How To Use Podcasts To Boost Your B2B Business

Podcasts can help garner qualified leads who already trust your brand.

“Be the hero of your own movie,” Joe Rogan, a renowned podcaster, said. 
“If your life was a movie and it started now. Forget about whatever financial disasters you’ve had, personal failures, relationship failures. What would the hero of your life’s movie do right now? Do that, do those things. We define ourselves far too often by our past failures. We look at our past and we say, ‘Well that’s me.’ That’s not you, you are this person right now. You’re the person who’s learned from those failures and you can choose to be the hero of your own movie right now. You can do it, anyone can do it.”

Joe Rogan Is Podcast Royalty

Rogan launched his podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” in 2009. A decade later, Statista reported that Rogan is the world’s highest-earning podcaster. “The Joe Rogan Experience” made $30 million in 2019 and it garnered nearly 200 million downloads per month that year. 

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/476423/highest-earning-podcasts-revenue-worldwide/

How Podcasts Influence America

Although in a class of his own, B2B businesses can learn plenty from Rogan’s successes. Edison Research and Triton Digital recently released a study that found 28 percent of Americans are now weekly podcast listeners and monthly podcast listeners have skyrocketed by 61.5 percent over the past three years. Moreover, there are now 10 million more weekly podcast listeners than the 69 million Netflix account owners in the U.S. This statistic could indicate a shift from video to audio media. Perhaps most important, the overall monthly podcast listening audience is exceptionally diverse. 
“For digital audio, the space has never been more vibrant, or more diverse, than it is today,” Tom Webster, the senior vice president at Edison Research, said. “Podcasting, in particular, has made great gains with women and non-White audiences, and truly reflects the diversity of America.”

How Can Podcasting Help B2B Companies?

Although it is evident that podcasts are booming in popularity and becoming more influential, the question remains: How can developing a brand podcast help a B2B company reach more customers and achieve its goals? Starting a podcast can elevate a company’s brand, provide an effective platform to educate customers and prospects, and improve the sales process. Because it’s not a common practice, podcasting can also cement a company as a thought-provoking, industry trailblazer that is easily differentiated from competitors. 

Podcasting Builds Trust

Mike Black, the CEO of Denver-based marketing agency Paige Black, believes that a podcast is a dynamic way to build new relationships and establish trust with existing clients and prospects. 
“We are bombarded with advertising, every single day,” Black said. “Because much of it is difficult to understand, we don't trust any of it. Podcasts are an opportunity to build a relationship with potential clients and over time earn a high degree of trust. If you are in B2B sales, it does not get better than starting a conversation having already earned their trust.” 

Podcasts Build Relationships

Paige Black’s chief marketing officer (CMO) agreed that podcasting helps brands connect with their audiences and noted that it offers a convenient way to access information. 
“Podcasting is more portable than blogs, videos, or websites,” Paige said. “Podcasts don't require eyes so customers can engage with them while driving, exercising, doing housework or any other physical activity. When your brand can integrate seamlessly into someone’s day, you achieve a brand relationship that other companies can only dream about.”

Repurpose Existing Material In Podcasts

If starting a podcast seems daunting, you already have quite a bit of material to talk about. Look no further than your current content marketing efforts. You have likely created brand blogs, white papers, case studies, website pages, videos, one sheets—the list goes on. Those elements entertain, inspire, educate, and convince a specific target audience. In the first half of this year alone, the vast majority of prospering companies have published an array of original, informative material on their websites. Rather than spending time creating more content, use existing material as talking points for podcasts. Essentially, podcasts provide B2B companies an opportunity to verbally deliver unique insights, and positively reach consumers.

Brand Consistency Matters

Relaying messages via podcasts is a novel approach for many B2B marketing companies. Nevertheless, companies must be certain that their brand messaging remains consistent and aligns with their overall marketing communications strategy when using this platform. It’s taken most companies years, if not decades, to build a distinct “voice” and forge a good reputation in the industry. Accordingly, don’t deviate from the brand messaging that helped your company reach the heights it has. 

Tips for Hosting Guests

“A good name and a good premise will get you started, but the ability to keep the program going is what separates successful podcasts from the rest,” Jeanne Hopkins, CMO of Lola.com said. “Spending time upfront defining a podcast mission statement will help (companies) frame episodes around that consistent focus. For every guest, you should send an outline of what will be discussed and encourage the guest to listen to at least one episode to get a flavor of the podcast series you are producing. That way, the conversation and topic stays consistent with the podcast’s intended purpose.”

How To Start A Podcast

Depending on budgets, B2B companies can record podcasts on Skype Recorder, Zoom, Microsoft Dynamics, or Otter.ai. Furthermore, any necessary revisions can be made using audio editing software like Audacity or Adobe Audition. After deciding what video teleconferencing software program and audio editing software to use, determine what topics to discuss and what guests would be best for each recording. Guests should be subject matter experts and booked to appear well in advance.

Devise A Content Calendar

“If you don’t have a content calendar with a number of guests to be on your podcast or information to share consistently, it will fail,” Hopkins said. “After the first three are produced, the next three are harder, and the next three even more difficult.”
Despite being a new, and potentially unrivaled, way to connect with specific target audiences, companies must start their B2B podcast ventures slowly. 
“If you're starting a podcast for your company,” Caprio suggested, “it's best to start slow and with something you know you can commit to for at least six months.” 
Lastly, ensure that each episode has a clear purpose, pay attention to audio quality, and keep it within a 20- to 40-minute time frame so the audience stays interested.

How To Promote Your B2B Podcast

Launching a B2B podcast and creating an episode is only the start of your work. Now, you must promote it to maximize its listeners and gain a loyal audience. To build a listener base, publicize a podcast by leveraging traditional inbound marketing principles, such as social media, email marketing, paid digital advertising, and by featuring it on your company website. 

B2B Podcasts Aren’t Right For Every Company

Podcasts aren’t ideal for every B2B company. However, if deemed appropriate for your specific target audience, a B2B podcast can offer tremendous opportunities to gain qualified leads and brand advocates and, ultimately, boost your bottom lines. As Joe Rogan aptly noted, “You can do it, anyone can do it.”

Start Your Podcast Today

Want to start a podcast for your company? We can help. Contact Mike at Paige Black.