“Welcome to More than a Few Words, a marketing conversation for business owners. This is your host Lorraine Ball. “

I have a version of that phrase hundreds of times over the last thirteen years. Yes, today is actually the thirteenth year anniversary of this podcast. As I get ready to embark on another year of podcasting,  I thought it would be fun to share a few things I’ve learned along the way that are relevant for podcasters, and really any marketing professional.

Your name matters. Whether you’re naming a podcast, a product or a company the name is one of the few decisions you will live with for the life of that product. So as you think about your name, pick something that has meaning to you. Don’t get hung up on the domain name, look for something which has a story behind it that will bring the brand to life.

My mother often said I had more words than any human being needed, I am pretty sure I was born talking. And so, as a nod to mother, I named the podcast more than a few words.

Get comfortable experimenting. I am not suggesting you change, just to change, but things change, and you need to be willing to evolve. I have co-hosts, interviewed hundreds of guests, and released quite a few standalone episodes like this.

Over the years, more than a few words has gone through quite a few iterations. Episodes have ranged from under a minute to more than 30 minutes. There have been there was a period there where we did   live call in show that was incredibly unpredictable and there are few very, very well scripted short episodes designed to deliver a specific message.

The Bottom line? Not every idea that I’ve had was brilliant. For example, a live Colin show, but we tried it for a while, measured results and weighed the pros and cons of staying with that format.  You need to do that with all your marketing.  Try something, give it enough time to get feedback, and then be prepared to let go of what does not work.

Consistency

More than a few words ran for several years. When I lost my first co host, I kind of ran out of steam for a while. And so I didn’t do episodes as often. Unfortunately, while I was dialing back my commitment to the podcast, everybody else in the world was launching shows. So when I ramped up the podcast again, I was playing catch up to reconnect with an audience that had found other podcasts to fil their days.

So If you’re going to launch a marketing program, you need to be prepared to stay with it. Make sure you have the pieces in place to consistently deliver your program.

Finally, a podcast is a labor of love. Yes, there are good business reasons for doing a podcast but there are lots of other ways to generate sales. So you must love it. For me, 13 years and 800 episodes later, I still love it and I hope you do too.

If you’ve enjoyed the content be sure to look for other longer episodes wherever you listen to podcasts. leave a review or a comment or simply wish me a happy anniversary.