Podcasting for Financial Professionals

Time is a precious commodity. If you had more of it, what would you prioritize? Today’s guest is Katie Brinkley, owner of social media agency Next Step Social Communications, host of the Rocky Mountain Marketing Podcast, and author of the Social Shift. Imagine being a social media expert who advocates for spending less time scrolling and more time living—Katie does just that! Katie shares her unique insights on finding abundance in business ownership. Her story is a powerful reminder to grant ourselves permission to step back and reassess our goals for a more fulfilling entrepreneurial journey. Podcasting was a game-changer for Katie, starting as a creative outlet and evolving into a strategic tool for business success. With over 300 episodes under her belt, she covers the trials and triumphs of maintaining a twice-weekly podcast while juggling other responsibilities. Learn how she mastered the art of batching content and outsourcing tasks to maintain quality and consistency, proving that podcasting can be more than just a hobby—it can be a formidable marketing tool. Unlocking Business Productivity (09:34) - Maximizing Business Success through Podcasting (20:14) - Intentional Networking to Grow Your Business (30:12) - Stepping into Self-Confidence (37:19) - Strategies for Efficient Content Creation "I started living my life with abundance when I gave myself the permission to not do all the things. I didn't need to be the business owner that scaled seven figures in three years. I didn't need to post on social media every day…I gave myself the permissions and everything changed." - Katie Brinkley Connect with guest, Katie Brinkley: Website – Katie Brinkley Podcast – Rocky Mountain Marketing Podcast Instagram – Katie Brinkley LinkedIn – Katie Brinkley The Social Shift Book – https://www.katiebrinkley.com/book This podcast is edited and managed by the team at PodcastAbundance.com and we’d love to produce your podcast too! To discuss working together, book a Discovery call with me. www.talktovirginia.com You’ll find equipment & software recommendations, downloadable templates, and podcasting how-to videos at www.PodcastAbundance.com/resources Watch everything on YouTube @PodcastingForFinancialPros Follow Virginia Elder on social media: LinkedIn Instagram To become a guest or find other episodes of Podcasting for Financial Professionals (formerly known as Reaching Abundance), visit www.podcastingforfinancialprofessionals.com

It takes more than a few episodes to attract a large audience and more than just posting on social media to get the word out about your podcast. If you’ve been podcasting for a short while and aren’t feeling the love or thought you’d be reading more people by now, this episode is for you. Learn about the three pillars of podcast growth and take the self-audit questionnaire to discover where your biggest gaps are. With that information, you can lean into the specific tactics explained in that category to grow your online presence. Perhaps it won't surprise you to find that growing a podcast is very similar to growing a business. You need to be findable, to provide a product (content) people WANT from you, and you need to be taking intentional steps to expose your business/show to new people multiple times each month. Effective Strategies to Enhance Your Podcast's Visibility A well-optimized website featuring your show Topics your listeners crave with episode titles containing phrases they’d actually search for “Networking” in the podcast world by featuring guests and being a guest Attending online summits, in-person conferences, and similar events where your ideal client/listener is also in attendance Post on social media based on the way your target listener consumes social media Which of the three areas should you focus on first? Content, Visibility, or Networking? Take the self-assessment inside this episode to find out OR book a podcast audit with me here and I’ll provide customized tips toward growth just for your brand. Podcast Audit: https://book.stripe.com/eVa7tkfWq56W7FC6oy My preferred guest matching networks: https://podcastguests.com/join/ https://www.joinpodmatch.com/podcastabundance To ensure your show is REALLY listed everywhere, follow the directions here: https://podnews.net/article/all-the-podcast-directories This podcast is edited and managed by the team at PodcastAbundance.com and we’d love to produce your podcast too! To discuss working together, book a Discovery call with me. www.talktovirginia.com You’ll find equipment & software recommendations, downloadable templates, and podcasting how-to videos at www.PodcastAbundance.com/resources Watch everything on YouTube @PodcastingForFinancialPros Follow Virginia Elder on social media: LinkedIn Instagram To become a guest or find other episodes of Podcasting for Financial Professionals (formerly known as Reaching Abundance), visit www.podcastingforfinancialprofessionals.com

