In today’s digital, and now virtual workplace, age, it is critical to think outside the proverbial box when it comes to internal communications, which explains the increasing popularity of podcasts.
A normal part of our culture and society, podcasts are a fantastic way to broadcast a message to employees, especially if your staff number in the thousands.
Podcast Statistics
Before going into the specifics of podcasts for internal communications, it is important to understand the full scope of podcast listeners out there.
According to Statista, only 22 percent of the adult population in 2006 in the United States was aware of podcasting. By 2020, this figure had risen to 75 percent. To put this into numbers, forecasts suggest that the number of podcast listeners will surpass 160 million in 2023.
In other words, Americans listen to podcasts.
Podcasts Reach Millennials
One of the first reasons to use podcasts for internal communication is the fact that millennials demand more accessible leadership. Podcasts offer a perfect medium for leadership to efficiently reach this demographic.
Attracting and retaining millennials to job positions can be a challenge though, particularly in today’s volatile labor market. To attract millennials, you must provide a strong workplace culture and some flexibility in how you communicate.
With 70% of millennials listening to podcasts, it makes business sense to build them into your internal communication strategy, especially if your workforce is in different locations and/or virtual.
Podcasts Enhance Innovation
Podcasts have also been shown to enhance innovation at some companies. When the New York Times, for example, began to shift to internal podcasts, they discovered it led to the use of other tools, such as blogs, videos, wikis, etc. Podcasts, then, became one tool out of many in their internal communication strategy.
If you want to drive listeners to supplementary web-based content such as a survey or other information, you can ask them to text a keyword to a phone number in order to receive an automatic text with a url. By merging podcasts with other technologies, you can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your internal communication strategy.
Podcasts are Simple to Make
Unlike videos, making a podcast is a relatively simple endeavor that does not require too much time or company resources. All you need is a decent microphone and basic knowledge of audio editing. There are many software options and platforms out there as well that streamline the process.
Perhaps the best part about podcasts is that they give your organization’s leadership and employees the opportunity to be heard. As part of a strategic communication plan, internal podcasts can easily be distributed and promoted to great effect as an organizational culture building tool.
Final Considerations
As with any communication tool, podcasts will be effective only in so far as there is a strategy behind their use.
In today’s age, though, where there is so much noise, it is important for businesses of any size really to seriously consider leveraging technology to better retain and attract talent. While there are costs involved in purchasing technology, the potential loss of talent walking out your proverbial door is much higher if you do not think and communicate outside the box.