By Megy Karydes Writer, speaker, and marketing communications expert @megy
Gone are the days when a magazine article or mention on a radio show alone could generate new customers or leads. To succeed in today's world, you need a solid and integrated marketing plan that lets you control and reinforce your message to your target market. Among the most powerful platforms companies are using are podcasts, and Trader Joe's is the latest to compete for the share of your ear.
Before you tune out because you might not yet be a podcast listener, here this: 44 percent of American consumers have listened to podcasts and 26 percent tune in on a monthly basis, according to Edison Research. Those who listen to podcaststend to be educated, mobile, loyal, engaged and affluent, according to Midroll. This demographic also happens to be Trader Joe's customer base. It makes so much sense that Trader Joe's would launch its own podcast, starting with a five-part podcast series called "Inside Trader Joe's" (I have to admit, I love a good pun.).
How Trader Joe's Is Using Podcasts to Reinforce Its Brand
The new "Inside Trader Joe's" podcast will focus on the way the retailer does business, including narratives from crew members, c-suite executives and store captains, according to a company press release. All of the episodes have been uploaded and among the topics are how the company discovers new products and what have been hits and which have been misses.
The shows are meant to let their customers (and, let's face it, prospective customers) in on how Trader Joe's works. By the very name of their podcast, a play on the name inside trader, we're getting a taste of how the private Tasting Panel decides what gets shelf space (and what doesn't), why Crew Members wear those Hawaiian shirts and what it takes to get a Trader Joe's in your neighborhood.
How can business leaders take advantage of podcasts?
For those who tend to shy away from the camera, podcasts are a great alternative to video. Most podcast interviews and stories are long-form, meaning they aren't 30-second soundbites. The platform allows a company's message to really be heard.Podcasts are a great way to introduce various people in your company to your audience, creating a more intimate connection with your customers. Trader Joe's podcast will feature everyone from the CEO to crew members and store captains. It helps build public speaking skills in a relatively low-risk environment, helping leaders in your company improve that important skill set.Podcasts engage your customers.
Trader Joe's is using podcasts as a way to deliver answers to their customers' most pressing questions -- how products are chosen, for example -- but in a fun way, which is on-brand for Trader Joe's since fun is part of their culture.
"'Inside Trader Joe's' has allowed us the air -- literally -- to delve a little deeper into our story and to answer the questions our customers have asked of us, in our own fun and interesting way," spokesperson Kenya Friend-Daniel said in the press release. "It's a good start to a conversation we hope to continue."
Not ready to dip into launching your own podcast? Consider advertising on one that makes sense for your business. Listeners of podcasts rarely skip ads and 88 percent listen to most or all episodes, according to Midroll.
Podcast listeners are a captured audience, which is ideal for any company seeking to reinforce its brand and message with its customers. For marketers and business owners, it also provides powerful analytics to help them better craft content that will resonate with their customers and listeners.
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