Leveraging Your Podcast for Business With Anne Claessen [The Podcast Babes]

Summary

Summary of "Leveraging Your Podcast for Business With Anne Claessen [The Podcast Babes]"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Mindful Marketing Podcast (Formerly Known As The Savvy Social Podcast)
• Host/Author: Andréa Jones
• Episode: Leveraging Your Podcast for Business With Anne Claessen [The Podcast Babes]
• Release Date: December 31, 2024

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Introduction and Episode Overview

In this insightful episode of The Mindful Marketing Podcast, host Andréa Jones sits down with Ann Klassen on The Podcast Babes Podcast to explore effective strategies for leveraging podcasts to grow a business. The discussion delves into securing podcast sponsors, integrating podcasting with social media, maintaining consistency during personal challenges, rebranding, and innovative promotion techniques. This comprehensive conversation offers valuable takeaways for both novice and seasoned podcasters looking to amplify their show's impact and monetization.

Andréa Jones' Journey: From Social Media Strategist to Podcaster

Andréa Jones shares her extensive background in digital content creation, highlighting her evolution from blogging in 2004—a time when blogging was often viewed as "nerdy"—to establishing a social media agency in 2014. Her passion for content creation reignited in 2018 when she transitioned into podcasting after participating in a 28-day challenge hosted by Podcast Movement. Winning a conference ticket through this challenge was a pivotal moment that solidified her commitment to podcasting:

"I started podcasting in 2018 and I haven't stopped since." ([02:41])

Achieving Immediate Success and Securing Sponsorships

Andréa discusses the early achievements of her podcast, particularly the swift acquisition of a significant sponsor within her first 20 episodes. This sponsorship, valued at $1,000 per month, provided a substantial support system, covering the production costs and fostering a long-term partnership that extended over three years:

"I got my first sponsor for the podcast, and it was a pretty, for me, significant deal. It was a thousand Dollars a month." ([07:03])

She attributes this success to her focused content strategy targeting small businesses and entrepreneurs, filling a niche that was underserved at the time.

Expert Tips for Securing and Managing Sponsors

Andréa offers practical advice for podcasters seeking sponsorships, emphasizing the importance of tracking sponsor ROI. Unlike YouTube, where links in descriptions are easily clickable, podcast listeners often engage while multitasking, making it challenging to track direct link clicks. To address this, Andréa recommends using unique coupon codes provided by sponsors, which listeners can recall and apply:

"The hardest thing about sponsorship is the tracking." ([10:19])

Additionally, she suggests alternative revenue streams such as sponsoring one's own show with personal products or leveraging affiliate links. For instance, Andréa became a Canva ambassador, transforming her affiliate relationship into a formal sponsorship.

Utilizing Podcasts as a Powerful Marketing Tool and Client Acquisition Channel

The conversation highlights how Andréa's podcast serves as a vital marketing tool, significantly contributing to client acquisition. Approximately 75% of her clients engage with her podcast before becoming customers, demonstrating the podcast's role in nurturing relationships and showcasing her expertise:

"For me, the podcast is how I get clients. It's like the middle of my funnel as far as nurturing relationships with potential clients and customers." ([14:58])

She likens the podcast to a "sample" of her services, allowing potential clients to experience her teaching style and personality, fostering trust and rapport.

Maintaining Consistency: Strategies Amidst Personal Challenges

Andréa candidly shares the challenges of maintaining a consistent podcast schedule, especially while navigating the demands of motherhood. Her strategies include:

• Batch Recording: Recording multiple episodes during periods of higher energy, such as the second trimester of pregnancy.
• Leveraging a Support Team: Utilizing an assistant for editing and managing guest logistics.
• Streamlining Production: Reducing perfectionism in post-production by focusing on essential editing tasks and accepting that a raw podcast is "80% there."

"I batch recorded when I could... I have support, I have a team." ([15:20])

These methods enabled her to consistently release over 300 episodes without interruptions, even during significant life events like having two babies.

