Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Randy Wilburn, founder of I Am Northwest Arkansas, a website that showcases business, culture, and life right here in the Ozarks. Additionally, Randy hosts the I Am Northwest Arkansas podcast, an informative interview-based show that highlights everything that makes NWA one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country. As an unexpected transplant to the area, Randy embraced the community and he embarked on a mission to share its vibrancy with everyone. Throughout the episode, Randy discusses some of the most memorable moments he’s had on air, shares why podcasting is good for businesses, and gives insight into why NWA is a great place to live.
Show Notes:
(1:02) Introduction to Randy
(1:37) Randy’s Origin Story
(9:19) About the I Am Northwest Arkansas Podcast
(12:16) Podcast Strategy Consulting
(13:19) The Importance of a Podcast’s Digital Footprint
(19:22) What Makes the NWA Community Special
(22:47) What’s Next for I Am Northwest Arkansas
(25:08) Maintaining a Collaborative Culture
(28:14) Experiencing NWA
(39:32) Memorable Guests
(47:06) Advice to Younger Self
(48:39) Closing Question
Links:
Quotes:
“The one thing I can say about podcasting is that it’s such a powerful medium that allows you to shift and listen and consume really great information that is either really wide open or super narrow and hyper-focused.” – Randy Wilburn, (5:22)
“I think the technology’s there, and from a marketing standpoint, that’s the beauty of something like a podcast, and that’s why anybody listening should consider creating this type of content…you can take it and chop it up into different pieces.” – Randy Wilburn, (16:12)
“The thing I really appreciate about the people here is that they take you at face value…they’re going to take you for who you are right then and there. And so you don’t have to wait for an invitation to sit at the table, the table’s already open.” – Randy Wilburn, (19:03)
“We’re not only trying to build what we have right here, but we’re also trying to export it to other places and build relationships that matter in the same way.” – Randy Wilburn, (25:26)
Getting to Know NWA with Randy Wilburn
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Randy Wilburn, founder of I Am Northwest Arkansas, a website that showcases business, culture, and life right here in the Ozarks. Additionally, Randy hosts the I Am Northwest Arkansas podcast, an informative interview-based show that highlights everything that makes NWA one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country. As an unexpected transplant to the area, Randy embraced the community and he embarked on a mission to share its vibrancy with everyone. Throughout the episode, Randy discusses some of the most memorable moments he’s had on air, shares why podcasting is good for businesses, and gives insight into why NWA is a great place to live.
Sharing the Spirit of the Heartland
I Am Northwest Arkansas provides an in-depth look at the intersection of entrepreneurship and the people, institutions, and organizations that make up the NWA region. It covers local events as well as inspiring stories, activities, places to visit, restaurants, and more. The driving inspiration behind the I Am Northwest Arkansas podcast is the welcoming and helpful spirit of the community towards individuals that already live here and those looking to move here.
“The thing I really appreciate about the people here is that they take you at face value…they’re going to take you for who you are right then and there. And so you don’t have to wait for an invitation to sit at the table, the table’s already open.” – Randy Wilburn, (19:03)
The heartland aspect of Northwest Arkansas’s location fosters its collaborative mindset and its drive to create the best possible version of NWA. As a result, the I Am Northwest Arkansas podcast aims to be the resource on the ground that verifies and validates the NWA experience for anyone looking to relocate to the area. Therefore, in the future, the podcast will continue to do its part in making moving to NWA a seamless experience and will keep developing the environment in an effort to maintain the area’s culture for generations to come.
The Benefits of Podcasting
With the revitalization of podcasting and social platform algorithms favoring video, it’s becoming more and more popular for podcasts to also publish their content on YouTube. And although podcast purists might still only listen to episodes strictly in audio form, a video of the episode is ideal for marketing purposes. A half-hour-long episode can be segmented into multiple short clips, which can then be posted across all social media platforms.
“I think the technology’s there, and from a marketing standpoint that’s the beauty of something like a podcast, and that’s why anybody listening should consider creating this type of content…you can take it and chop it up into different pieces.” – Randy Wilburn, (16:12)
Without video, episodes can only be broken into sound bites, which when heard on social media, are not as appealing as video content. Moreover, although video is more consumed and marketed on social media, having audio-only options on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts is still important because there will be times when listeners cannot watch the episode, but they can listen to it, like when driving to and from work. Overall, podcasting is an incredible way for businesses and brands to create long-form and short-form content that educates as well as entertains.
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