Using Podcasts to Build Community Engagement
By: Adam Stoker, Relic
This booming medium is a powerful marketing tool for destinations as it allows stories to be built and shared, audiences to be owned and community members and stakeholders to become unified. The approximately 104 million Americans listening to podcasts monthly are an almost untapped market for tourism destinations.
The Residents of San Juan County, Utah
With this challenge, San Juan County observed the need for a strategic growth plan, not only in attractions and activities but also in career opportunities and economic initiatives. In doing this, it was important, even essential, to share efforts of growth within the county and initiatives to build the place where residents want to continue living.
San Juan Now — The Podcast
The destination’s podcast San Juan Now published its first episode on February 11, 2022.
The podcast is co-hosted by Director of Economic Development and Tourism, Elaine Gizler and Economic Development Specialist, Ben Nielson. Twice a month, locals can tune in for updates and details on the progress of the county’s growth initiatives.
Elaine and Ben meet with government officials and local leaders to talk about the various improvements to the community’s economic development. Additionally, some guests are also residents who have a commitment and personal investment in the county’s success — most having grown up in the close-knit communities of San Juan County and having raised their own families in San Juan County.
On the show, hosts encourage community members to offer their insights and input. Ultimately, the podcast is a platform for residents and visitors alike to be a part of the ongoing discussion about how to achieve countywide growth and keep people coming back to live, work and play.
To accomplish this, San Juan Now was one of the first podcasts to start using software called telbee — a voice messaging platform that communicates with your listeners and customers by receiving and sending voice messages online. Listeners can send in feedback and comments through this platform that can directly be addressed on any episode.
Results so Far
As planned, the podcast has been cultivating a listenership locally within the county including Monticello and Blanding. It also pulls in listeners from surrounding hubs like Salt Lake City and Denver. This is evident not only in the geographic location of listeners but also in the intriguing number of people that listen via the internet (40.9%) on a desktop (59.6%) which is unique and different from other podcasts. Other podcasts usually see a higher number of mobile listens via apps like Spotify, Apple and others.
The demographics of listeners are varied as well. Most listeners are ages 35-54 (56.9%) with age groups 25-34 and 65+ at 21.6% of the total listenership.
With this data, San Juan County has communicated its satisfaction with the podcast thus far and the success it has had in accomplishing its goal of communicating county growth and starting an ongoing discussion for community members.
We are excited to continue seeing growth as it moves forward.
About the Author
Adam Stoker is President/CEO of Relic. He's been working with destinations for nine years, consulting with leisure travel, stakeholder engagement, destination branding and convention/meetings marketing. He has been featured in the Utah Business and Utah Valley Business Magazines' 40 Under 40 issues. He now speaks on different industry subjects at tourism conferences across the country, most recently including Utah Tourism Conference, and the Texas Travel Summit. As one of the up-and-coming industry thought leaders, Adam's impact on the industry is just beginning.