Rebranding: Transitioning from Savvy Social to Mindful Marketing Podcast

Andréa discusses the strategic rebranding of her podcast from Savvy Social Podcast to Mindful Marketing Podcast. This shift reflects a broader focus beyond social media, encompassing podcasting and email marketing to better align with her evolving business objectives:

"The rebrand to Mindful Marketing is all about repositioning it. What I talk about to not be so focused on social media." ([20:20])

Despite the inherent challenges of rebranding—such as realigning all mentions and overcoming initial recognition barriers—the transition has been positively received, allowing for more diverse and impactful conversations.

The Costco Sample Strategy: Innovative Podcast Promotion on Social Media

A standout segment of the discussion introduces Andréa's Costco Sample Strategy for promoting her podcast. This approach mimics the concept of free samples at wholesale stores, offering short, engaging clips from podcast episodes to entice potential listeners:

"That's my strategy for the podcast. So I use Riverside and I take little clips from the podcast... like a little piece from the show." ([25:42])

By trimming these clips to 15-30 seconds and formatting them for vertical video, Andréa ensures compatibility across all social media platforms. Each clip provides standalone value while serving as a teaser that directs interested listeners to the full episode.

Embracing a Value-First Approach in Podcast Promotion

Expanding on her promotional tactics, Andréa emphasizes a value-first approach. Instead of generic announcements like "New Episode Out Now," she ensures each social media post delivers tangible value. This strategy not only attracts podcast listeners but also builds brand credibility and fosters deeper connections with the audience:

"The post itself is valuable information... it's still valuable on its own." ([27:48])

She also adapts to evolving social media algorithms by designing content with discovery in mind, ensuring her posts appeal to new audiences who may not be familiar with her work:

"The algorithms are focused on discovery... design my content as if someone who's never heard of me before is just looking at this post for the first time." ([29:10])

Conclusion and Connecting with Andréa Jones

Ann Klassen wraps up the episode by acknowledging Andréa's remarkable consistency and the multifaceted benefits of her podcasting efforts, including client acquisition and diverse income streams. Andréa provides listeners with information on how to connect with her and access her resources:

"You can just search Mindful Marketing podcast on any podcasting app. We're everywhere. And my website is onlinedrea.com." ([31:40])

Listeners are encouraged to explore Andréa's Social Media Reset Challenge, a five-day program designed to cultivate a healthy relationship with social media, available on her website.

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Notable Quotes

• Andréa Jones ([02:41]): "I started podcasting in 2018 and I haven't stopped since."
• Andréa Jones ([07:03]): "I got my first sponsor for the podcast, and it was a pretty, for me, significant deal. It was a thousand Dollars a month."
• Andréa Jones ([10:19]): "The hardest thing about sponsorship is the tracking."
• Andréa Jones ([14:58]): "For me, the podcast is how I get clients. It's like the middle of my funnel as far as nurturing relationships with potential clients and customers."
• Andréa Jones ([15:20]): "I batch recorded when I could... I have support, I have a team."
• Andréa Jones ([20:20]): "The rebrand to Mindful Marketing is all about repositioning it. What I talk about to not be so focused on social media."
• Andréa Jones ([25:42]): "That's my strategy for the podcast. So I use Riverside and I take little clips from the podcast... like a little piece from the show."
• Andréa Jones ([27:48]): "The post itself is valuable information... it's still valuable on its own."
• Andréa Jones ([29:10]): "The algorithms are focused on discovery... design my content as if someone who's never heard of me before is just looking at this post for the first time."
• Andréa Jones ([31:40]): "You can just search Mindful Marketing podcast on any podcasting app. We're everywhere. And my website is onlinedrea.com."

Where to Find Andréa Jones and the Podcast

• Podcast: Search for Mindful Marketing Podcast on any podcasting platform.
• Website: onlinedrea.com
  • Featured Resource: Social Media Reset Challenge – A five-day program with videos, homework, and journaling prompts to foster a healthy relationship with social media.

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This episode serves as a comprehensive guide for podcasters aiming to monetize their shows, maintain consistency, and effectively integrate podcasting with broader marketing strategies. Andréa Jones' experiences and insights provide actionable strategies for achieving sustained growth and leveraging podcasts as a powerful business tool.

