Growing your law firm in 2023 is going to be more complicated than in past years. While face to face interactions, dinners and formal presentations are effective, they take time. That’s your one asset that’s the most scarce. There are only so many opportunities to do these types of activities. It’s why firms rely on other forms of marketing, including websites, legal directories, videos and more. You need a tool, or series of tools, promoting your firm’s brand 24/7. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance you’re missing a key component.

A February article from JDSupra, highlighted excerpts from a December 2022 report, “22 Legal Marketing Statistics” by Good2BSocial. The report focused on the top 200 law firms in the US. Two stats immediately jumped out:

I found this interesting, as someone who produces custom-branded podcasts for law firms, financial and accounting professionals, healthcare professionals and others. In the Louisville market, I also service 2 law firms that actually have 2 separate podcasts.

So, the obvious question is, does your firm have a podcast? Has your law firm found its voice? If not, how much longer are you going to continue missing out on one of the most effective, content marketing tools available to you?

Joe Rogan is the most popular podcaster in the market.  He signed a 3-year, exclusive licensing deal with Spotify in 2020, worth over $200,000,000, according to the New York Times.  But let’s face it.  He’s a unicorn.

As someone who creates, produces and distributes podcasts for my professional clients, I have some bad news for you.  You’re Not Joe Rogan (Actually, that’s good news).

I’m Jim Ray.  Welcome to this episode of The Business Case for Podcasting.  Okay, so why would I begin by telling you you’ll never be Joe Rogan-famous?

First, it’s to clear up a common misconception.  Just because your podcast episode may not go viral is no reason not to have a podcast.  Most episodes, videos or social media posts never go viral.  That’s just a fact.  Then WHY do it?  This leads us to the 2^nd point.

The “Why” is all about content.  I encourage clients to remain focused on the Why.  Without an ongoing focus on producing quality content, your website, social media and other platforms become much less relevant and visible over time.

The main reason content production dies off is due to time constraints.  But remember, recording a quality podcast episode is much easier than struggling to write a blog post.  And because it’s easier, you’re more apt to continue doing it.

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Are you looking for a way to step up your small business marketing?   You might consider HOW you convey information.  Let’s talk about it; literally.

Welcome to Episode 2 of The Business Case for Podcasting.  Today, we’ll focus on integrating a podcast into your social media marketing plan.

Rather than being disruptive, a podcast will augment your current social media activities.  The audio content from your episodes can function as stand-alone posts for Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media marketing channels.

You also have the option of extracting audio snippets to be used as posts or teasers, linking to other content assets.  Most of my clients are releasing 2 episodes per month.  That cadence blends well with existing posts, videos and other forms of messaging.

Integrating a podcast into your social media marketing campaign enables you to change the format of HOW you communicate.  As marketers, we understand different people respond to different cues.  Text-based, video-based and audio-based messaging provide a broader mix for your channels and the impact of those content-marketing efforts.  It may actually boost the engagement with and following of your brand.

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Many of you may be familiar with digital marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuk. He has a terrific podcast called the GaryVee Audio Experience. A throw-back episode from a presentation he gave in Sydney Australia (2 years ago), was reposted a few days ago. In case you’ve been wondering about growing your small business strategy, Gary Vanynerchuk says launch a podcast.

Here’s a snippet from this episode:

If you’d like to listen to the full episode, here’s a link:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-single-strategy-will-work-in-your-business-forever/id928159684?i=1000564007098

Want to Launch a Podcast?

I work with small business owners to help them to expand brand awareness and grow revenue. Podcasting produces highly effective and engaging content for your target audience. In many ways, it’s much easier to create that traditional, written content. I can show you how to make this work for your business. My clients include attorneys, accountants, financial experts, doctors and other professional service providers.

Here’s a Google Review from a Louisville financial advisor:

“Jim has been fantastic to work with as I’ve build my podcast.  His knowledge and experience has been invaluable in getting my podcast to market.  The product has been professional and has made my company look great.  I would highly recommend working with him if your interested in building a podcast.”

– Jeb Jarrell, CFP

If you’d like to learn more, I invite you to visit: https://jimrayconsultingservices.com/podcastproduction/

The market is evolving. Consumer behavior is changing. To be effective, your approach to marketing your small business or practice should do the same. I’ve been helping clients to do that for years. Many are already following Gary Vee’s advice to start a podcast. Isn’t it time for you to do the same?

Let’s connect to see how we can launch a podcast for your small business.

OK, still wondering if this podcast thing is a trend you should consider?  Well, this tidbit might help.  According to an article in Tech Crunch, SiriusXM paid $325 million for the Stitcher podcast platform.  Podcasts from Stitcher will now be available on Pandora.

The Tech Crunch article quotes SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer, “We are deepening our position in podcasting, the fastest-growing sector in digital audio…”  In a related quote, the article noted recently Spotify reported that “nearly a quarter (21%) of its active users now listen to podcasts.”

What’s a Podcast Platform?

The way I explain it to clients is as follows.  When you have a video you want to publish to the Internet, you might use YouTube.  Once you’ve uploaded it to YouTube, it’s being hosted on the YouTube video platform, not on your computer.  In podcasting, there are similar services.  Stitcher, Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes), Google Podcasts, Libsyn and many others are podcast platforms.  You upload your audio recording to a podcast platform so others can find and listen to it.

Podcasting Has Become Mainstream

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