The highly competitive retail and beauty industry is always looking for ways to keep their clients loyal to their brands. Today's highlighted three, Walmart, Saks and Harrods cater to their specific demographic in vastly different ways, yet very effectively.

Harrods - True Tales of Luxury is a newcomer in the podcast community with their focus on investigating the evolving definition of luxury in modern times. Their conversations with industry leaders and creatives provide a great insight into understanding the evolution of the finer things in life.

Walmart - The Walmart Radio Podcast is a live radio format at the Arkansas corporate HQ. Employees and customers alike can listen in on current events and Walmart focused content. It's a high energy and entertaining podcast that shows Walmart's commitment to highlight associates across the US. 

Saks Fifth Avenue - Where Brains Meets Beauty is technically not a Saks Fifth Avenue production, but a...

It's Friday which means another three podcasts to feature, who are using this medium to highlight their companies, deepen their relationships, and start conversations around topics that matter most to their customers.

Three different businesses and three very different ways to use podcasting.

The Barney's Podcast -  The Barney's Podcast - There are a few things that we want to point out for this podcast. First, it's the perfect example of using podcasting to talk about your industry. Barney's highlights trailblazers, not just in the fashion industry, but those who are leading by utilizing creativity.

The second thing that Barneys does well is making a shift in the discussions when they see fit. Here's the deal on podcasting, many think that once you start a podcast the format is set in stone. However, you can switch when needed, and that's exactly what they did for Season 3. Instead of just fashion and creativity, they took on having conversations with...

Talk about diversity in podcasts!

We're highlighting how three different industries are sharing their stories and appealing to their targeted audiences. Join us every Friday to see how podcasts are enhancing brands!

GUCCI podcast - There is a reason art, music, and fashion are intertwined in the creative process. The GUCCI Podcast does a great job of showing the audience that incredible fashion can be derived from inspirational musicians and artists. Also, who doesn't want to find a great new musician to fall in love with their music?

The Cisco Learning Network Podcast - Cisco is a well-known technology company and in their circle, most folks in networking are certified on their platform. Whether it is a first-time listener or someone needing to refresh some knowledge, this podcast focuses on education and keeping skills sharp. This is a great way podcasts are helping to maintain the education for certifications!

The Energy Podcast - Shell's The Energy Podcast does a great...

We're excited about this week's list because it has one of our favorite brands and former guest on our Innovation Calling podcast. (Click here for a link to the episode.)

We love featuring brands who are utilizing podcats to build and enhance their brand. Join us every Friday as we link to our favorites.

Too Sick - Too Sick comes from the geniuses at Meow Wolf. Meow Wolf is not only a huge pioneer in creating experiences with immersive technologies, but they're also an incredible story of making something amazing out of passion. Meow Wolf is eccentric and definitely their own brand, and their podcast is the perfect extension of this.

Learn more about the company with behind the scenes discussions with some key people within their brand.

Think Like a Hacker - Think Like a Hacker is the perfect brand podcast for a company that helps to prevent your website from getting hacked. This podcast takes us on an inside look into the world of website security with a combination of current...

Podcasts don't have to be overly complicated. 

Many companies are hesitant to jump into this medium because they feel the effort is beyond what they can maintain. However, if there's one thing that you can learn from others is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

In fact, the more creative and fun you can have with this, the more you're going to connect with your customers.

In this week's Three Podcast's Friday, we're showing you some podcasts who are putting a simple and fun twist to the podcasting medium.

This week we're featuring (all links go to Apple iTunes):

Tell Me Why - Tell Me Why is American Airlines' short and sweet podcast giving us an inside look into the decisions they make, along with how operations work within the airline industry. People love feeling like they're on the inside, and that's exactly what American Airlines offers us in their podcast. 

Inside Trader's Joes - Inside Traders Joes is a podcast about, you guessed it, Trader Joes. This...

What companies are utilizing podcasts in the right way?

Well, we're here to tell you. Every Friday we'll feature three podcasts that are using this medium in creative ways. Take a listen and take notes!

Today's three are:

Hello Monday - Hello Monday is LinkedIn's podcast that puts a different twist on interviewing some of today's top names in enterprise companies and start-ups, alike. Instead of focusing on the rise to the top, it explores the moments of hardship, failure, and the nature of work at large.

Not only will you be inspired, but you'll learn to look at your work from an entirely new perspective.

Toyota Untold - Toyota Untold provides you with an inside look into the genius, innovation, and development of Toyota. As someone who isn't a car buff, but who loves innovation, I love this podcast because you truly get to be on the inside of a great company and learning more in-depth of what makes them great.

As a company leader, you'll walk away with some great takeaways...

Podcasting continues to grow in popularity with over 51% of the US population saying they've listened to a podcast. However, the more good news to this is that there is still a lot of room for growth when it comes to podcast audiences. 

With the explosion of podcasting popularity, more and more businesses are wondering how they can jump into this medium as a part of their content strategy. It may feel like an overwhelming task on where to begin, so here's an easy 10-step process of what you need.

1. A Strategy - Before you hit record, the most important thing you'll need to do is create a strategy that aligns with your business. Just because you can easily start a podcast, doesn't jump in quite yet. 

Make sure you understand what you'll want your listeners to take away from your podcast, how exactly this aligns with your business, and exactly whom you want listening. Yes, this is a part of content marketing, so make sure you're going back to Marketing 101 before...

This is a question we get asked almost on a daily basis. Our customers are looking for that magic answer for how long each episode of their podcast should be.

I've even heard podcast producers tell their clients that there's no way their episodes should ever go over 45 minutes.

Our answer is one the one that no one ever wants to hear:

It depends

There are so many varying factors when it comes to how long an episode should be. However, one of the easiest answers is how much time do you need to get the point of the podcast across.

I've listened to some podcasts that were five minutes, and in my opinion, four minutes too long. 

But I've also listened to podcasts where I was devastated that two hours later it was ending because I wanted more time.

If you tell someone it has to be 45 minutes, well, then you'll find many who will take what could be done in 10 minutes and try to stretch it out to 45. And if you tell someone ten, they'll try to condense something that should have...

There's an ongoing joke within the podcasting community:

51% of Americans are now listening to a podcast. And that's because 51% of Americans have their own podcast.

Yes, podcasting has a low barrier of entry, which means anyone with a phone can start recording their own podcast. When you add hosting companies like Anchor coming into the mix, the barrier is constantly lowered.

However, just because everyone seems to be doing a podcast that doesn't mean everyone is doing it well. So although it may feel like you're jumping into a game that everyone is already in, there is still a lot of opportunity for you to stand out.

The question then isn't about if you should start a podcast or not, but how exactly can your podcast stand above your competition?

Here are three tips to do that:

1. Be clear about the strategy - Don't hit record, simply because you can hit record. Instead, be strategic about how this podcast fits within your content marketing strategy. You must be able...