Jeff Mendelson: Why Podcasts are Marketing’s Next Big Move
Jeff Mendelson: Why Podcasts are Marketing’s Next Big Move
These days, it seems like anyone with a microphone and an internet connection wants to launch their own podcast. At the touch of your fingertip, you can find podcasts on day trading, baking, murder mysteries, and everything in between. Even though it’s not exactly hard to jumpstart your own podcast, it’s important—for marketers especially—not to underestimate the raw power of podcasting.
We spoke with Jeff Mendelson to get a better understanding of what makes a great podcast, and how entrepreneurs and marketers can use their voices to break through the noise of digital marketing.
Who Is Jeff Mendelson?
Jeff Mendelson may not be Howard Stern, but he’s a podcaster with enough digital marketing know-how to make a six-figure boost for his clients more than a pipe dream.
Jeff made the leap into podcasting after several years of going through the motions in the marketing circuit. He found the cycle of traditional marketing was becoming monotonous and boring to him, and he just wasn’t making the connection and impact he knew he was capable of.
Tired of getting fired every few years, Jeff decided to make a move. He knew he wanted to host a short-form podcast, and he knew he wanted to interview interesting people to give it gusto. So, he ditched the traditional marketing gigs and started a podcast. Even though his first podcast floundered after only five episodes, he was able to reconstruct his dream and make a few tweaks which led him to where he is today.
Jeff is a self-proclaimed Podcast Superhero. He’s the host of his own popular podcast, where he has interviewed hundreds of top-notch guests. Jeff is also a business strategist and highly sought-after coach. He helps businesses and digital agencies use the smartest tools available to scale lead generation and build profitable professional relationships.
Starting Conversations
It didn’t take long for Jeff to realize that podcasting (specifically interviewing other professionals and entrepreneurs) was the ultimate networking tool. During an interview with Pinchforth, he joked about how putting a microphone in front of yourself automatically gives you a sort of perceived authority. People just view you as an expert and that makes them want to talk to you, give you good ideas and connect.
Interviewing other professionals on a podcast creates a mutually beneficial relationship. And it all comes from conversation. People naturally want to talk about themselves, but business owners and CEOs are extremely eager to talk about their brands and projects. By having a natural conversation around mutually aligned interests, Jeff found he was easily able to build and nurture relationships with some truly amazing people.
Power to the Podcast
According to Jeff, traditional and current media platforms are losing their edge for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons has a lot to do with privacy concerns. As consumers become more knowledgeable of the technology and tools available to them, they’re also becoming more wary of them.
Many software are now able to actively block specific types of advertisements, and there are more user hacks emerging to help consumers protect information like their email. Features like “hide my email” do help consumers protect private information, but they also inhibit marketers and business owners from effectively collecting leads and data on their audience.
Developments like these aren’t all bad news for marketing, but they’re a call for marketers to step their game up. Marketing content needs to be more engaging and powerful than ever before. Our new efforts should still be built on the core strategies of marketing but executed with a punch.
Jeff feels that extraordinary content is vital to powerful marketing. Otherwise, you may end up spending a lot of money on paid advertising that goes nowhere. That, he says, is the tax you pay for being unremarkable. By putting unremarkable content out there, you have to go the extra mile to put yourself in front of consumers and drive sales.
So, if your website, product, or brand isn’t ranking on the first page of search results—even with better content—how do you cut through the noise? Buy a microphone, Jeff says, and interview your clients. You’ll learn more about them and have the opportunity to build an intimate and mutually beneficial relationship with them. And direct connections really make all the difference.
Starting Your Podcast
So, if podcasts are one of marketing’s greatest tools, how do you get in on the action? We asked Jeff for some words of wisdom on launching a new podcast the right way. To start a podcast, according to Jeff, is practically the easiest thing to do in the world.
Even though you could start with the smartphone in your hand, Jeff’s first recommendation is to invest a little in your equipment. Get a microphone (for both your audio and expert appearance), even if it’s just a lapel microphone to start. There are a lot of free tools to help you record and edit quality audio, and most of them are fairly easy to use.
As far as your content goes, Jeff is granting some creative liberty. Do what you’re good at, and share what’s great and unique about your business. If you have a great sales pitch, record your next sales call with a client. Interview-style podcasts are great because they build mutually beneficial relationships, and tend to be the easiest to get off the ground because people want to be on them to talk about themselves and evangelize their business.
What’s really crucial to a podcast’s success is what you do with your material after it’s recorded. Most of the time, you can use the content you generate through a podcast episode to create other materials. Search for “value bombs” within your conversation and repurpose them by creating blogs, social media posts, or action guides.
Podcasting is the fastest way to share your message and reach as many people as possible, and a promising platform none of us should sleep on. But the thing that makes podcasting such an effective and invaluable marketing tool is the duality it offers by delivering and gathering value at the same time.
