Masterclass Competition
7 January 2025
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If you’re like me, you spend hours every week in various network groups.
How is a small business otherwise able to get traction without talking to people on a regular basis?
The problem with networking is that it can take up so much time, so much so that you don’t get time to actually do your work!
Starting a new business is not easy, nor is running one.
The solopreneur or small team will have to take on many functions, including marketing.
When we started Baird Media, we knew we had to meet other entrepreneurs and the only way we could quickly do that, was by joining networking groups.
As we wanted to establish ourselves as a company serving English speaking countries worldwide, we joined networking groups locally, in the UK, USA, and Australia.
What started out as a fun exercise, jumping from Zoom breakout room to Zoom breakout room, soon became overwhelming.
Not only do you have to pitch your business in two minutes of less, you also have to take time to establish relationships upon which to build.
Hopping around within a network meeting takes its toll.
Jumping from one network group to another every day soon becomes a chore and you really have to psych yourself up to get through the week.
Every network group I’m in encourages its member to follow up with one-on-one meetings.
In the beginning I didn’t engage in many of these, but the past few weeks have seen an avalanche of these meeting, clogging up my calendar and draining my time and energy.
Make no mistake, these follow ups are crucial, but they are exhausting.
Worse still, being stuck in these meeting every day means I have had precious little time to do the work I actually am good at, such as writing, making podcasts, not forgetting tasks like redesigning our website and keeping track of clients, payments, reports, and the other million and one things a business owner has to do.
It was in a discussion with the owner of one of the network groups that we realized our system of creating a podcast and purposefully repurposing it, is the ideal solution for those experiencing networking fatigue.
Let me explain our rationale.
You still want to speak to people about your company, products, and services, right?
But you don’t want to constantly repeat yourself in meeting after meeting.
At the same time, you want to create content for your marketing campaign, but once again you are so tied up that weeks go by without out have written any blogs or make any posts on social media.
Our solution let’s you both speak to people and create content with minimum effort required on your part.
The great thing about podcasts is that they have a very long shelf life.
Also remember that it takes any number of repetitions before your message will start making an impression with your audience, so you can repeat the content a few times over a few months.
It was Thomas Smith who in 1885 wrote in his book Successful Advertising that a customer will only buy after seeing a message at least 20 times.
So don’t be scared to report your content several times across platforms.
Podcasts come across as authentic, especially when care is taken to prepare and produce them properly.
They are intimate, as a listener is usually on their own, probably listening using headphones.
Research has shown that people are more likely to engage with a business or buy a product or service when they have heard about it on a podcast.
Best of all, having a podcast frees up your time to concentrate on what is really important in your business, namely making money.
Having loads of content is a great way to reinforce your message and draw people to your business where you can convert them into customer.
When you are ready to start your own podcast, join the Baird Media Mentorship program, and let Ethan and Hendrik give you all the help and support to start your own podcast.
You can also read Hendrik’s book, “Become a Podmaster: Everything You Need to Know to Master the Art of Podcasting” to help you understand what you are letting yourself in for.
Baird Media’s “Become A Podmaster” podcast offers valuable insights, tips, and inspiration from experienced podcasters. Whether you’re a hobbyist seeking artistic expression or an entrepreneur looking to amplify your business, this podcast has something for you. Join the adventure and unlock the secrets of podcasting success!
