If you were starting today, would you choose podcasting as the primary channel for building an audience to support your business?
Before you answer, first consider the relevant qualities of the various media channels, such as websites, blogs, newsletters, and social media.
#1 – Ownership – You either rent or own it
#2 – Audience – Size and characteristics
#3 – Reach – Ease of reaching your desired audience
#4 – Personality – Amplification of your brand
#5 – SEO – Getting discovered in search rankings
Ownership and control of your content and the audience you build is vital. This is possible with blogging, newsletters, and podcasts. However, the challenge with these channels is it takes time build that audience.
In contrast, you can tap into a ready-made audience with YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and so forth. The risk with these social media channels is the lack of ownership and control. For entrepreneurs in particular, this can be a significant obstacle to making them primary.

Podcasting is Heating Up

Podcasts are owned (self-hosted) audio content distributed primarily through the Apple iTunes store, and like YouTube videos, can also be embedded into your blog or shared with your subscriber list.
In addition to the benefits of ownership and playing well with other channels, podcasting is about to get a big shot in the arm.
It turns out that Google is now getting into the podcasting game with Google Play Music. That’s right, just like iTunes, Google Play Music will soon distribute podcasts.
This gets better.
Just like YouTube videos, insiders believe podcast content will be indexed for search. That gives podcasting a serious advantage because, unlike YouTube, you own the audience you build.
So, if you take another look at the list of 5 considerations above, you’ll understand why I’m choosing a daily podcast to build the audience for our new green industry community. In addition to what we’ve discussed already, podcasting is ideal for reaching and building trust with an on-the-go audience.
There is no one right way to build your digital audience, but according to Joe Pulizzi, founder of Content Marketing Institute, it is essential to choose and focus on one primary channel. There are a lot of reasons why making podcasting the base for building your audience will be a smart choice in 2016.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on podcasting? Meet me over on Twitter to take the conversation further.

About the Author:  Jeff Korhan, MBA, is the author of Built-In Social: Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business and host of This Old New Business podcast.
He helps organizations use media to create exceptional customer experiences that drive business growth in a digital, social and global world. Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+