The Evolution of a Rural America Marketing Podcast: Buckle Up for OUTdrive

By now, you may have seen our teaser graphics in emails or social media about something exciting cookin’ at Callis. Well friends, we are pleased to announce the launch of a new podcast, OUTdrive, which will be hitting the airwaves next week.

Why a podcast?

There are a lot of reasons to consider starting a podcast. For us, we wanted to continue to provide helpful content to our audience about marketing to rural America, but in a new, easy-to-consume way. We’re also hopeful our new OUTdrive podcast will help us reach and connect with new customers and grow our network in the rural America marketing space. 

We’ve always been believers in trying new things. The OUTdrive podcast and its platform has provided us a great way to learn about developing and managing a podcast. We’re also learning new and exciting things about marketing to rural America through each of our guests, which we’re really excited to be able to provide to you. 

The growth in the number of podcasts have continued their upward trajectory and are not showing any signs of slowing down. Because listeners can tune in at their convenience and on their terms, podcasts are hot. Through the host, in our case Cliff Callis, our founder and President, and our great lineup of guests, we’re able to produce real, authentic and genuine content and deliver it with a personal voice.

As you know, our focus is on marketing to rural America. It’s a natural niche for us because of who we are, where we are, what we believe and the lifestyle we choose to live. Podcasts are a great platform to reach niche audiences with relevant content. Through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or a variety of other podcast platforms, listeners can search for educational content that is highly-relevant to them. We want OUTdrive to be their source for helpful content and information about marketing to rural America.

As content marketers, our goal is to provide unique and relevant content to our audience in a variety of ways. Creating content is the first step, but then we need to find ways to distribute that content so it reaches our audience. Podcasts are a great platform for creating what we often refer to as “cornerstone content.” Cornerstone content is high-quality, in-depth content that really dives deep into a subject matter and covers it with a complete and comprehensive approach. That content can then be “sliced and diced” or repurposed for distribution across other media channels, including blogs or web articles, email and social media channels.

In the current business climate with all of the uncertainties COVID-19 has presented, trust is a vital component of success. Podcast content is a great way to establish brand trust with your target audience. With the personal element of host and guest interaction, you can really get to know a podcast host by tuning in for 15 or 20 minutes each week. The genuine nature of podcast content has no doubt contributed to podcast growth and helped hosts position themselves and their companies as thought leaders across the country and around the globe. 

Why OUTdrive?

Currently, we’re one week out from our official OUTdrive podcast launch. We’ve learned a lot through the process about podcasting and even more about marketing to rural America from the unique perspective of our guests. We’ve got a great lineup of upcoming podcast content, starting with two solocasts with Cliff, one as an introduction to our agency and OUTdrive and the other about marketing your way out of the COVID-19 crisis. After that, we start in on some intriguing interviews with folks who also market to rural American audiences in their careers and who live the rural American lifestyle. We hope this content can help you drive your business growth now and into the future, hence the name: OUTdrive.

So, please follow or subscribe to OUTdrive on your favorite technology platform and let’s go for a ride in the country. If you’ve been thinking about starting your own podcast or have any podcast-related questions, we’ve got answers and would love the opportunity to visit with you about it. Also, if you’d like to be one of our guests on the show, let us know. Feel free to reach out to Cliff at ccallis@ecallis.com or 660.826.2822.