Considering a podcast to reach consumers? This is for you

If you've been wondering whether your business could benefit from participating in the podcast boom, the latest discussion in the marketing track of United Fresh's Reimagine Conversations series was for you, covering everything from content planning to distribution to monetization.

Panelists featured in the session were Denise Junqueiro, senior director of marketing and communications for Mission Produce, which has a podcast called For the Love of Avocados; Patrick Kelly, founder of The Produce Industry Podcast; and Ajit Saxena, public relations and digital marketing manager for Mucci Farms, which has a podcast called Spill the Greens.

Here are five takeaways from the session June 15.

Know your "why" before you start a podcast.

If you're thinking about launching a podcast, you need to have a purpose for it and a plan to sustain it. You'll need content, resources (some money, but mostly time and energy), and a promotion strategy.

When your purpose is defined, creating a content plan becomes straightforward. Questions to answer as you form that purpose might include:

• Do you want your podcast to be B2B or consumer-facing?
• Do you want to focus on introducing people to different facets of your company, or do you want to host a broader dialogue about topics in the industry?
• Do you want to use your podcast as part of your overall marketing strategy, or are you trying to create another revenue stream? 

Conversation is key.

Listening to a podcast should feel like eavesdropping on a conversation between people who are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the topic at hand.

If you script it, it will sound scripted, and that's not the engaging experience you want your audience to have. The ideal setup is to get people who are experts, give them some general topics, and let them go.

The podcast format, because it features recorded content, allows companies to have the best of both worlds in that they can deliver information in a more casual style but also review it before release. That allows them to make sure nothing is disclosed that should be confidential for competitive or other reasons. 

Your podcast can have external and internal applications.

You might start a podcast to be consumer-facing and discover that your own employees find value in it also because they learn about people and roles across the company. Or you might launch a podcast with broad industry dialogue in mind and find that it becomes a key additional touchpoint with your own customers.

Consider these opportunities as you plan your content; for example, an episode focused on the team in the warehouse could be a great way to humanize that group for your consumer audience while also creating an occasion for the company to recognize and celebrate them internally.

There's a lot to learn and plenty of resources to help.

Information on episode frequency and length, recording equipment, editing software, distribution platforms, content planning, monetization opportunities and more are a Google search away.

For more in-depth learning, marketers can attend events focused on podcasting or network with fellow industry members who've already gained experience in the medium.

There are lots of opportunities to learn, but you don't need to have every single answer and every piece of top-notch equipment right out of the gate. Don't be afraid to just get started and then adjust as you find what works best for your situation.

You can still participate in the podcast boom without starting your own podcast.

If you want to get your brand out into the audio world but aren't sure you have the content or resources to support your own podcast, there are many other ways to engage.

You can ask to be a guest on another podcast or to sponsor a podcast. Examples of consumer-facing podcasts led by produce advocates include The Produce Moms Podcast and Healthy Family Project, among others.

Think about the topics the consumers you want to reach care about — recipes, health and wellness, fitness, entertaining, family life, etc. — and you'll find the possibilities are endless.

For more from Tuesday's panel discussion, check it out on-demand from United Fresh.