171: Grow Your Sales Funnel with Strategic Podcasting

Foreign. Hi there.

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I hope you enjoy our episode today and today my special guest is Caroline Hall. Carol Carolyn is a podcasting strategist, manager and CEO of Wild Home Podcasting, a boutique podcast management agency and a homeschool mom who helps online business owners create strategic podcasts to help grow their businesses. Now, Caroline, I am super excited that you are joining me today. You are my podcast coach and you have helped me tremendously with my Creators MBA podcast.

I love to hear that.

Yeah, I just wanted to share with my audience everything about you, but more importantly, how they can use podcasting to grow their business, grow their revenue, grow their business, and how they can use it strategically in their business. But before we get into all the questions I have for you, can you tell the good audience just a little bit more about you and how you help people?

Yeah, absolutely. So as she said, my name is Caroline, my company is Wild Home Podcasting. And it was so funny because as you were reading my little bio there, I was like, you know, I need to up update that because I started out in podcasting, podcast editing, podcast management, that kind of thing, very quickly realized the power that podcasting could have for business owners. And most of my clients were business owners because I was an online business owner. So I was in that world and started helping them with the strategy. So I've been doing Podcasting for almost a decade now. Started a podcast with a co host and then just kind of fell in love with it. And now what I do. So I do still a little bit of editing and management, but we're actually moving away from that because there's so many amazing tools out there that can help you to do that really effectively. And what I do now specifically is help people online business owners figure out how to use their podcasts to help them grow their brand, build their authority, and increase their revenue. And what through how I do that is really by helping them with the content. So I always tell people I'm a podcast coach and a content strategist, and I've actually been working on my purpose. And so I'll share that with you too, because I think this is really helpful just to hear my approach to podcast coaching, because my purpose really is to empower women to unleash their voices and help them shine with confidence and influence through podcasting.

I love that. And I also loved how you kind of, you know, were open and honest with us. Right. That you're kind of pivoting in your business. And I think we're all doing that at some point, you know. Right. I feel like I do that, you know, occasionally. But here's. Here's one of the initial questions I have for you. And I know that some people are listening. They may be blogging today or looking at what should be their kind of their pillar content strategy. And they may be looking at, should it be video or YouTube or podcasting or what would you say to them if they're trying to make a decision on what route to go?

Yeah. First of all, having a piece of long form content in your marketing strategy I think is so, so, so important, especially because marketing has really changed. You know, used to you could post on Instagram a couple times and you could get some sales. And I think people now are just a little bit more not necessarily cautious. They just take their time making the decision about the money that they're going to spend and who they're going to work with. And long form content really helps you nurture those relationships. So I like to think of it as going beyond just like an Instagram reel, which is, you know, can be 30 seconds. Right. And just gives you a glimpse of somebody. I love long form content because it really helps you get to know them, their philosophies, how they interact with people, how they talk, how they think, how they work. It really does give you an inside peek now as to whether you should do YouTube or podcast, it's totally up to you. But there are a couple things that I like to mention to people. One of the reasons I love podcasting, so I'm an introvert, I'm an infj, and I don't like to be on video all the time. That's not my favorite thing in the world. And I do think that YouTube is a little bit of a different beast. I think what's so incredibly special about podcasting is that it is audio. You're literally in someone's ear. Like think about, you know, your ideal client, what they're doing on a daily basis. When are they listening to like an audiobook or a podcast? It's usually when they're doing something like driving their kids to and from wherever they're going or doing the dishes. I know when I'm doing housework, I like to put my earbuds in and listen to my podcasts. And so it really is like this intimate interaction in a way where you're being welcomed into their life, I think in a way that's very different from video. And I think also because it is audio, it's a little bit more informal. I feel like YouTube can be very scripted, very edited. Podcasting is a little bit more natural, a little bit more conversational. And like I said, it really does just allow people to get to know you in that way. So I think it really comes down to, you know, if I'm going to go towards adding long form content, how best do I feel showing up? And I know for me, sitting down in front of a microphone, choosing whether or not I'm going to do video is so much easier than trying to make five reels for the week. So that's why I love podcasting and.

