With social distancing not going away any time soon, growing a local audience can prove a real challenge. We turned to Matt Medeiros, Director of Podcaster Success at Castos, and host of both the Matt Report and Southcoast.fm, to chat about building a local audience, and getting more value from our digital marketing efforts when we’re so pressed for time already.

Links

• SouthCoast.fm
• MattReport.com
• Castos podcast hosting
• Special offer from Castos for our listeners
• Matt Medeiros on Hallway Chats
• Matt Medeiros on How I Built It

Notes

How can businesses build an audience when in-person networking options are limited?

• The COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing has shortened the digital learning curve – e.g., so many people know how to Zoom now.
• Podcasts are coming into their own as folks now know what they are and how to listen to and enjoy them.
• From a marketing perspective, business owners and leaders are finally understanding how they can promote businesses online.
• There are so many broadcasting platforms: Facebook Live, Zoom, YouTube Live, podcasting, Instagram Stories and more.
• – “I see it all as broadcasting”
• Matt is a mentor in a local accelerator – and he uses that role to meet and network with new businesses.
• To build a local audience for a podcast, newsletter, or Facebook Group, etc., use your platform to support local businesses – be the voice for local shops, stores, and businesses.

How can we get involved in our local community when we can network in person?

• For Matt, being involved with the local community is his family history; his family has been involved with the local community for over 80 years. 
• Coworking spaces are a big opportunity for networking. (Side note: check out our episode with John Tooher, who runs HeadRoom.)
• Blog about local businesses or an issue important to local businesses, and then share that piece with relevant companies and businesses.

How can we promote across more channels when we don’t have time?

• Find a cadence that works for the business or organization; SouthCoast.fm has a very low cadence.
• SouthCoast.fm publishes a podcast episode every month and a blog post with that podcast, sends a weekly email newsletter, and a runs a Facebook Group
• With a Facebook Group, consider what can be automated or made very simple. Think “autopilot”.
• Be strategic in calls-to-action (CTA); building a distribution list is very important, so consider making the CTA be “Join the email newsletter.”
• Build up the brand: make it clear how the content that the business is producing is unique, valuable, and worth the time and effort to consume it.
• Be exclusive: the SouthCoast.fm Facebook Group is open only to businesses and content creators in the SouthCoast area of Massachusetts. That helps build a stronger local community.

How can Castos help folks get into podcasting?

• Castos is a podcast host with a simple WordPress plugin to help podcasters publish their shows on their sites.
• Matt and his colleagues work to support podcasters in monetizing their shows.

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