If you’ve experienced burnout, in corporate or in your own business, you know you never want to be there again. But what if you felt stuck in a burnout-bust cycle you didn’t know how to stop? In this episode, meet Susan Boles, who now owns Beyond Margins where she uses her operations and financial reporting experience to help business owners find CALM in their business through automations, operational efficiencies, and metrics beyond the traditional financial statements. Susan knows from experience what the warning signs of burnout are and she can spot them BEFORE they cause a crash in your business, help you make changes in how you measure productivity, and recognize issues before they show up on a financial statement, simply because she’s seen the backend of hundreds of service-based businesses and knows what to look for. Imagine how amazing it would feel to have someone with C-Suite level financial and operational management experience on YOUR side of the table. Aligning Finance with Operations & Podcast Branding with Business Strategy: Discover Susan’s CALM framework Learn where her podcast ‘sits’ in the client acquisition funnel Hear when you might need a Virtual CFO (aka Fractional CFO) Copy her strategy for measuring podcast growth Follow Susan: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesusanboles/ Website: https://www.beyondmargins.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesusanboles/ This podcast is edited and managed by the team at PodcastAbundance.com and we’d love to produce your podcast too! To discuss working together, book a Discovery call with me. www.talktovirginia.com You’ll find equipment & software recommendations, downloadable templates, and podcasting how-to videos at www.PodcastAbundance.com/resources Watch everything on YouTube @PodcastingForFinancialPros Follow Virginia Elder on social media: LinkedIn Instagram To become a guest or find other episodes of Podcasting for Financial Professionals (formerly known as Reaching Abundance), visit www.podcastingforfinancialprofessionals.com

Time freedom is at the top of the wishlist for entrepreneurs, and Andy Hill of Marriage Kids and Money is no different. Interestingly enough, however, that desire manifests differently across every business owner’s journey. When Andy left corporate with a number in mind, he knew podcasting was his key to a joyful entrepreneurial journey, but didn’t necessarily have a plan to make money. After a few sponsors floated his direction and he built a solid reputation for great content, he started coaching and established his own products and services for sale. Along the way, he outsourced tasks that felt distracting, tedious, or frustrating, including podcast editing, social media, and graphic design. Andy’s favorite tools are Megaphone (by Spotify) for managing his podcast and ads and Asana for keeping tasks and contractors organized. From Hustle to Harmony: Andy Hill's Business Insights (01:35) Building a Business Around Podcasting (15:26) Growing a Business with Intention (23:51) Outsourcing for Business Success (40:07) Maximizing Podcast Revenue with Dynamic Ads (49:45) Long-Term Wealth Building Through Entrepreneurship Andy is most excited about his course, Make My Kid A Millionaire. Find it, along with his podcast, free resources, and plenty of amazing content on financial freedom, Coast FIRE, and family finances at https://marriagekidsandmoney.com/ Find Andy on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/MarriageKidsandMoney to learn what it’s like to be mortgage free, what the thought process is around it, and how to do it too! This podcast is edited and managed by the team at PodcastAbundance.com and we’d love to produce your podcast too! To discuss working together, book a Discovery call with me. www.talktovirginia.com You’ll find equipment & software recommendations, downloadable templates, and podcasting how-to videos at www.PodcastAbundance.com/resources Watch everything on YouTube @PodcastingForFinancialPros Follow Virginia Elder on social media: LinkedIn Instagram To become a guest or find other episodes of Podcasting for Financial Professionals (formerly known as Reaching Abundance), visit www.podcastingforfinancialprofessionals.com