Transcript

[Andrea Jones]

Welcome to episode 338 of the Mindful Marketing Podcast. This is the last episode in my series this month highlighting episodes that I've been featured as a guest on. And today I am happy to share with you the podcast Babes Podcast hosted by Ann Klassen. In this episode we're diving into one of my favorite topics, using social media.

[Ann Klassen]

To attract podcast sponsors.

[Andrea Jones]

So if you're just starting out or if you want to look to amplify your show's growth, this conversation has all the BTS details of how I get sponsors on my show. We talk about how I landed a podcast sponsor in my first 20 episodes, my top tips for securing sponsorships, including the challenges that I faced and the creative ways that I've monetized my show. We talk about how your podcast is a powerful trust building tool and how it can complement your overall marketing strategy. I share my Costco sample strategy, which is how I promote my episodes on on social media. I mean, who doesn't love a free sample? And I talk about the importance of creating social media posts that provide standalone value, giving your audiences and your people a reason to engage, even if they don't click through to listen to your show. So if you've been wondering how to make your podcast irresistible to sponsors, or if you just want fresh ideas for growth, tune into this episode of the podcast Babes Podcast.

[Ann Klassen]

Hey podcast babes, welcome back. Today I'm here with Andrea Jones. She is the social media strategist who helps you find the sweet spot between hustle and soft life. I'm definitely interested. She is also the host of the award winning Mindful Marketing podcast where she shares the latest social media tips and strategies. And I'm so excited to have you on the show here today, Andrea, just to hear your tips and tricks on podcasting, but maybe also a little bit on social media because I know that, you know, some people who might be listening today are not necessarily the biggest fan of social media sometimes. So I want to hear all of your best advice how to make it work for us. So first of all, welcome.

Oh, thank you so much for having me. Honestly, I love geeking out about both podcasting and social media, so I'm happy to be here and just like chat about it.

Then you're under my place. I have so many questions for you. Maybe to kick us off, can you tell us a little bit more about what you do as a social media strategist and then also how a podcast fits into that?

Yes. So I started my business in 2014, but I have been playing online, creating content online since 2004. And it was definitely not cool to have a blog. In 2004. Everyone was like, nerd. But I loved it. And so in 2014, I started the business as a freelancer. The past 10 years kind of built it up into a social media agency. I actually just recently sold my agency and now I'm just a social media educator and content creator. And how the podcast fits into all of that is I come from a YouTube background. So the weird thing is I met my husband on YouTube. We're both creating YouTube videos. We were in the comment section commenting, and then we created a video together. Kind of like we're doing this interview and then we just, just kept talking after. Oh my God, I come from the YouTube space. Yeah, it's. It's like social media is in like literally my life. But when I started my business, I stopped creating content because I was so focused on just running the business. A couple years in, I realized that I got bit by the content bug again and actually happened to have a lot of clients who had podcasts. And so I started off just managing social media accounts for podcasters and then was like, podcasting seems way easier than doing a YouTube video. Cuz I could just record the audio piece and not worry about the video piece. I did this 28 day challenge that podcast movement was running and it was like if you did their free challenge, then you could win a ticket to go to the conference. And so I did it and I happened to win and so I got to go to the conference for free. And that just like opened up my whole world into podcasting. Like, I didn't realize how much of an impact it would have on my business. It's the most consistent like content creation thing I've ever done. And that was 2018. So I started podcasting in 2018 and I haven't stopped since.

Cool. That's awesome. That's so cool. I love how you took that challenge and then also won. That's so cool. But even if you didn't win the ticket, I think, you know, completing a 28 day challenge and then walking away from that challenge with a podcast, I mean, there's no losing, right? There's like, everyone's a winner who goes through that. So I think that's, that's super cool that you saw that opportunity and then you took it.

