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27 Apr 2018 | by Ian Blake

Podcasts are not new technology but they are undergoing a renaissance. As a result, the medium has attracted the attention of the B2B community.

Squaredot B2B Agency | Listen up....to podcasts!

Podcasts are not new technology but they are undergoing a renaissance. As a result, the medium has attracted the attention of the B2B community.

The B2B world has been a little slow behind the crowd of celebrities, influencers, hobbyists and B2C folks who have been using podcasts for years to air their views and opinions on many topics.

But just why is podcasting gaining momentum, particularly when video and webinars seem like a more sophisticated choice of communication? And what are the possibilities for B2B podcasts?

Online news magazine, Vox, offer a good summary of the rise and rise of podcasting: 

  • The technology has finally improved enough that listening to podcasts is easy and convenient for ordinary listeners
  • Talented radio professionals have begun to focus on the medium
  • A new generation of podcast-focused businesses are figuring out how to convert these professionally produced, popular podcasts into serious money

Better technology seems like a logical reason for podcasts’ rise to prominence. After all, doesn’t everyone have access to a mobile device these days - not just an iPod with iTunes, like in the olden days of 2005? (Aside: the ‘pod’ in iPod was entirely coincidental, apparently)

Celebrity endorsements always seem to guaranteed the success of a platform - we’ve learned this elsewhere with social media, such as Instagram. And of course there’s the money-making aspect - if something can be monetised to good effect, of course it's going to pick up a few fans along the way.

THE NEXT BIG THING IN B2B MARKETING STRATEGY?

Which regards B2B podcasts, there is potential for them to be content marketing format on par with blogs, ebooks and videos.

In 2015 we actually talked about why business people love podcasts, concluding that ‘it’s the most time-efficient way to get educated.’  If, like me, you have a lengthy commute to work in the morning, easing into the working day with a nice easy-to-listen to podcast (while jostling through rush hour traffic) is kind of a win-win situation. You can multi-task your podcast listening in ways you simply cannot with other forms of content.

NEWSFLASH: SQUAREDOT IS STARTING THE IRISH B2B MARKETERS PODCAST

The-B2B-show_body

Given that we are a B2B marketing agency, we thought it would be a good idea to start a podcast ourselves.

The objective of our podcast is to bring value to the B2B community by interviewing B2B CMOs, CEOs and marketers. We’ll be asking them about what growth strategies have worked for them in the past and successes they have had with their marketing. We’ll pick their brains on what they have learned, what they’re working on, and what they see happening in the B2B marketing landscape. 

One of content marketers objectives should be to produce content in a way that’s easy for your audience to consume but it’s not all work and no play. I like to listen to extracurricular podcasts too - sports interviews and analysis, so we might ask our interviews about their favourite non-work podcasts, too! 

BEST B2B PODCAST

Some of the most valuable podcasts I listen to from a work perspective are the B2B Growth Show and the Smart Agency. The B2B Growth Show is run by James Carbery of Sweetfish Media whose business specialises in creating podcasts for B2B brands.

They interview B2B CMOs and CEOs and have created some great informative and educational episodes. The Smart Agency is a show run by a former marketing agency owner Jason Swenk, again this has valuable content for me as Jason talks to his guests about growing agencies, so it’s very specific to our business and me personally as the managing director of a young marketing company.

IAN’S B2B PODCAST PICKS

Some of my favorite podcasts are: 

THE B2B SHOW PODCAST

You can listen to our first podcast below. It's an interview with David MacHale, Digital Marketing Director with Travelport Digital and he shares with us How Travelport Digital nail Inbound Marketing including:

  • How Travelport Digital Approach Inbound Marketing
  • How Travelport Digital get staff to contribute and distribute content
  • Developing personas in a niche market
  • Travelport Digital results from inbound marketing
  • How Travelport Digital qualify inbound leads
  • Content topic and timing are key to inbound success
  • Importance of Sales & Marketing Alignment
  • The 2 most important things to consider when doing inbound

 

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