Unlock the hidden potential of your podcast with insights that go beyond the traditional metrics of direct sales. Discover how to measure your podcast's ROI using eight innovative metrics from your brand authority, client engagement, and much more. Learn how to quantify mentions, backlinks, and speaking opportunities into tangible dollars, all thanks to your podcast. Secrets to Elevating Your Podcast's Value: (03:30 - 05:27) Boosting your Brand Authority (12:55 - 14:42) Repurposing Your Podcast Content (20:31 - 22:27) Team Morale & Recruitment (28:19 - 29:45) Amplifying Brand Affinity (33:37 - 34:58) Summarizing Each of the 8 Ways You’ll Find Non-Traditional ROI The 8 non-traditional ways you can measure Return on Investment from your podcast Brand Authority Client Engagement Content Repurposing Value Networking Opportunities Team Morale and Recruitment Lead Nurturing Brand Affinity Market Research Podcasting as a Tool for Business Growth Most business owners get stuck in tunnel-vision mode, expecting podcast ROI to surface from direct sales. However, there are 8 less obvious and more valuable ways your podcast creates return on investment, you just have to know to look for them and how to measure them. Emphasis is added throughout the episode to establish starting metrics and periodic measurement periods, because without a starting point, how can you know if you’ve grown? Savings from your repurposing efforts, connections and referrals made from networking in the podcast “world,” and recommendations or sales made because of the emotional connection potential customers feel toward your brand are all measurable. Are you measuring them? This podcast is edited and managed by the team at PodcastAbundance.com and we’d love to produce your podcast too! To discuss working together, book a Discovery call with me. www.talktovirginia.com You’ll find equipment & software recommendations, downloadable templates, and podcasting how-to videos at www.PodcastAbundance.com/resources Watch everything on YouTube @PodcastingForFinancialPros Follow Virginia Elder on social media: LinkedIn Instagram To become a guest or find other episodes of Podcasting for Financial Professionals (formerly known as Reaching Abundance), visit www.podcastingforfinancialprofessionals.com

Ever wondered how much you should spend to produce your podcast? From hiring a videographer to understanding the expertise required of an audio or video editor, and the often-forgotten importance of a knowledgeable SEO copywriter for your podcast, this episode will clear up any fog around how much you can expect to invest as you launch and grow your own podcast. Elevating Your Podcast with Smart Budget Choices Listen up for the numbers – high and low budget ranges! We'll explore why balancing these costs is crucial for creating and maintaining exceptional content over the long-haul. Understanding the various post-production services will help you decide when outsourcing each component makes sense and allow you to plan your marketing budget. Expert Tips for Budgeting Your Podcast like a Pro Don’t invest $500 or more in equipment unless you’re also going to invest in coaching, SEO-copywriting, and professional post-production editing services for your podcast. Post-production costs include editing, copywriting, creating social media assets, and scheduling all of the components to go live on time. Consider your personal hourly rate and the opportunity cost you face before deciding to “just take care of this one thing” yourself Consider the length, frequency, and number of participants in your podcast to tailor your budget accordingly. Longer episodes with more participants require a greater investment than shorter solo episodes. By aligning your spending with the Small Business Administration's recommendation of allocating 5-10% of revenue to marketing, business owners can ensure a balanced and effective approach to growing their podcast and overall business. Turning Your Podcast into a Business Asset I’ve included few examples of how you can arrive at your own preferred investment amount based on your revenue, client value per month, and business structure. Whether your business model is high-ticket, low-volume, or low-ticket, high-volume, we discuss strategies to optimize your marketing investment for growth. If you haven’t already, it’s a great exercise to discover the monthly value of your average client according to the method discussed here. Next week, I’ll share my best pre-recording tips for behind the mic and on camera, suggestions for lighting, and several other details to help you feel confident and ready to record. This podcast is edited and managed by the team at PodcastAbundance.com and we’d love to produce your podcast too! To discuss working together, book a Discovery call with me. www.talktovirginia.com You’ll find equipment & software recommendations, downloadable templates, and podcasting how-to videos at www.PodcastAbundance.com/resources Watch everything on YouTube @PodcastingForFinancialPros Follow Virginia Elder on social media: LinkedIn Instagram To become a guest or find other episodes of Podcasting for Financial Professionals (formerly known as Reaching Abundance), visit www.podcastingforfinancialprofessionals.com

