Have you heard buzz around the new audio app, Anchor?

Anchor allows you to record and share soundbites (called “waves”) of yourself talking. Anchor’s tagline is “Radio by the People” Sounds pretty simple right?

What’s causing such a stir is the way Anchor makes it so easy for anyone to record short audio clips, then share them just as they would a Tweet or a Facebook status. Then, followers can easily record their own voices in a reply wave. It creates a conversation, or a collaborative kind of podcast.

Until now, audio has been pretty difficult to break into small pieces and share effectively. But Anchor’s vision is to make podcasting as simple for everyone as blogging. In fact, some podcasters are hoping that Anchor could be a great way to expose a much larger group of people to their shows, even if they haven’t discovered podcasts yet.

Anchor is free to download from the app store. Unfortunately, it's only available for iOS devices at this time but you can expect versions for Android and the Web later on in 2016. For now, Anchor is so new that this is your chance to get in on the ground floor and use it in your business!

So without further ado…

5 Ways To Use The Anchor Audio App for Business

1. Use Anchor to provide SNACKABLE content to your tribe

Anchor is 2 minute “waves” but it's perfect for “snackable” content! You could share your expertise by starting a tip series that shares small snippets of info that is actionable. You could also host strategy waves that showcase specific ways that drive the results that your tribe is looking to achieve. Resources are HUGE! People love know what you are using for certain types of projects in your niche.

2. Build relationships!

WHAT? That relationship word AGAIN? Yep! It never gets old <smile>!

The neat part about Anchor is that it allows everyone to have a voice…a REAL voice at that! I am loving that I get to actually hear people's voice and am not reliant on the written word to get a sense for who that person is in real life. The opportunity for connecting is so much richer because of this “real” voice application.

3. Word or Quote of the Day

Both of these ideas are fantastic ways to get conversations started and have people coming back to your waves day after day.

Why not leverage it to connect and build up others on Anchor as well? The word of the day could be totally random OR it could be tied to your area of expertise. This simply requires a bit of creativity and you are off to the races!

4. Encourage discussion between your followers over audio

This is yet another way Anchor is easy to use. After someone listens to your wave, anchor automatically plays the next reply in a discussion thread—it feels like they’re listening to a conversation! The idea is that after listening to a few reply waves, your listener will want to jump in and create their own reply, similar to how they might want to write a blog post comment after reading other people’s thoughts in the comments section.

So make sure you encourage your listeners to jump in! Ask them to share their experience on the topic you’re discussing. The more specific the question, the more likely it will trigger a response that they’ll want to share.

5. Conduct rapid fire style interviews about current events

Let’s say there’s some breaking news in your niche. If you want to collect the perspectives of many different people in a short amount of time, posting your thoughts using the Anchor app could be a perfect way to get feedback quickly.

Some news organizations are using the app to ask, for example, “What did you think of the presidential debate last night?” Then people leave their thoughts in a wave, just as they might comment on a news article in written form.

BONUS TIP:

6. Drive traffic to your blog

I am all about using one social platform as a launch pad to send someone to a more robust place where they can connect and perhaps even purchase. That said, you have to lead with a value proposition that will entice someone to move from one location to another. Anchor is, in my opinion, a fabulous way to provide a summary of your latest blog post and then invite those listening to check out the entire article on your site. The key to this tip is that you have to make it easy for people to go to your site. I would recommend using bit.ly (link shortener) so that you can articulate a custom link that is easy for people to remember. For example: bit.ly/fbadsblueprint. Easy to say and easy for someone to remember when the go to type into their browser.

DOUBLE BONUS!!

Guess what?! I actually ASKED others ON Anchor how they planned to use it for their business and got TONS of amazing answers!!

Check it out, not only for more great ideas but also to see what all the buzz is about Anchor :-)!

https://anchor.fm/w/99CE8F

So what do you think? Will 2016 Be The Year of Social Audio?

Some are saying that Anchor is to audio what Instagram is to pictures—easy to use, easy to share, and sure catch on quickly. Time will tell, but the enduring popularity of radio shows and podcasts have proven that audio is a great way to create intimacy with an audience.

With Anchor, all you have to do is press the big red button, record your thoughts, then post them. So give it a whirl and see what you think!

Now I’d love to hear from you: what have you heard about Anchor? Have you given it a try?

About Author

Kim Garst

Kim Garst is one of the world's most retweeted people among digital marketers. She is a renowed business strategist, keynote speaker and an international best-selling author of Will The Real You Please Stand Up, Show Up, Be Authentic and Prosper in Social Media. Kim helps business owners grow their business using social and digital media.

She is the founder of KG Enterprises, LLC, a business strategy consulting company that helps business owners create more sales using the power of digital and social media.

Kim is also internationally recognized as a thought leader in the social media space. Forbes named her as one of the Top 10 Social Media Power Influencers. Her blog is one of the top social media resources in the world.

You can find more great content from her at www.kimgarst.com/blog.

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