Yeah, I mean, I don't think I would have launched the way that I did if I didn't go through that challenge because it was broken down into such small pieces. And I have no idea if they still do this, but it's broken down into such small pieces. Like, choose the name of your show. Today we're gonna design the artwork, then the next day we're gonna write the description. And so it was like, so bite sized that I actually got through it all. And as you know, with podcasting, it's. There's so many, like, little pieces to, like, check off before you can even, like, publish a show. Whereas I found with the YouTube channel, it was different because when you created the thing and then uploaded the thing, and there wasn't really a lot that you had to do to, like, get it out there. With podcasting, it was a little bit different. So, yeah, the challenge in and of itself was a huge accomplishment for me.

Yeah, I love that. And I think it's so important to have those. That guidance. Right. Because like you said, podcasts, and especially launching a new podcast has so many moving pieces. I remember when I launched my first podcast, I just got lost because I started and I was like, okay, I think I know what to do. And then, oh, well, there's this other thing and this other thing. Oh, yeah. And I didn't think about this, like, all of those things, like, keep coming up. So I think having some sort of guidance or structure for creating your podcast and then launching it, I think is just really, really valuable. You know, whether that's working with a company to help you or with a podcast manager or with a challenge like this, like some kind of structure, I think. I think there's probably no way to launch a podcast without it. So then after launching, going to the conference, you said that your podcast had this really good impact on your business. Was that immediately that you saw, oh, my God, this is working, or was it kind of a slow start? Can you share a little bit more about what that looked like exactly for you?

Yeah, I saw pretty immediate success. So I think because the podcast is so focused on social media, and at the time, this was 2018, so at the time, there wasn't a ton of other podcasts in this niche. And if there were, they were kind of speaking to, like, bigger brands. And a lot of my podcast speaks to, like, small businesses, entrepreneurs, one person businesses. You know, like, we're doing all the. All of the things. And so I found, like, this space for myself in that area that not a lot of other people were doing. So the 20 episodes in, I got my first sponsor for the podcast, and it was a pretty, for me, significant deal. It was a thousand Dollars a month. And they had full sponsorship of the show, like full run of the show. And I had that sponsor for three years into, like, run. Yeah. So it was like a really long term partnership for me and that covered the cost of producing the show. So I saw pretty immediate success in that regard. But the other thing, and I don't know if you find this too, with your show, is I got to talk to people and, like, pick their brain. People who I'd have never. I would have never had the opportunity to talk to them before. Like, if I just said to someone, you know, like, hey, let's sit down and have a coffee chat, they'd be like, you know, busy. But I'm like, hey, can you come on my podcast? Same conversation, it's just in a different format. And it was like I was talking to people who I felt were out of my league a little bit, and that's because of the podcast. So for me, those two things, instantly I was like, oh, this is so worth it.

Yeah, it's such a good excuse to talk to cool people and get all their tips and tricks. It's so good.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's like, I know we're recording it, but also like, can I be nosy about how you run your business? You know?

Yeah, exactly, exactly. You're just getting yourself that pass of just any question you want and people answer it.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. So pretty instant success. Yeah. Yeah.

That's so cool. How did you find this bonzer or did they find you?

They found me. They found me on LinkedIn. So I was just doing my social media thing, right? So I record the podcast, but then I share it out everywhere on, like, all of my social channels. And the marketing director at the company found the podcast on LinkedIn and then sent me a message and was like, hey, have you ever thought about sponsors? I was like, no. What's your budget? You know, like trying to be like, try not to create a package, but let's see how much they can afford and what they want. And honestly, it turned into more than just the podcast, but it all started from them sliding into my DMs on LinkedIn.

Very cool. That's awesome.

Yeah, that's so cool.

Is there any advice that you would give new podcasters when they think about working with a sponsor? Like working with them for three years, but then also, I believe now you also have a sponsor on the podcast. Right. So having some experience in this, I know that many podcasters, they just have no idea. And you don't know what you don't know. Right. So what would your top tips be for newer podcasters?