I think that's why I love it too. Right? It's, you know, I'm also an introvert in being able to just kind of, I feel like I'm having a one on one conversation with somebody when we're podcasting, even though they're not in front of me like you are right now, I just feel like is that, you know, it's that very, very personal conversation with somebody. So I loved what you said there. My next question and kind of where I wanted to take this discussion because I think this is so very powerful because we, you know, it takes a while, right, to create this pillar content. Whether you're, you're blogging, you're doing video, or you're doing podcasting, it can be a little bit time consuming. Now what I love about podcasting, I feel like it's easier for me, right, like what you said, it's easier for me to just kind of speak into the microphone and kind of communicate my thoughts that way. But yeah, what we don't want to do is spend all this time on this pillar content and not have it do what we need it to do for our business. So we want to make sure we're being very strategic about it. So what do you say to people and how do you kind of coach them through that process?

Well, I think you brought up, like the biggest point, right, Is that a lot of times when people start a podcast or they think they're going to start a podcast, they view it as something separate from their business. And I would venture to say the same can be applied to like starting a YouTube channel or any kind of thing like that. When you go into it, you're like, oh, this is different. This is over here. I'm creating content for this. It's separate from everything else I'm doing. And honestly, that is one of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make. And that will. Will most certainly lead to burnout a lot faster. Where the magic really happens with a podcast is when we think of it as a piece of everything that we're doing, it becomes really integrated into our messaging and our marketing, and we're able to use it and repurpose. You know, you mentioned that it is a little time consuming to do something like a podcast because you have to record, you have to plan it, you have to edit it. We're spending so much time on it. So why would we only create an episode and just post it over here and think that it's going to do something for us? When we think about it as a piece of our funnel and we take that long piece of content, right, 20 to 30 minutes of probably amazing quotes and bullet points and whatever you've talked about in that episode, and we repurpose it and we use it not only for a podcast before email for Instagram. I mean, you can use it for Pinterest. I mean, really, you can repurpose it everywhere. Now we're actually saving ourselves time. And what we're doing is creating consistent messaging, which is going to help us build our brand. And that's one thing I don't think people really realize about long form content is that it really can be this powerful brand builder. But it has to be done in a way where, like I said, everything is working together. The other thing that I want to mention too, is a lot of times when people start a podcast, they think, okay, I'm just gonna post these episodes and a million people are gonna listen and I'm gonna just start making money right off the bat. And then that's not exactly how it works. So, you know, one thing about podcasting is it has grown a lot since I started podcasting years ago, and it does take a little bit more to get found. And that's really where the strategy piece becomes important because we start it in a different way. So instead of thinking, I need a million listeners, we start thinking, I need the right listeners and I need to have a plan for them when they come to my podcast episode and they listen to these episodes, where am I leading them? What comes next? And that really is that funnel piece that I mentioned. And so if you're thinking about starting a podcast or if you have a podcast and you feel like, you know, oh, this is taking so much time, I don't know if it's worth it. Usually when you're asking that question, it's because you haven't strategically integrated it into the rest of your marketing strategy. And when you can do that and you can also have it be a piece of your funnel, that's when you're really going to start to see the results of, of the time spent on a podcast. And let me tell you, those results are going to be, they're going to tell you that it's worth it. Because what a podcast really does is nurture your audience in a way that like I mentioned, Instagram can't do, not even email can do to an extent. Right. And honestly, like my podcast is my biggest converter for me over email, over Instagram. And that's because I am very strategic about my content when I'm, what I'm sharing with people, what I'm asking them to do after the episode, all of those things. So just going into it with a little bit more intention can make a big difference.

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And I think you hit the nail on the set head when you mentioned you have to have a plan for them. You have to have a plan for your listeners and kind of take them on that journey. And everybody who's listening here and have been listening to, you know, with me for a while on this podcast, they know that I'm a huge fan of funnels and taking that customer on a specific journey. But let's. Let's kind of dig into that because it's kind of a hard, I think, concept for people to understand when it comes to podcast. I think it's different when you're thinking about, oh, they come to this lead magnet from the sleeve magnet, I have this tripwire, and then from there, you know, I have this email sales funnel. What does that journey look like on a podcast?

