Podcasting is the new blogging. It is a popular way to increase marketing effectiveness because you can stand out and be heard amongst the noise, share your ideas, lead your community, and earn trust.
There are fewer podcasts than blogs so the competition is lower and the ability to be original is enhanced.
Bridge Ratings has called 2017 the breakout year for podcasting. According to Musicoomph nowadays 227 million people are podcast listeners. Out of those people, 51% of people (approx. 165 million people) have listened to a podcast, and 32% listen to podcasts at least once a month. There are more than 700,000 active podcasts and over 29 million episodes, including content in more than 100 languages.
But how can podcasts be useful in fields of Employer Branding and HR Marketing?
On the one hand, companies can create storytelling podcasts dedicated to potential employees presenting their successes, the personal stories of some of their staff or even the challenges they have faced as a company. Employers also can conduct events, and roundtables, meetups where, as experts, they can talk about their market and challenges. With the power of storytelling in Employer Branding, it is possible to be trustworthy and reliable.
On the other hand, candidates complain that job descriptions rarely give enough information and can often be too impersonal. Podcasting can offer a great alternative or additional support to be more personal and specific. Podcasts enable organizations to more comprehensively discuss their hiring needs, and thus candidates can get a more intimate and complete idea of the role and the company before applying.
In order to learn more about podcasting and storytelling, I interviewed Gregor Schneider, Founder & CEO von Sinn.fm; Communication coach, Psychological Advisor and Podcast Producer.
BFY: What is podcasting and how does it work?
GSCH: Podcasting has become a recognized and very fast growing medium for distributing audio content for corporate and personal use. It's similar to radio programs but podcasts can be played anytime and anywhere. Podcasts have the huge advantage of being listened at the listener's convenience.
BFY: Why did you start your podcast-episodes in 2018?
GSCH: We love audio communication and we believe in the increasing importance of good podcasting and audio content in the corporate world. We are convinced that our Sinn.fm interviews about professional life stories are a great way for our cooperation partners and customers to communicate with their dialog groups. It's a unique and authentic storytelling format, which opens a wide range of possibilities in the area of communication, marketing, Employer Branding, and product placement. In addition, as a full-service podcast agency, we offer everything you need to create your own podcast.
BFY: What is your favorite story you recorded recently?
GSCH: One of our last interviews with Cornelia Diesenreiter. She is a founder and CEO of Unverschwendet - a company fighting food waste by using surplus fruits and vegetables to create delicious products. Unverschwendet emphasizes the great potential of unutilized resources in the area of food and enables people to access to food waste prevention and sustainable life.
BFY: Why is employer branding so crucial in your opinion?
GSCH: There are many good reasons. One of them is that companies with a strong employer brand have more engaged and motivated employees. This is a very important factor for growth.
BFY: Why is storytelling important?
GSCH: Storytelling is the perfect way to convey authentic messages of a company. Podcasting is an ideal tool for it.
BFY: What podcasts inspire you?
GSCH: I like the podcast Zeitsprung.fm. My colleagues Daniel Meßner and Richard Hemmer created it.