Yeah, I think the hardest thing about sponsorship is the tracking. So with a YouTube video, the link is in the description. Everyone knows this link in the description. You go to the description, you click the link, and you go there. With a podcast, people are not sitting down and watching it like a YouTube video. They're like, you know, doing their dishes, walking the dog, taking the kids to daycare. So there's not really a like, of course you put the links in the show notes, but a lot of people don't click the link. So the thing that I found over the years is to have coupon codes with my sponsors so that, you know, people need to hear that ad probably like 7, 10, 12 times before they go, oh, yeah, I need to go check this out and put in the coupon code. They may never click the link in the show notes because, like, they're listening and they're gone. But they may remember, like, there's a coupon code to and to put that in. And so that's been the biggest way to track it for me. But as far as getting sponsors in between having spot, so I had that sponsor for three years, and then I had a gap. I was sponsoring my own show, so I would use my own products, my own offers to sponsor my show. And I think even if you don't have a sponsor, you can use your own stuff. Or if you're an affiliate for something, you can use that too. So great example of a sponsor that I have now, who I never had before was Canva. I've been trying to get Canva as a sponsor for years, and I'm a Canva ambassador this year for the first time. But before doing that, I would just name drop them all the time and be like, click my link in the show notes. That's my affiliate link. I was not affiliated with them, like, as a partner, but I would get revenue from the affiliate link. So you can even do things like that too, where it's like not an official partnership, but if you sign up for their affiliate program and someone clicks your link, you can still get like residual revenue that way.

Yeah, absolutely. So most of the guests that we have on this podcast, they monetize their podcast a little bit differently. They don't necessarily have sponsors, but they often use their podcast to market their own business and get clients from their podcast. Is that also something that you do? And do you see that work for your business as well? And how do you see that like, relate to the sponsorship? Like, do you have a balance, like a conscious balance in that, or does it just work itself out? Can you talk a little bit more about that, what that looks like?

Yeah. So when I ran my agency, I would say anecdotally, probably like, 75% of the clients would listen to at least one episode of the podcast before becoming a client. And I distinctly remember Rachel Rogers, when she became a client, she got on the call with me, and her team got on the call with me to see if we'd be good fit. And they were quoting back something I said in a podcast episode on, like, the sales call to see. And I'm like, oh, you're. You studied. Like, yeah, they went deep into my world. And so for me, it's such an intimate medium. Right? Like, when someone listens to a podcast, you're like, in their head. You're, like, literally ear. Like AirPods in their head. So for me, a lot of people who sign up for my programs become a private client. They're listening to at least one episode so they can get a sense of my vibe. And so I like to think of the podcast as a sample of what it's like to work with me, because I'm not, like, super buttoned up or, you know, I use a lot of analogies. I like to tell stories, you know, things like that. And so that's very much how my teaching style is. It's very much how it is to work with me. And so, yes, I definitely get clients from the podcast. I've even had people who I've interviewed who have then become a client as well, you know, or they're. They book me for speaking gigs and things like that. And so it's so integral into everything I do. And it's actually the one thing I don't skip. Like, sometimes I'll take a break from social media, Sometimes I'll take a break from writing my newsletter. I don't skip publishing a podcast episode. Like, it's just such a deep part of how I market myself that it's that important. Like, it's the last bit. Like, if I skip a podcast episode, I'm, like, laid out sick in the hospital somewhere. Like, you know, I don't skip. And I have. I've had two babies since that. I didn't skip an episode during any of that. So, yes, the podcast for me is how I get clients. It's. It's like the middle of my funnel as far as nurturing relationships with potential clients and customers.

Yeah, that's awesome. That's so cool that you were able to stay so consistent even through like, I think I love it that you mentioned that you had two babies, like in running this podcast and hosting this podcast and you still consistently release content and that that was possible. Can you share a little bit more about how you do that? How can you stay so consistent for six years?

