Good morning and welcome to the Monday morning marketing podcast. I'm Esther.
And I'm Melanie. And today we're here to dedicate this podcast to reaching a milestone of a thousand listeners. Yaaaaaay
Yes, yes. It's been quite a journey since the start of the year. And we are really excited and really happy to have met our first goal. It's not our last by no means our first goal of over a thousand listeners in such a short period of time, because really it's not been that long.
No, really, and I've got to say, we've been helped massively along the way by people who have been following this from the get-go, from our amazing guest speakers who have also been massively supportive in sharing the podcast. But we thought we'd explain, you know, why we started and what kind of analytics we're following, what drives us to do this. And that should be an interesting conversation. And so so why did we start, Esther? in your opinion?
Well, I think we really started in a bit of a bet. It was a bit of a dare, really, wasn't it? That just a throwaway comment. I think you two would be really good at doing a podcast. So we thought, why not? Let's give it a go. But as we sat down to discuss it at the end of last year, we really did just sort of go right, what is in it for us and what's in it for our audience? Because at the end of the day, if there's nothing valuable going into it, no, nobody will listen and nobody will get anything valuable out of it. So we needed that sit down in that conversation and that list of let's talk about this and this and this and this and let's get these guest speakers on so that we could have a direction to go in. You might not listen very often to your might not hear a direction very often in our podcasts. But it is there.
It is meant to be anyway. Yeah. It means it's always been about marketing of some description and myself and Eshter, we both have slightly different sides of marketing in that. I'm sole trader, I work on my own and Esther is a agency. So she's got members of staff and she also has an advantage of being in different locations as well. And whereas I mainly based in the Republic of Ireland, but so we have different perspectives we can offer, I think. And that's what makes, I hope, what people listen to a bit more rounded.
Yeah. And we also have different platforms that we like to use. So when it's not just a one sided opinion of, well, I love Facebook and I love the new version of Facebook and I love everything to do with, you know, insert social media platform here or insert marketing tool. Here it is. Well, to be honest, you know, there are a lot of things that we overlap on that we do both like. But there there is also that I have used some tools. Melanie uses other tools. I use tools for teamwork. Melanie doesn't need that yet, you know, and it's just
I'm my own team, Esther. Yay go my team.
Yeah. Go Team Stomp. But it is important for us to give you those different options in those different feedbacks, because if you're a team, then you're going to need other platforms, other tools, other options, rather than just for a sole trader.
Well, I think I completely agree with the way we started there, but I think there was also a point where both of us thought we had to diversify as well. We've both done blogging with both done speaking. We've both done you know, we've appeared on other people's podcasts as well. Yeah. So, you know, thank heavens that we've had those opportunities. But he was one more opportunity where we could get out there and reach people. And, you know, it's been something I've thought about but never actually had the balls to do. And I don't think I could have done it on my own initially. And I'm not sure I could even do it on my own now, to be honest. But, you know, I, I needed that push and I think some of our listeners will only listen to podcasts, but some of them will watch Facebook lives, which you completely point blank refused to do
I do, yes.
Yes. So that doesn't help. We can't diversify. I also think they see a more authentic side of us. This is like one 10 minute Instagram story that we put out every Monday. You just can't see any pictures.
Good. Because you wouldn't want to see me on a Monday morning or any morning. But no, it is. And it's something that we've noticed that it's the same while not the same audience, but it's a similar demographic to what is following us on our social media and on Stomp and on IPA group that, you know, it's our audience is and we thank you. And all those females out there that are listening to us and Ireland, the UK, USA, those are our main, audiences. And that's where that's we're being listened to. And what I enjoy about doing the podcast is that we record it. It gets edited here at IPA group, STOMP does all the social media. I mean, we have that that balance going on as well. But we press a button and it goes to different platforms immediately. OK, so it's hosted on anchor, we use their free version there, and Spotify has it up within a few minutes most of the time, and that's where our biggest listener base is, you know, people coming in from Spotify, but it's on Google podcasts, Apple podcasts, loads of different places. And it just gives it that, you know, if people don't want to follow us on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or LinkedIn, then they've got these other platforms to follow us on as well.
I think people also ask us different questions as well because I can't speak for the IPA group particularly. But I have such professional persona on my platforms and the persona that I put across on the Monday morning marketing podcast is considerably less contrived.
Uptight,
well, less, less uptight. Yes, and that was the one we agreed on. We decided we were going to be a bit more chill, would a bit more relaxed. We have a hell of a lot more fun talking on this podcast than we would on our own platforms. So I'm trying to convey that and the social media platforms as well. And we all we have fun. We genuinely do have fun. You just hear the retakes that we do sometimes, we should do some blooper reels at some stage
We should I'll get the editor onto those. But it is, you know, under our lockdown, Melanie and I would talk every week and it was that escape from that, you know, getting away from the realities of life and just diving into our podcast and being able to just to skip for those ten minutes. And, you know, when when we're recording these, it's not just ten minutes that we record. We talk before we talk, after we talk in between sometimes, you know, but it is just that support for each other and for businesses that has been fundamental to us in these last few months. It's been a real godsend, just really, really helpful.
And I've got to say, the comments we've been getting and the Google my business reviews, we're so grateful. We're so glad you're getting something from it and you're enjoying it. And, you know, please send in your voice messages or any messages you want to send in to let us know what you'd like us to talk about next. If you've got any suggestions on guests. And we've had some more interesting ones, I've got to say, and just keep us apprised of how you think we're getting on. We don't know. We have to listen.
But some things that I get asked a lot is how easy it is to start a podcast and why people should start a podcast. And I don't know. I don't think it's a platform that everybody needs to be on or that everybody's business will thrive on. But it is really easy to get started if you have a good mic, and a good computer with Internet, good Internet, yes you need, otherwise it'll just be buffering the whole time. But you can start with really, really, really limited equipment and just build up from there, find your voice and speak, speak out. It might not even be something to do with your business. It could be a social topic that you're really interested in. But just find your voice. If you feel that podcasting is for you
And you know you will get better with time.
We have
Now where we sit. Well, I think so. I feel very uncomfortable listening to our first few podcasts now. And the sound quality wasn't great because we were just using our headphones through Zoom, it was OK. But then we bought slightly pricier mics and they were OK, but then they didn't work very long. Then we bought more expensive mics, I've got to say, I'm really happy with mine now.
Speak for yourself. I only needed to buy one. I got it right the first time.
Yeah, whatever. But no, it's been a bit of a godsend. It really has. It's been a genuine release for both of us to get this opportunity to pass on what we know. And, you know, the feedback has been terrific. And we just want to say a massive, massive thanks for your amazing ongoing support and we have not going to shut up yet. We've got a lot more topics to discuss
And a lot more guests coming up. So here's to the next thousand and beyond. Thanks for joining us again today, guys. Talk to you next week. Bye.