Listen Up! Podcasts “Touch the Brains” of Potential Candidates
Courtesy of Franchise Update Magazine
In the current dynamic marketing landscape, businesses must continually explore innovative ways to connect with their target audience and establish meaningful relationships. The popularity of audio podcasts has skyrocketed, offering a unique and powerful platform for companies to engage high-level B2B customers.
Franchise brands likewise are attracting and educating new franchise candidates and potential business owners with audio podcasts. Sport Clips Haircuts and The Joint Chiropractic, as well as franchise consultants, such as FranNet and FranServe, are finding great value in audio podcasts for lead generation and building relationships.
Here are a few reasons why franchise brands should consider incorporating podcasts into their marketing strategy and content mix.
Personalized engagement
One of the key advantages of audio podcasts is the ability to deliver content in a more personalized and intimate manner. Unlike written content or even videos, podcasts allow businesses to communicate directly with their audiences through the power of voice. This “touching of the brain,” as one successful talk radio host would say, creates a stronger emotional connection, making it easier for candidates to relate to the brand and its message.
Thought leadership
By featuring knowledgeable speakers and experts from the company, businesses can share insights, discuss industry trends, and position themselves as thought leaders. This enhances the brand’s credibility and attracts candidates who are actively seeking help from a trusted source.
Many brands are featuring interviews with current franchisees discussing their journey, their businesses, and most importantly, what their lives are like. Think of this recording as an evergreen validation call!
Accessible and convenient
Who is your ideal candidate? Is it someone who watches lots of long corporate videos and scrolls YouTube continuously in between Netflix binging?
No. The candidates who are most likely to be successful business owners are very active people. Offer them information on a flexible and portable medium that they can quickly consume while commuting, working out, or multitasking.
Building a community
Podcasts create a sense of community by fostering ongoing conversations and interactions. Through regular episodes, franchisors can connect with their audience, address concerns, and encourage questions. This is perfect for franchise development marketing as it goes beyond transactional relationships to build a community of engaged business owners.
Once upon a time…
Storytelling is a powerful tool in marketing, and podcasts provide an excellent platform for businesses to tell compelling stories. Whether sharing the company’s journey or your franchisees’ successes, storytelling humanizes the brand and fosters a deeper connection with the potential franchisee.
Changing habits
As consumer habits evolve, businesses must adapt their marketing strategies to stay relevant. The rise of podcast consumption reflects a shift toward audio-centric content. By incorporating podcasts into their franchise marketing efforts, franchisors demonstrate adaptability and a willingness to meet their audience where they are.
I mentioned earlier that audio podcasts are evergreen. I have episodes that are more than 10 years old that get streamed or downloaded every day. Audio platforms change and evolve, such as moving from MP3s to streaming and from Google Podcasts to Spotify. You can also expect changes for podcasts within YouTube and TikTok. However, the audio content remains unchanged. The podcasts in which you invest this year can still be marketing your franchise a decade from now.
Multiple channels
Make sure you don’t just record the podcast, post it on your website, and forget it. Sure, your interested candidates will find it while researching you, but let’s get that podcast in many more ears.
Audio podcasts seamlessly integrate with other marketing channels, creating an immersive brand experience. It needs to be found on Apple, Spotify, and a dozen other audio platforms. It should be posted on all of your brands’ social media accounts and your executives’ social media accounts. Embed it in your emails, transcribe it into a blog post, and text it to everyone in your sales funnel. And give it to your fran dev sales team to share with anyone for whom it may make a difference.
Make sure that your message resonates across all touch points, increasing the chances of reaching potential candidates through their preferred channels.
Examples
We’ve collected all of our current franchising podcasts in one place for easy access here. You’ll find audio podcasts created by franchisors, franchisees, suppliers, IFA, other associations, brokers, consultants, and more. If your brand starts a podcast, I would love to include you here. It can be a game changer in building meaningful connections and driving your success!
Jack Monson is the CEO of franchise development marketing agency Brand J and has been helping franchisors with digital marketing for 15 years. He is also the owner and host of Social Geek, the top podcast in franchising.