Yeah, I will admit having the babies part was the hardest. Not necessarily after the baby came, but like during both pregnancies and I had two babies in three years. I have a two year old and a five month old. So wow. Very back to back. I don't recommend it that way. Just happened that way. The pregnancy was so hard, especially being pregnant and having a toddler. Like my energy level was non existent most days. So I batch recorded when I could. You know, some weeks I would record podcast episodes every single day that week to catch up. Especially during the second trimester, like energy boost, where I was like, oh, I feel halfway Norma normal again. We're just gonna record a bunch of podcasts. I also found the interviews to be easier than, you know, just episodes with me because I could just ask questions and then breathe a little bit and then I have support, I have a team. So my assistant is wonderful. She helps me edit my podcast. She makes sure everything's organized with the guests and they all get their assets afterwards so they can share the episodes and all of that. So that really helped with both of those pregnancies. But during both, I stopped posting YouTube videos. I really slowed down my social, like I slowed down everything else so that I could just focus in on the podcast. The other thing I'll say too is I have really streamlined it over the years. So when I first started the podcast, I would do all these editing things that I just don't do anymore because I found that the raw podcast is 80% there anyways. And like I could spend another three hours to get it to 90% or I could just run it at a B. Like it's good, it's great. And so yeah, I stopped getting so worried about it being perfect and just would. The front end research for me is the most important piece. So like researching my guests, researching the topic, creating my outline, that part I've got to do. But then when I sit down to record and then even editing after, I just don't spend a lot of time overthinking that piece. So that also really helps if I have to do a bunch of episodes at once.

Yeah, absolutely. So what I'm hearing you say is it's having those processes in place. So you have your team to support you. You let go of the perfectionism. And then also the first thing that you said, I would probably say that's just prioritizing it. Right. You know, over everything else. You wanted to stay consistent with this podcast. So that meant batch recording when you could, letting go of some other marketing strategies or marketing projects so that you could focus on the podcast. And then you have just doing the thing, batch recording when you could, and getting that to your team on time so that you could stay consistent that way. That's awesome. That's really cool. And that's must have been challenging, but it must also feel so good that now, you know, you can say, yes, made it. Stayed consistent all the time.

Yeah, it does feel good to be on the other side of it. There are no more kids for me, so I'm happy about that too. But, you know, it's just one of those things too, where I use the resources that I had available to me. So, for example, December is a really hard month to produce content for me. It's like the end of the year scramble to, like, get everything done before holiday stuff and then add in, like, all the holiday stuff. And I'm like, where is time? So in December, the past two years, I've published podcasts that I was a guest on on my own feed. So I'd reach out to a few people and be like, hey, I really like this interview. Can I republish it on my podcast? And they're like, yeah, sure, absolutely. And I just record like a little intro piece, be like, hey, this is this interview from whatever. And so, like, there's so much available to us that we have as content. And so I would just try to be as creative as possible to, like, create this content piece and not just have to start from scratch every time.

Yeah, I think that is a really creative way to do it. And there's so many different formats that you can play with, actually. And podcasting.

Right.

I think, you know, so everyone always thinks solo episodes, interviews, okay, well, that's it. But there's so much more that you can do, like republishing, you know, the other side of the story. So where you're the guest, like you mentioned. But also, you know, like, some of my clients are like panel discussions or, I don't know, they ask the same guests on again. I've done that for my podcast, which has been super fun, where you can kind of like catch up, like, okay, what's new? And then refer back to the last interview as well. So there are some, some like, hacks, I would say, to make life easier when you, when you need it, for sure. I also know that the podcast looks different than what it looked when you launched it. Right. Because at some point you also went through a rebrand. How was that?

