3 reasons why you should add podcasting to your marketing plan, according to this Texas expert

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Should your business consider launching a podcast? This communications expert says yes. Photo via Will Francis/Unsplash

As business leaders or marketers, we're always on the lookout for strategic opportunities to reach our target audiences in meaningful ways and move them to action: To like a post, ask for more information, make a purchase and more. When we put a lot of thought, energy and resources into marketing efforts, we want – and expect – a valuable return on that investment. Incorporating podcasting into your strategic marketing plan can help you realize that return.

A few years ago, KGBTexas Communications began producing thePoint, an online video series featuring conversations with innovative leaders from across Texas. The point of ThePoint is for these leaders to share insights into how they are working to create positive consequence in our communities. Our videos feature highlights of these conversations, and given the visual nature, this content is typically short and yes, to the point. However, different platforms engage audiences in different ways, and we saw podcasting as a natural progression to deepen engagement with our audience. We evolved thePoint into a podcast, More to thePoint, which serves as an extension of our video series with the goal of enhancing interaction with listeners by providing more in-depth information and conversation.

Through our experience, we have learned the value of utilizing the platform as an innovative tool to deepen connections with our audience as well as our community. Below are three reasons why businesses should consider incorporating podcasting into a marketing or communications plan.

Showcase your expertise

As a podcaster, you can position yourself as subject-matter expert. Diving deeply into relevant issues can make you a trusted voice that others come to for insight and advice. In this way, podcasting also serves as an organic advertisement for your business services, product, passion or mission. According to Jennifer Moxley, the founder of Sunshine Media Network, "Podcasts can make you relevant; they're a reason for someone to talk about you, share your social media content, invite you to guest panels or highlight you in your community."

Reach listeners authentically

According to Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data, nearly 75% of podcast listeners tune in with the intent of learning something new. Listeners are choosing to connect with brands to receive valuable information. Additionally, the platform offers listeners the ability to tune in at their convenience, possibly while doing other things. Now you have the ability to connect with individuals while they drive to work, go for a walk or relax at home, rather than solely while they are visually connected to their computers or phones.

Low barrier of entry

In looking at a return on investment, podcasting can be a relatively inexpensive way to expand your marketing and engagement efforts. All you really need to start a podcast is a perspective, a guest, a microphone, (you can get a really good one for less than $200), and a hosting platform. Most hosting platforms will also provide you with statistics and data to help determine specific details about your audience, including the number of listeners, along with ages and locations. Knowing and understanding your audience is key, and podcasting can help businesses expand reach and track message reception at a low cost.

As a brand's authenticity and ability to connect with consumers becomes increasingly important for attracting and retaining customers, podcasting remains a largely untapped opportunity to build trust and strengthen relationships. When considering the low cost and high return, potential audience reach and boost to website traffic and SEO, it only makes sense to explore the benefits podcasting can bring to your business.

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Katie Harvey is the CEO of KGBTexas Communications, one of the largest woman-owned, full-service agencies in Texas, with offices in San Antonio and Houston.

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Rice University lands $14M state grant to open Center for Space Technologies

on a mission

Rice University’s Space Institute soon will be home to the newly created Center for Space Technologies.

On Feb. 17, the Texas Space Commission approved a nearly $14.2 million grant for the Rice project. The Center for Space Technologies will target:

  • Research and development
  • Technology transfer and innovation
  • Statewide partnerships
  • Workforce development training
  • Space-focused education programs

The goal of the new center “is to fulfill an articulated need for research, workforce development, and industry collaboration,” said Kemah communications and marketing executive Gwen Griffin, chair of the commission.

State Rep. Greg Bonnen, a Friendswood Republican, authored the bill that set up the Texas Space Commission.

Since being authorized in 2023, the commission has funded 24 projects, with Rice and Houston-area companies accounting for nearly $75 million in grants to back space-related initiatives.

The grant to Rice brings the TSC's total investment to $150 million, fully committing the entire state appropriation from the Texas Legislature in 2023.

Other local companies that have received grants over the years include Aegis Aerospace, Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines, Starlab Space and Venus Aerospace.

The commission also awarded $7 million to Blue Origin earlier this month. See a list of the 24 awards here.

Waymo self-driving robotaxis have officially launched in Houston

Waymo has arrived

Waymo will begin dispatching its robotaxis in four more cities in Texas and Florida, expanding the territory covered by its fleet of self-driving cars to 10 major U.S. metropolitan markets.

The move into Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando, Florida, announced Tuesday, February 24, widens Waymo's early lead in autonomous driving while rival services from Tesla and the Amazon-owned Zoox are still testing their vehicles in only a few U.S. cities.

In contrast, Waymo's robotaxis already provide more than 400,000 weekly trips in the six metropolitan areas where they have been transporting passengers: Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, and Austin, Texas.

Waymo operates its ride-hailing service through its own app in all the U.S. cities except Atlanta and Austin, where its robotaxis can only be summoned through Uber's ride-hailing service.

The expansion into four more markets marks a significant step toward Waymo's goal to surpass 1 million weekly paid trips by the end of 2026. Without identifying where its robotaxis will be available next, Waymo is targeting a list of eight other cities that include Las Vegas, Washington, Detroit and Boston while signaling its first overseas availability is likely to be London.

To help pay for more robotaxis, Waymo recently raised $16 billion as part of the financial infusion that puts the value of the company at $126 billion. The valuation fueled speculation that Waymo may eventually be spun off from its corporate parent Alphabet, where it began as a secret project within Google in 2009.

Although Waymo is opening up in four more cities, its robotaxis initially will only be made available to a limited number of people with its ride-hailing app in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando before the service will be available to all comers in those markets.

Tech giant Apple doubles down on Houston with new production facility

coming soon

Tech giant Apple announced that it will double the size of its Houston manufacturing footprint as it brings production of its Mac mini to the U.S. for the first time.

The company plans to begin production of its compact desktop computer at a new factory at Apple’s Houston manufacturing site later this year. The move is expected to create thousands of jobs in the Houston area, according to Apple.

Last year, the Cupertino, California-based company announced it would open a 250,000-square-foot factory to produce servers for its data centers in the Houston area. The facility was originally slated to open in 2026, but Apple reports it began production ahead of schedule in 2025.

The addition of the Mac mini operations at the site will bring the footprint to about 500,000 square feet, the Houston Chronicle reports. The New York Times previously reported that Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn would be involved in the Houston factory.

Apple also announced plans to open a 20,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston later this year. The project is currently under construction and will "provide hands-on training in advanced manufacturing techniques to students, supplier employees, and American businesses of all sizes," according to the announcement. Apple opened a similar Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit last year.

Apple doubles down on Houston with new production facility, training center Photo courtesy Apple.

“Apple is deeply committed to the future of American manufacturing, and we’re proud to significantly expand our footprint in Houston with the production of Mac mini starting later this year,” Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said in the news release. “We began shipping advanced AI servers from Houston ahead of schedule, and we’re excited to accelerate that work even further.”

Apple's Houston expansion is part of a $600 billion commitment the company made to the U.S. in 2025.

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