Yeah. So you really have to think about where your listeners are. One of the kind of foundational pieces that I do with all of my clients, and if you come into any of my programs, as we talk about your personal client journey. So I like to think of, I have a, you know, if you've ever heard me speak about podcasting, you know, I love to use visuals, and I live in Colorado, so I like to think of it as a mountain, for one thing. And we want to think about, okay, where are they climbing up that mountain? Where are they in that journey? Are they just getting ready to start climbing up that mountain? Are they already halfway up the mountain and they need help? What I mean by this, Let me give you a really great example. When I started my podcast about podcasting, I mean, incredibly meta, I talked a lot about launching, and I talked about launching a podcast for years, and I slowly started to see my downloads go down, my engagement was going down. You know, what I realized was that a lot of my audience had actually already launched a podcast. They'd figured that part out. What they needed help with was what came next next. And when I surveyed my audience, talked to my ideal clients and realized that I switched my content, and now all of a sudden, I'm starting to see my downloads go up, I'm starting to see my engagement go up. I'm starting to see more leads coming through from my podcast. That's what I mean, like, being really aware of where your listeners are on the journey and. And you can have listeners in a couple different places. But I think the main piece that I want to drive home with that is, like, we don't necessarily want to be talking to people at the beginning of their journey or the end of their journey, right? We want to show people what's possible. The second thing I want to say about, like, the customer journey and how content plays into this is one of the traps that we fall into a lot with content as online business owners is we think, oh, my gosh, we need to give everybody so much value, because if we give them a lot of value, they will want to buy into whatever we're doing. And the problem with that is, is if you give too value and people don't need to take the next step. And so what I really try to get my clients to focus on is instead of focusing so much on the how and their content, focus more on the why. You know, why are they experiencing this? What brought them to this place? What was the catalyst like? Think about the catalyst for people joining your programs or buying your. Your product. What made them click buy? And how can you create episodes around that? And what I need everyone to remember is that when you're creating content, right, you're sharing the why, you are the how. And so your content should lead directly into. Well, if you want to solve this problem, like, I'm helping you identify the problem, I'm helping you see yourself, feel seen, feel heard in my content. And then what comes next is taking a step with me, right? And that's essentially like, how you want to think about your content and how you want to think about that customer journey. And knowing, you know, okay, what is the logical first step for my listeners? So if I understand what part of the journey they're in, that helps me to understand the correct call to action that I should be sharing with them.

And I love that what you said, you got to focus on the why, but not the how. And I think it's easy for us, right, as we're creating a lot of this content, whether it's Instagram content, podcast content, YouTube or whatever, it's easy for us to sit. Here's how you do it, right? Because that's what we do, right? We're teachers, we're creators, We. We know how to do that. But creating content that kind of, you know, leaves them that you are the how is a little bit more difficult. And I know that's one of the things that you have definitely helped me with, because it's like I said, it's not easy for any of us to do that.

It's not. It takes a big mindset shift. It takes a really big mindset shift. And it takes. It takes putting yourself in your client's shoes. Like, I think one of the things we forget is we've already been on the journey, right? Like, we. We've done the journey. That's why we're here helping other people, because we've already gone through the thing. We've figured it out. We know what works and what doesn't. And that's why it's so easy for us to share the. The how, because we're like, oh, yeah, you just need to do this. But. But what we need to remember is that our clients, a lot of times, they don't know what they need because they don't understand what they're experiencing at the moment. You know, it's just like with me and podcasting, a lot of my clients will come to me, and they have a podcast they're 50 episodes in, and they're like, I'm spending so much time on this, but I don't really understand if it's working for me or not that I know exactly what they need to do. Right. I. I've done this. I've helped a lot of people do it. I've done it with my own podcast. That's not what they need right now. What they need to understand is, okay, but why is this important to you? Why do you feel this way about your podcast? What's going on underneath the surface? You see what I'm saying? So it's like, it's. We shift from being like, okay, well, here's all the answers to, I see you. I. I hear you. I. I see what you're going through. I completely understand. I've been there, too. I have clients who've been there, too. Let me show you what the next step is. And when you make that mindset shift, it helps people connect with you, I think, too, in such a different way than when you're just giving them five tips for how to do something. Right. It really does take that connection to another level.

And let's take this a little step further. So let's say there's people out there. They have, you know, 20, 30, maybe even 50 episodes that you mentioned, and they don't know. How do they know if their podcast is doing its job or if they need to switch their strategy?

