USA –-(Ammoland.com)- Digital media is now popping more than bullets downrange.
Many people in the gun community communicate extensively over the web. Marketing for us has taking on a new look because of it. Big and small companies both are not sure of the ROI on these mediums. But as someone that produces podcast professionally, I know they are good places to advertise in.
They work. They way they work is just not measureable conventionally. Let me share with you what podcasting is, why it can work for your business, and why I love it.
A podcast is an audio or video broadcast that is distributed over the web. It usually has a format similar to a radio or television show. Because little equipment is needed to record a podcast and the Internet is used as the distribution medium, virtually anyone can create one and distribute their thoughts and opinions to the world. For that it is often thought of as amateurish. Because of the ease of starting, many gun podcasts have come and gone.
A podcast can validate, and give “street-cred” to an audience that is bombarded by ads from the moment they awaken. Marketing on podcast can connect in a way unlike traditional print . I hear all the time from my listeners that although they have a box of holsters they bought or will buy a new concealment system from my long time sponsor at CrossBreed® Holsters.
People listen to podcasts on their smartphones now more than other media devices as when it first started 11 years ago. Listening by computer is a close second.
For a digital marketer it means you get your business and products directly in the ear buds of thousands of prospects. And it is not just right now, because your ad never expires if done correctly. Podcast consumption is time shifted. People listen when they want to so I try to make my content evergreen. They can hear your ad a year from now. Being on a podcast gives the company a savings it can’t get anywhere else. Unless the show is pulled down off the server, your advertising is eternal.
I’ve been podcasting since 2007. I learned all of this by being one of the first gun podcast online. Podcasting is different from traditional radio. This element of new media has been in and out of vogue but is here to stay.
I work hard at producing a show that is easy on the ears, entertaining, family-friendly, and informative. I create one show every week that is somewhere between 25-45 minutes. It hasn’t been easy. Sometimes life gets in the way and motivation is low but knowing that I have friends counting on me makes a difference.
Since podcasting is so new, getting, and keep sponsors has been difficult. I’ve tried quite a few things over the past eight years. I have sold zombie targets, tee shirts and asked for donations from my community to stay motivated, pay for software, studio equipment, and programs for audio. I now use Patreon.com for listeners now to support my work. With over 1.4 million downloads of the show I feel now that I am just getting started.
In 2014, I got the chance to present the Power of Niche Marketing at the New Media Expo in Las Vegas. I was the only pro-gun podcaster present and continue to stay connected to the leaders in this medium around the world.
This week I celebrate the 450th episode and answer the question I get as a professional speaker with every group.
“How Do We Get More People of Color in the Gun Community?”
Our featured guest is the founder of a new group, Philip Smith of the National African American Gun Owners Association. And then a new friend shares a training tip, Michael J. Woodland. And I get famous instructor, and friend, Mas Ayoob to educate me on managing recoil when shooting the .45 cal.
You are hear this episode here.
You can get the podcast delivered to your computer or app automatically by subscribing to the RSS feed.
You can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes; Stitcher, Spreaker.
If you would like to learn about podcasting, or have questions about marketing in this digital age, feel free to contact me at blackmanwithagun@gmail.com.
*Special thanks to Ammoland.com for leading the way in digital marketing in many ways.