Yeah, challenging. I don't recommend it. No, like, it was. So it's so hard. Like, so I did the rebrand six months ago now, so it's still very new to me. The podcast started off as the Savvy Social podcast and it matches the branding of a lot of my products. So I have the Savvy Social School, which is my membership. I have Savvy Social Pro, which is for. Is my mentorship for, like, professionals. And so Savvy Social is ingrained into what I do. However, I'm going through a bit of a rebrand with my positioning. You mentioned kind of like my new tagline, finding the sweet spot between the soft life and hustling. And that's really been my mission the whole time. I'm just putting a new name on it to make people instantly connect with that messaging. Also, I talk a lot about other things. This podcast, for example. I talk a lot about podcasts. I think podcasting is actually podcasting and email are technically more impactful to my business than social media, but I teach social media and so part of this is like, I'm teaching social media to be like, oh, I lead people to my podcast. That's really the big thing for me. Right. And so the rebrand to Mindful marketing is all about repositioning it. What I talk about to not be so focused on social media. So, and this also I do not recommend. I rebranded the podcast two weeks after having my, my second baby because it just happened to be the 10 year anniversary of my business as well. So it all kind of came together as like I'm celebrating 10 years by going in this new direction. I planned it all before having the baby and then my team kind of changed everything while I was recovering. And now we're the Mindful Marketing Podcast. And the feedback was amazing, like, instantly. I still have formerly known as in like the title because people still know me as Savvy Social Podcast and they still look that up. That's what we won awards under that name. But there's a lot, there's so many little things that are connected to Savvy Social. So my recommendation would be pick a name and stick with it. But if you have to change your name, there's like, it's actually really easy to do in the podcast host. Really easy to change your name and cover art. It's just like all the other places where you mention your podcast. You gotta go back and change all of those too. But this new direction has opened up the conversation. Cause now I'm able to not just talk about social media, but podcasting and email marketing and like other forms of marketing that actually are more impactful to me and my business outside of social media, which is my area of expertise.

Yeah. And that's so exciting. It's like an evolution of the brand as well, where you kind of. You were more niche before, and then now you've opened it up. It's a broader topic that you can talk about, which is also really cool. And just for, you know, anyone listening, like what we usually say, what we usually teach is to stop, start a podcast as niche as possible. Right. As what makes sense within reason. So if you can narrow it down to one topic for one specific group of people, great. Start that. And then go broader once you've made that successful and once you've made that work, instead of starting super broad, because it's just really difficult to gain traction that way. So I think it's actually really interesting to see that it is possible to do that. Right. Before you talked about one topic, like more niche in marketing, social media, and then now you open it up to more, you know, marketing discussions and topics, which is really cool and super exciting for sure.

Thank you. I'm excited about it too, because it just opens up. So it opens up more conversations. Another thing you mentioned at the beginning of the episode was a lot of people don't like social media. And there's this, what I call a situationship that we have with social media where it's like, we love it, but then, like, we also hate it at the same time. Like, it's not. It's not a healthy. It's not a healthy relationship at all. Yeah. And so I want to talk about that. And I brought people on the show who are like, yeah, I no longer use social media. And that. Those are the conversations I want to have. I find it fascinating. Like, social media is a great tool, It's a marketing tool, but it's only one tool. You don't have to use social media. What else can you use? You know, podcast casting, for instance, A great way to, like, get in front of new people and talk about what you do. And you don't need social media for that. Right. So, yeah, this, this evolution for me is not to Be anti social media because it's still my first love. I love social media and it's still my preference, but also it's not the most impactful thing I can do in my business, marketing wise. So let's talk about that, you know.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. So you mentioned that social media is a big source of traffic for your podcast, right? From social media, you send people to your podcast to nurture them further and then they would be interested to work with you and then sign up for that. How do you do that exactly? Can you share a little bit more about your process on how to promote the podcast on social media?

Yeah, I like to use a strategy that I call the Costco sample strategy. So when you go to Costco or Sam's Club or wherever you're going, big warehouse style shopping, they give you these little samples, right? Like a little piece of cheese, little cracker. So you taste it and then you go, I gotta buy the whole thing. That's my strategy for the podcast. So I use Riverside and I take little clips from the podcast. They have this like magic tool that lets it like auto selects clips for you. And so I'll usually just pick one of those. I like to trim it down because their clips are kind of long. They're always a minute and we don't need a whole minute. Sometimes I'll just do 30 seconds, seconds, 15 seconds, just enough. That's like a concept from the show. And then I'll post that on social media. Almost every platform right now is in love, like obsessed with vertical video. Even LinkedIn is like, yes, vertical video all the way. So same little vertical video. I post it to all platforms and then I give a little like, hey, this is the concept from the show. Here's how you listen to it. And a lot of people respond to that. And so that's my main way of sharing the episodes. But I'll also do what I call, I use the thought bubble emoji for this and like my content planning. And it's to me like these little content nuggets from the podcast. So if I were to do one on this episode, for instance, I would do like, you know, how to market my business during maternity leave and I would just share like a few things. I did batch recording, recording when I had energy, reposting guest podcasts and then I would go something like. But I talk about this way more in this podcast episode and then link to that. And sometimes I'll put that like little call to action in the comment section too. So it's like, it's not the main point of the post. I'm still giving you information, I'm still sharing something valuable. But like, if you're kind of curious, I talk about this more on this episode of the podcast. So I'll do that a lot too, to drive traffic over to the podcast.

