Unlock the Power of Content Creation for Your Business in 2024

Transcript:

Introduction: Leveraging Content Creation for Business Growth in 2024

So what would be the best format in promoting your business for 2024? And I’m not going to be talking about any form of advertising or traditional marketing. This is more about gaining audiences who will talk about what you are doing and that can be a great way of creating conversion through content.

Or show people that you’re a leader within your industry. It doesn’t matter if you’re a tiny niche, as there will always be someone who is interested in your market.

Shall we start?

Embracing the Challenge: Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone

Now, sitting in a comfort zone is always easy. However, sometimes it’s worth jumping out of your comfort zone. This is where you’ll 10x your business. And do you know any business that doesn’t want to do that? This will mean that you’ll have to dedicate some of your time to truly make a difference.

Content Is King: The Power of Content Creation

I’m sure you’ve all heard the term content is king, and that’s the truth.
Creating content is not an easy task. It takes a lot of effort. And a team of people with different skills to make it happen. Without these people, content creation would be a mess.

But why is it so important? Well, let’s think about it for a moment.

Without content, you have nothing to post on your social media. Your website, your blog, your YouTube channel, or your podcast. Literally nothing. And in this digital age, where businesses rely heavily on digital marketing, having no content is like going to battle without any weapon. It’s pointless. And will lead to your business fading away into the vast digital world without anyone noticing you.

So content creation is the most powerful tool in your content marketing arsenal. It’s the only tool that will help you win this battle. And stand out in the digital sea.

Overcoming Budget Constraints for Solo Entrepreneurs

But what if you’re a one man business trying to create content on a budget? Well, I totally get it. Sometimes it can be tough to make ends meet when you’re running a business all by yourself.

But don’t worry, there are ways to create content without breaking the bank. Now I’m going to be talking about something you’re listening to right now, a podcast, and also long form video and short form video. And what are the major benefits of these, especially this year, as platforms are changing and you need to jump on this change.

Exploring Podcast Opportunities: The Rise of Micro Podcasts

Let’s take a look at podcasts. There are some exciting new opportunities opening up for podcast creators. One of the latest is the emergence of micro podcasts, which are slightly shorter episodes. From around five to 15 minutes long. They’re really perfect for the busy person who wants to listen to something quick and snappy without committing to a long episode.

And this is where my podcast fits in there. Micro podcasts. This is great for news or business owners and entrepreneurs who want to create these shorter episodes. Focusing on specific topics or stories without spending too much time or resources. You can create these bite-sized contents. That is perfect for your target audience.

And it won’t take up too much valuable time. Also, you need to take into consideration the rise of smart speakers, like Amazon, Alexa, Apple HomePod and Google Home voice search technology is becoming increasingly important. It’s essential that brands optimise their audio content so that voice search engines can discover it. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for podcast creators and businesses alike.

Gear Essentials for Podcasting on a Budget

So let’s talk about the kit you would actually need. Now, I would highly recommend not to go on YouTube and look for the kit you need for a podcast. That’ll probably just frighten the living daylights out of you.

So I’m going to make it simple for you to set up and get going. Now, I personally have a multitude of kits. But if I was to bring it down to one item, or let’s say two items, it would be a USB microphone and a laptop, utilising an application such as a free one called Audacity, which is your editing application.

I personally use Adobe Creative Cloud, and that gives me auditions, which I use to record these podcasts on. Now, I do have what I call my travel microphone, which is a FIFINE K688, and this is an XLR and USB microphone. Now, XLR, it would fit into a small mixing desk, or USB directly into my laptop.
The USB is fantastic, and it means that I can take my laptop with me, plug in my FIFINE, And actually record wherever I am. The Fifine retails for around 79 US dollars or around 88 English pounds. So as you can see, it’s not that expensive. You may hear people say, well, you can just use your iPhone and record directly to that.

I think one of the most important aspects about doing podcasts is the sound quality. So this is why a USB microphone would be beneficial. Also, you would need a small stand to plop the microphone on. As with everything, there’s going to be a learning curve. You may never have edited audio before, but you could actually go on to Fiverr and employ someone to do the audio editing for you.

Diving into Podcast Content: What to Talk About

Now, what are you going to be talking about? Well, you could start off by repurposing existing content, bringing that up to date and actually just record that, try and talk naturally. Or you may have what we call evergreen content. This is content that remains relevant however long it lasts out there. The thing is, making content is the key part here.

