   
   
4. Making a decision: After taking time to better understand you and determining how you suit their needs, step 4 is when a prospect reaches out to actually meet you with confidence that they’re making a smart decision.

As advisors continue to struggle to differentiate themselves from their competition via digital marketing, advisor podcasting is an excellent way to stand out with a message that is highly targeted and authentic – and reaches the right people for your business. As Matt says, “With any of your digital marketing efforts, you don’t want to grow your audience. You want to grow your business.”  

A Mindset for Podcasting Success  

A question we hear often from advisors thinking about a podcast is, “What can I say that hasn’t already been said?” or for advisors already doing a podcast, “How do I get more meaningful listeners?” We challenge you to change your mindset from that perspective with two simple steps to consider. Ask yourself:   

1. Who is my podcast for? Consider your ideal client and curate your episodes into something that would speak to them. If you aren’t clear on your specific “who” or if you’re trying to connect with everyone, you will likely connect with no one. 
   
   
2.  What is the change I am trying to create for my listeners? What is the state of your listener before they listen to your podcast and how do you want them to feel aftear they’ve listened to you? How can you speak directly to them? 
   

The beauty of podcasting and creating content is that you get to shape who it’s for, the shift you want to make in people’s lives, and what you talk about. Just make sure it’s clear across all your channels.  

“Once these people reach out, they are ready to buy from you,” Matt says. “You don’t have to sell to them. Podcasts enable you to build a relationship with them when it’s convenient for them.” 

How to Amp Up Your Podcast

You’ve done ALL the hard work! You are clear on your who and why, you’ve mapped out areas of interest and what topics you want to cover, and you’ve gotten started. Now, you may be asking yourself, “how do I amp up my podcast for my ideal client once it’s live?” We have three easy steps for you to follow:  

1. Maximize your content. Our recommendation when podcasting is to add video to maximize content opportunities! You’re already recording so incorporate the audio and video components to leverage multiple channels, like YouTube. By having both of these components, advisors can create 12 (or more) pieces of content to share across their social media.  
   
   
   
   
2. Have a clear Call to Action (CTA). Having this at the end of your episode and across your channel is crucial, because it prompts a follow-up they need to stay engaged with you. You are guiding your listener or viewer on the next best action to take, to engage with you or for them to get to know you or for you to help them solve a problem. 
   
   
3. Ask for feedback. Chat with your ideal client and ask them if they had a chance to listen to your latest episode. A great question to ask is, “How did you find me?”  Real world feedback is so important to helping you hone your message and your delivery.  

There’s a misconception that for a podcast to be successful, you need to go viral or have thousands of downloads. Success isn’t about views or likes, it’s about the intentionality of your message and if you’re reaching your ideal client with the right content. Success comes down to the quality of the “who” and if you’re making valuable connections that align with your marketing strategy to help you grow your business that is sustainable and rewarding.  

Ready to find your voice and launch your own podcast? Sign up for our Podcast Workshop!  

Already creating an amazing podcast, but want to drive measurable business results? Sign up for AmpliFi Podcast