How are you doing in this madness? ‘Vasbyt’, as the Afrikaans people say…
I write one of these blogs every week and normally they’re not as controversial as the last two, but they might interest you if you’re thinking about what happens next. Just like any other mammal, I don’t have any special powers to predict the future, but I think it’s becoming clear that the lockdown will have far-reaching ramifications.
The Coronavirus pandemic has swept across the planet, leading to global chaos and extraordinary changes to all our lives. We’re all spending almost all our time at home and consuming media very differently. There are many confusing messages, and not many sources you can completely trust.
In contrast to everything else, podcasting is experiencing a massive uptick. Compared to the same period last year, CliffCentral.com has seen a significant increase – our numbers have doubled. Social media engagements have also been consistently higher. This might be because people are hungrier than ever for information, maybe they have more time to listen or maybe they’re losing faith in the traditional sources – newspapers, radio and TV. We’re also looking for inspiration and honesty in a media environment that has always given us low-hanging fruit in entertainment, alarmism in news, and mostly horrible advertising for products. Right now, the way to communicate is to talk about the things that are affecting people’s lives directly – their health, their money and their relationships. You have to be totally authentic about it too, and you can’t do that in old media.
Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash
Just this week, it was announced that Joe Rogan, America’s biggest podcaster, has signed an exclusivity deal with Spotify that will earn him an estimated $100-million and give even more legitimacy to podcasting as a commercial and audience medium. I hate to sound like a stuck record, but if your business isn’t doing anything in podcasting, you’re not doing your job. Talk to us and we’ll help you craft some content that counts, and even turn webinars and staff communications into great podcasts. It doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg either.
While some brands have gone ‘dark’ and stopped communicating during this crisis, the clever ones have seen the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives and make their presence felt during tough times. This will no doubt be rewarded when the economy starts opening up – and so will you if you aren’t frozen in terror. You’re not alone… we turned six this month and we can share our expertise with you.