In this five-episode mini-series (this is the first of five) I’m breaking down the essentials of podcasting, from understanding what a podcast truly is to leveraging it for client acquisition. I field questions all the time about what podcasting really is, how to do it, how to record, where to put recordings, and how to properly publish audio or video that has been recorded. Of course, there’s nuance, editing that can be simple or complicated, and anywhere from 5-30 steps to produce each episode we manage, but this mini-series will help answer some of the most frequently asked questions! During these five episodes, you’ll hear practical steps like how to set up a podcast host account, why you need an RSS feed, and the nuances of video podcasting. Whether you're a financial service professional or a budding entrepreneur, this series offers valuable insights to elevate your business through effective podcasting strategies. Episode Highlights: - Introduction to Podcasting: Understanding the basics of what podcasting really is and what you need to create a proper show. - Why Choose Podcasting: Exploring why podcasting is an effective marketing method and how it can drive client acquisition. - Budgeting for Podcasting: Discussing how much money you should plan on spending on this marketing endeavor and for how long. - Content Creation: Tips on what to say, how to structure your show, and how to use batch recording to your advantage. - Repurposing Content: Strategies for repurposing your podcast content for social media, blogs, newsletters, and more. Key Takeaways: - Podcasting Basics: A podcast must have an audio element broadcast to various apps via an RSS feed. This involves recording audio, uploading MP3 files to a podcast host account, and distributing the episodes to listening apps. - Video in Podcasting: Adding video to your podcast can complicate production but also offers additional opportunities for reaching different audiences. - Podcast Host Accounts: Options include Podbean, Buzzsprout, Libsyn, Captivate, and Castos, with prices ranging from $5 to $30 per month. - Distribution: Properly setting up your podcast host account ensures your episodes are automatically fed to all podcast platforms via the RSS feed. - Video vs. Audio: Understanding the difference between audio-only podcast listeners and video consumers on platforms like YouTube. "The purpose of a podcast for financial services professionals is often to educate their listeners. Podcasts also just naturally work to attract ideal clients because the more often they hear your voice and receive good information from you, the more they trust you." – Virginia Elder - Podcast Host Options: [Podbean](https://www.podbean.com/), [Buzzsprout](https://www.buzzsprout.com/), [Libsyn](https://www.libsyn.com/), [Captivate](https://www.captivate.fm/), [Kastos](https://www.kastos.com/) This podcast is edited and managed by the team at PodcastAbundance.com and we’d love to produce your podcast too! To discuss working together, book a Discovery call with me. www.talktovirginia.com You’ll find equipment & software recommendations, downloadable templates, and podcasting how-to videos at www.PodcastAbundance.com/resources Watch everything on YouTube @PodcastingForFinancialPros Follow Virginia Elder on social media: LinkedIn Instagram To become a guest or find other episodes of Podcasting for Financial Professionals (formerly known as Reaching Abundance), visit www.podcastingforfinancialprofessionals.com

Embracing the experimental nature of business is no easy feat. Amy Traugh, a former healthcare professional turned entrepreneur, shares her profound journey from pursuing traditional markers of success to diving into a world that requires a constant cycle of trial and error. Amy recalls her early days as a new entrepreneur, highlighting the value of mentorship and having a clear business plan. Learn how Amy’s approach to networking and building relationships allows her to navigate the unpredictable waters of business with agility and resilience. Action Steps to Propel Your Business Forward [00:16:11] Tools and Automations for Efficiency [00:26:44] Building Visibility and Credibility [00:38:22] Key Metrics to Track in Business [00:53:57] How Podcasting Creates Abundance Managing Your Entrepreneurial Rollercoaster – Pause, reflect, and ask yourself tough questions to gain clarity on your business goals. – Find mentors who have achieved what you aspire to and leverage their expertise. – Consider using podcasting to build your authority, connect with your audience, and expand your network. – Understand your business’s financial health by tracking key metrics like operating expenses and revenue sources. Embracing Curiosity in Your Business Amy encourages those venturing into the world of entrepreneurship to embrace messy action. Stay curious about what works and what doesn’t work for your business and be willing to adjust along the way. “Being an entrepreneur, we have to be willing to take risks, very calculated risks. But it does involve stepping outside of your comfort zone, acknowledging that fear, and going, you know what? I've got an empire to build, and I'm going to do it. Even though to everyone else it may not make sense, it makes sense to me, and let's just go for it.” - Amy Traugh Connect with guest, Amy Traugh: Website – Amy Traugh - LLC Business Strategist Podcast – The Motivated CEO Podcast Instagram – Amy Traugh YouTube – @AmyTraugh ** Make sure you grab a FREE copy of Amy’s book, The CEO Method! Get it shipped to your doorstep by visiting https://www.amytraugh.com/freebook This podcast is edited and managed by the team at PodcastAbundance.com and we’d love to produce your podcast too! To discuss working together, book a Discovery call with me. www.talktovirginia.com You’ll find equipment & software recommendations, downloadable templates, and podcasting how-to videos at www.PodcastAbundance.com/resources Watch everything on YouTube @PodcastingForFinancialPros Follow Virginia Elder on social media: LinkedIn Instagram To become a guest or find other episodes of Podcasting for Financial Professionals (formerly known as Reaching Abundance), visit www.podcastingforfinancialprofessionals.com