I love that. Okay, backing up. When I started this podcast and you know, when we started working with clients, many people did a post that was, we have a new podcast episode. Woohoo. That was the post. But what I'm hearing you say is value first, right? The post itself is valuable information. It's a snippet from the podcast where one concept gets explained. Or it is a post about that, you know, like maybe it's like bullet points or whatever it is. And then if people want more, they can go to the podcast, but they don't have to because it's still valuable on its own. And that's definitely something that we learned, you know, trial and error as well, where, like, it makes sense if you say it like this, but I think it was so common for people to just do a post on social media that said yiddy website, that that was just the thing everyone did. So I think this is super valuable. Very good advice. Value first approach, make sure that it's worth seeing the post even if people don't go to the podcast. Because it's also marketing, right? The goal is not necessarily to get people just to your podcast, but also to build that brand, build a relationship with these people. And not everyone is a podcast listener, I think. Unfortunately, you know, I couldn't imagine it.

But I know, right? Everyone should be listening to podcasts, but a lot of people don't. And the interesting thing about the way social media algorithms are changing right now, if I can be just like nerdy for a second, is the algorithms are focused on discovery. So that means they're trying to help people discover new content they're not so wild about, like, always showing your content to the people who follow you. They want to put your content in front of new people. And so I like to design my content as if someone who's never heard of me before is just looking at this post for the first time. And I think that mindset shift can be really helpful to podcasters because it takes you from, like, I posted another episode with the assumption that everyone's reading every post and listening to everything that you do. Which as much as we love that, that's not reality at all. Like, yeah, your post is mixed in with hundreds of other Posts. So if we just assume someone's never heard of you before and this is the first time they're looking at this, what do you say? And it is. It's values first. It's like, okay, before we even get to, like, buy this, like, enormous packages that you've never heard of before, let's just, like, give you a little sample first and. Yeah, definitely. Values first. There's.

Yeah, I love that. That's such good advice. Amazing. Well, thank you so much for coming on a podcast today and sharing about your six years of podcasting. I can't believe that you were able to stay consistent for six years. That's just. That's amazing. And that's over 300 episodes, by the way, in case you're listening and you're wondering. That's a lot of content. So I think that's, that's. That in itself is a huge achievement. But I also loved hearing about the effect that the podcast had on your. Right. That you found new clients, but also sponsors. So it's a different income stream as well, which is super valuable. And I, I just learned a lot from you today also on how to use social media to promote our podcasts, but also that it's not the only thing you can do. Right. Even as someone who loves social media, I think it's super cool that you are also so real and to say that, you know what, if you don't like social media, you don't have to be on social media if you don't want to. It's just. It's a choice. Right. It's one of many things that you could do to get in front of new audiences. I think that's. That's super good advice as well. So before I let you go, can you share where people can find you and the podcast?

Yes. So you can just search Mindful Marketing podcast on any podcasting app. We're everywhere. And my website is onlinedrea.com I have lots of, like, goodies on there that are free. My favorite one right now is our social media Reset challenge. So if you're feeling like this toxic relationship with social media, my favorite thing to do is switch that into, like, let's be in a healthy, loving relationship with social media. So that's what the reset challenge is. It's seven days of. Sorry, seven. It's five days of videos and accompanying homework and journaling prompts to help you figure out how to have a healthy relationship with social media. So that's on my website as well. Onlinedrea.com Perfect.

We'll also link that in the show notes and we'll also link the challenge because that sounds really good. Yeah, it sounds super valuable as well. Andrea, thank you so much for coming on the show today. It was really, really lovely talking to you today.

Thanks so much for having.