I’ve heard a few people saying that podcasts are going away. In fact, they couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s going to become even more mainstream this year than it ever has. And the best part, it’s not the same old crowd listening either. We’re going to see a younger demographic really getting into it.

It’s going to open up a whole new world of opportunities for podcast creators and listeners alike. So if you’re not already tapping into this medium, now is definitely the time to start. And it’s not just for individuals, brands are starting to get into the podcast action too. It’s a great way to connect with their audience in a more personal way and really showcases their brand personality.

Now, one of the most important parts is YouTube announced the other day that They’re actually creating a podcast section where you can upload your podcasts onto YouTube. And this is not just on a video aspect, this is just on the audio aspect. Now you’ve got to remember YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world.

I mentioned earlier about your specific niche. Now you’re listening to this podcast and it’s not so specific to my niche market. Otherwise it would be e-commerce this and e-commerce that. Whereas my business encompasses many other businesses and I have a long term vision for my podcasts. So the question for your business is, what is your focus or your long term vision for your podcast?

Who are you trying to help? You see, choosing a niche can be limiting, but having a clear vision and focus is far better. Here I like to focus on helping businesses grow.

Providing the tips and tools that in the long term will allow for growth. So let’s talk about mindset. It’s, it’s a biggie really.

Demystifying the Fear of Starting: Just Hit Record

Don’t let fear of imperfections hold you back from starting your podcast journey. Listen, we’ve all been there. Not liking how our voice sounds or how we look on, say, the camera.

But trust us when we say that’s no reason to give up. Even with a cheap setup, you can start making podcasts and improving as you go along. Sure, your first few might not be award winning material, but that’s actually fine. It’s all about getting started and enjoying the ride. I promise you, you’ll get better with time.
So there’s only one thing left. Grab your microphone and hit record. It’s time to let your voice be heard.

Publishing Your Podcast: Utilising Buzzsprout for Distribution

Now, you’ve created your wonderful first podcast and you’re thinking what am I gonna do with it? There’s a fantastic website out there called Buzzsprout. It’s around 12 dollars a month for three hours of upload a month. They do have a free one that includes advertising , so it’s Definitely worth checking that out.

And what this application actually does, it enables you to upload your podcast, and then it will spread your podcast out to Apple, Spotify, Google Play, and hundreds of others.

Expanding Into Long-Form Video Content on YouTube

All right, now, let’s chat about long form video. We’re talking for around five minutes or more on YouTube.

Repurposing Content Across Platforms: Maximising Reach

Did you know you can actually use your podcast scripts to create your video content?

It’s definitely a smart way to expand your reach and get even more people to hear, say those brilliant ideas. Now, you can do what I sometimes do. You can even record both your podcast and video at the same time. That’s if you feel up to it.

Capturing the YouTube Shorts Trend: Short and Snappy Content

Then you have YouTube Shorts. Now this is an incredible opportunity where you create anything between a 30 seconds to a 60 second video and they become, can’t say extremely viral unless you’re doing something funny or something like that, but they will get considerably more hits than a long form video. So I highly recommend those.

I find them quite hard to make and say for, if I’ve done doing a podcast, let’s just say this podcast, try and bring it down to the 60 seconds is incredibly hard. But I’ll, I’ll do it eventually. Well, I don’t do it eventually, I do do it.

Now, obviously, for YouTube Shorts, you can just use your mobile phone and talk directly.

And the content that you produce for YouTube Shorts, you can add on to Instagram, LinkedIn, even TikTok. So the content can be used around, and I should also say Twitter as well. So you can share your content across all the different media.

Now, what some people actually do, they’ll actually take their podcast script and they’ll send it out for somebody to turn the script into an article, which then becomes an article for the website.

Conclusion: The Multi-Platform Approach to Content Creation

As you see there, by producing one thing like a podcast, you can then cover video and posts. That’s amazing and a really effective way of using your content and will help grow your business.

Now, if any of this that we’ve discussed today, actually, you need help with, by all means, get in touch and I can advise you on the best way to go if you’re wanting to, you know, use better equipment or anything like that.

Closing Remarks and Offer of Assistance

Well, that’s all I have for today. Enjoy the rest of your evening. And thanks for listening. Bye for now.