Disability Services looking for innovative ways to engage with their audiences and amplify their impact need look no further. Employing a podcaster offers your service a unique set of advantages, enhancing outreach, improved storytelling capabilities and overall effectiveness. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the benefits that Disability Services can derive from incorporating a podcaster into their communication strategies.
Storytelling Prowess:
Podcasting is the storytelling medium. Word pictures, soundscapes and the human voice all create mental images like no other medium. A skilled podcaster can craft compelling narratives, humanise your service’s mission and convey the impact of your work in a way that resonates emotionally with listeners. It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of good storytelling. It is what makes us most human. Podcasting, being an oral medium, connects listeners to speakers in the same way recitals of the Iliad connected villagers with their imaginations through voice. We can assume the epics of all human societies were and often still are, oral performances. Podcasting is a medium that reconnects humans with this important part of our heritage. It also plugs into long used and embedded parts of our brains. By sharing real stories from the field, Disability Services fire up these mind connections and build empathy, foster a stronger connection with their supporters and grow their authority within the sector.
Accessible Education and Self Advocacy:
The ability to encourage self advocacy in clients is a baseline purpose for disability services. By having a qualified podcaster on staff, they can coach, educate and support your people to speak their truth. To explain their goals, dreams and hopes and to do so in a medium that frees them to speak globally. Podcasting provides a platform for in-depth explorations of needs, goals and achievements that also serve as valuable educational content. Content your service can repurpose to expand your reach. See episode 5 of season 8 for detailed info on repurposing.
Employing a podcaster enables your disability services to break down complex topics, explain nuances and reach a broader audience. Podcasts are a convenient and accessible medium for delivering educational content, making it easier for listeners to grasp the intricacies of the issues at hand.
Expanding Reach and Building Community:
Podcasts are a versatile tool for expanding the reach of any Disability Service. With platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Youtube Music Podcasts (the current Google attempt at the medium), Disability Services can tap into a global audience. A trained podcaster on staff optimises content for these platforms, implements effective marketing strategies and grows your service’s presence in the podcasting community. This expansion not only attracts new listeners but also helps in building a community around your service’s cause.
Building Trust and Credibility:
Consistency and authenticity are crucial in building trust and authority. Podcasting is the medium for building authority through time. See episode 8 in season 6 for a deeper dive into this benefit of podcasting. A disability service that establishes a consistent presence in the lives of their audience whilst providing content of value, builds its authority within the sector. Your show, produced in house, becomes a familiar voice that listeners trust, providing a human face and voice to your organisation. By regularly sharing updates, success stories and addressing challenges transparently, your service enhances their credibility and authority. Trust is the foundation of successful endeavours, podcasting offers a genuine and intimate way to cultivate it.
Adaptability and Timely Updates:
With current changes ongoing with the NDIS, staying relevant and providing timely updates is essential. Changes occur all the time anyway so letting your people know you’re on top of these is good practice but especially with newer systems of service delivery being implemented across the sector, your podcast can keep everyone in the loop. Having an in-house podcast producer who understands both the challenges of change within the sector and the technical ability to produce content explaining this gives your service a head start in attracting new clients and great staff.
Podcasting is flexible and nimble, allowing for quick and easy production, making it an ideal medium for addressing current events, emergencies or responding to the latest developments related to the sector. A podcaster can swiftly create and release content, ensuring that the organisation remains agile and responsive to the evolving landscape of the issues it tackles.
Conclusion:
Incorporating a podcaster in-house adds to your communication strategy. For your disability service this can be a game-changer. The benefits extend beyond conventional outreach methods, offering a way to connect with audiences on a personal level. Many people, one on one all at once. An in-house podcaster brings not just technical expertise but a passion for storytelling and a commitment to amplifying the impact of your service’s mission. As the technical landscape continues to evolve, your service can leverage the power of podcasting to foster community, build trust and authority, keep your people up to date and drive positive change in the world. Things worth doing!
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