Is now the time you should consider a podcast as part of your B2B marketing strategy?
As part of some strategy work we’ve been doing on behalf of a client we’ve recently been looking at how their content marketing strategy might evolve in 2020. One area we’ve been evaluating is podcasting. We think for this particular client, and for many other technology businesses, podcasting may have reached the tipping point where you should seriously consider getting involved and adding it into the mix of your overall B2B Marketing Strategy.
Here are our four top reasons why:
1. Streaming is the “New Normal” and Podcasting has been lifted on that tide
Podcasting is definitely not new, but over the last few years, just as subscribing to and streaming music has gone mainstream, so its popularity has soared. As of January 2020, Apple state there are currently over 850,00 podcasts available and 30 million episodes. It’s fair to say that podcasting has passed into the mainstream as a medium.
2. Podcasting is Mobile Friendly
Unlike written or video content podcasts can be consumed on the move, in the car, on a commute — or where ever! Just like listening to the radio while preparing a meal, it also lends itself particularly well to those that want to multi-task. How many other elements of your B2B Marketing strategy can claim that? Coupled with this is increasing trend toward delivering content in increasingly easily consumable “bite size” pieces.
3. Simplified Creation and Distribution have lowered the Barriers to Entry
As in many other areas of life, subscription based cloud services have greatly simplified a number of aspects associated with creating, hosting and distributing a quality podcast. There are lots of reviews out there that compare these various services, but to get you started here are a couple we recommend you check out:
- Zencastr — which enables you do create high quality results even when participants are in different locations. It works by recording each participants locally to their own hard drive. These are then uploaded (even performing post production tasks if required) after the fact. It means your reliance on a rock solid Skype call (say) for 30+ minutes, with no drop-outs is removed, plus a multi channel audio recording also gives you much greater control in the edit if desired. The ability to create a high quality results without the costs and complexity of having to get people in the same room we believe is invaluable!
- Podbean — gives you an all in one platform to publish, host, promote and even monetise (if that’s appropriate) your podcast. It also gives you access to some good stats so you can monitor the performance of your podcast as it grows in popularity.
4. Great for Thought Leadership and Influencer Marketing
As we’ve talked about a lot in other posts, the B2B technology sales process can be long and complex, with many influencers, decision points and barriers to overcome. The ability to tackle some of these issues via a podcast can really assist in helping flesh out and/or tackle some of these issues head-on. In addition market influencers are often very happy to spend some time with you to share their own views. Perhaps also to invite you back onto their own podcasts, serving as a great way to associate your brand with key thinkers in your industry. A podcast is also a fantastic way to “literally” give your brand an authentic “voice”. Think through the tone, the content and the presentation style of your podcast and it can serve as a great way to underpin your brand values.
By the way, the irony is not lost on me that I’m talking about podcasts on a blog post and not a podcast! And in 2020 it looks likely that we will shortly be undertaking at least one long term podcast series on behalf of one of our clients. We’re also considering podcasting as part of our own B2B marketing strategy. What do you think? Would you like to hear from the team as we explore the ever changing world of B2B technology marketing?
Let us know in the comments, or contact us now and see how we can help.