Yeah, I think the first step is just determining what your podcast job is. I like to say that your podcast should Be like a member of your team. It should have a job, it should be part of your, your sales or marketing team. But you really need to give it a specific job. You know, is your podcast, are you setting it up to help build your email list? Are you setting it up to help get you more one on one clients? For me, my podcast is a big driver for my membership. It's how I use it to talk about my membership. And I have a client I worked with recently who her only product that she has is a membership. And so we took a look at her podcast and figured out, okay, how can we drive people to your membership? And that really is the first step is determining, okay, what is the purpose of my podcast? And so if you say, okay, I want to get more people on my email list, well, what are you doing through your content and through your call to actions that is going to lead them to join the email list? And what is the incentive? It really is like when I work with clients, we don't just look at the podcast, we look at the whole picture. You know, what is happening after they click the link, what happens after they go into the funnel? Because it all has to work together. And a lot of times when a client comes to me and they're, you know, they're deep in their podcast, they've been doing it for a while, they feel like it's not working. We can pretty quickly figure out that there are some gaps between the podcast and what happens next and what's going on in the rest of their business. So I would start with those two places. Think about your purpose, think about the purpose of the podcast and then think about how it is integrated into, you know, the funnels you already have, the systems you already have, those kinds of things.

I love that. And those are some great tips there. Carolyn, before we wrap it up here, do you have any last minute tips for the audience?

Yeah, I think my biggest tip just is I know a lot of people when they're thinking about starting a podcast or they're even questioning if their podcast is worth it, is, you know, people want to hear your voice, they want to get to know you. They're looking for the solution that you offer. They are out there, they are looking for it. And if you're one of those people who like me, I do so much better in this format than I do like on an Instagram reel, then podcasting is definitely a really great way to go. And don't be afraid to start. Don't think it has to be perfect. And you know, just go for it and really lean into your messaging, your purpose, your why, and that's going to shine through in your content, and it's going to help people really connect with you. And that's just such an important thing. And I know that one of the things that podcasting has really brought for me is as my business has evolved, my podcast has been able to evolve with me and help me clarify my messaging and really just find my voice. And so, you know, there are other, like, valuable things that come along with podcasting, and I really think that's one of the most powerful, is that it really can help you define how you show up online and how you talk to people about what you do.

And I do think it's one of the most personalized mediums out there, which is why I absolutely love it. I'm a podcast listener. I listen to other podcasts, and I love doing my own. Now, Caroline, can you let folks know where they can find you and also talk a little bit more about your membership? I'm in your membership. I love it. I love everything that you're doing there. So tell us a little bit more about it. It.

Yeah. So I have a membership called the Strategize and Shine membership. So my podcast is called Share, Strategize and Shine, and I wanted the membership to be an extension of that. And it really is a place for podcasters to come who want to take their podcast to the next level. Every month, we do trainings, we have a podcast, power hour, office hours. But I really think the goal, the gold in that membership is the amount of templates and tools that I have created, and I'm constantly creating to help podcasting feel easier, because that's ultimate. Ultimately, my goal for everyone is that podcasting doesn't feel hard, because the minute it feels hard is the minute that we don't want to do it. So I've poured a lot of time into creating templates and tools. So it's a really great place to come if you're wanting to take your podcast to the next level. And then you can find me@wildhomepodcasting.com everything is on that website. I also have resources for people who are wanting to launch a podcast. So if you haven't launched a podcast yet, I also have my launch accelerator. And then, yeah, just come join my email list. You'll get podcast tips in your. In your inbox every week. And if you are wanting to kind of figure out, like, okay, is having a podcast the right step for me is it the right thing for my business. I have a free quiz you can take. You can just head to wildhomepodcasting.com quiz.

Now, you said the gold in your membership was all of the tools and templates and everything put together, which I. Which I think is amazing, by the way. But I think as a student in your membership, I think the goal there is all the personalized support that you give and the feedback that you give on everything. So throw that out there.

I mean, that's super important because any, any podcast strategy has to be personalized, right? And as you're developing your own strategy, because that's what you do inside the membership, so you're developing your own strategy, I just give you the tools to do it. You know, you're going to need a little help here and there. And everybody's different. What everybody needs is different. So you're right. I do try to make it very personalized and connect with everyone in there. So.

So Carolyn, thank you so much for joining me today and sharing all of your wonderful wisdom with us about.

Oh, thank you so much for having me. This was so much fun.

Thanks for listening all the way to the end. I hope you enjoyed this episode today. If you love the show, I'd appreciate a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast platform.

Have a great rest of your day.

And bye for now.