B2B advertising methods: All the things it’s essential to learn about constructing an authentic podcast sequence 

Podcasts are extra fashionable than ever. With rising listener numbers, an growing quantity of companies are taking to the medium. B2B advertising groups are in search of methods to talk with clients and prospects and drive focused model consciousness. In 2021, over 40% of the Cloud 100 corporations had their very own branded podcast. However with a lot competitors on the market, a enterprise podcast can battle to face out. Sturdy narratives, helpful and dependable data, A-list friends, and excessive manufacturing values are wanted for a podcast to realize and hold listeners.

Here’s a rundown on what entrepreneurs must learn about making a B2B podcast. 

How do folks pay attention? Engagement occurs totally on apps and on the go 

Apple Podcasts and Spotify mix for 50% to 65% of all podcast listening (experiences fluctuate on these numbers). The remaining listeners use a wide range of completely different cellular podcast apps, internet gamers, their desktop browser or YouTube.

Podcasts are an splendid method to attain clients and prospects as a result of folks are inclined to take heed to podcasts throughout their downtime, on a commute, on the fitness center or whereas doing chores. 

94% of listeners devour podcasts whereas performing different duties.

Supply: BBC

Podcasts function an ideal companion to current advertising campaigns that usually goal prospects whereas they are working (chilly e-mail, paid search, LinkedIn promoting or webinars). 

What’s a B2B podcast? 

A B2B podcast (or branded podcast) is an authentic audio sequence created by an organization as a part of its content material advertising initiative. It’s normally revealed as weekly episodes or seasons.

It’s designed particularly for a enterprise persona at a B2B firm, which implies the podcast is rather more focused. In a B2B podcast, you’re looking for to supply particular data to a distinct segment viewers, and your aim is to coach, encourage, and entertain your listeners. 

A B2B podcast sequence is usually extra than simply audio. You may document each audio and video, turning every episode into a number of items of content material in your web site and social media channels. 

Consider your organization’s content material advertising as a portfolio — you wish to have numerous sorts of written, audio, and video content material in order that your viewers can opt-in to the kind of content material they like (lengthy type, quick type, guides, how-to’s, practitioner-led or deep dives). The important thing right here is creating high-quality choices which can be consumable the way in which we devour media in 2022 (cellular first). 

Do B2B podcasts work?

Based on a research carried out by the BBC, organizations with branded podcasts see:

• 89% greater consciousness
• 57% greater branded consideration
• 24% greater model favorability
• 14% greater buy intent
• 16% greater engagement 
• 12% greater reminiscence encoding

Unique podcasts are quickly increasing to be a part of the B2B marketer’s software equipment. Many enterprise corporations create a number of podcast sequence that focus on completely different personas or industries. For instance, massive B2B corporations like VMware and Dell have a wide range of completely different reveals.

Excessive-growth startups are additionally closely investing within the pattern. For instance, Certified (which lately raised $95 million) has three authentic podcast and video sequence, and creates Certified+ to deal with authentic content material.  

What are the sorts of B2B podcasts? 

• Interview fashion — Interview fashion podcasts are normally a free flowing dialog between host (s) and visitor(s). They’ve segments or audio cues that hold the listener . The content material is normally for a goal persona, matter, business, or vertical (that’s, for instance, CMOs, retail, cyber safety, knowledge) and they are often between 20 and 60 minutes lengthy. Examples: Demand Gen Visionaries, The Knowledge Cloud Podcast, We’re in! and CIO Categorized.    
• Blended narrative — Blends visitor interviews and scripted narration. The story is normally 50% scripted, and is both pushed by private tales or the information. The narrative is pre-scripted by a author, executed by a producer and editor, and the sound design is created by an audio engineer. Examples: Usually Imitated, Knowledge Radicals or Masters of Scale
• Scripted Narrative (non-fiction or fiction) — Complicated story that’s 100% scripted, with out utilizing revealed interviews. These could be episodic (standalone episodes) or serialized (related to one another like a Netflix Collection). The story is written by a writing crew and the elements are put collectively by a producer and editor. Sound design is created by an audio engineer. Examples: The Hacker Chronicles, The Message or Hypnopolis. 
• Host-only — Host-only podcasts function a dialog between two (or extra) hosts discussing particular subjects, diving into analysis or research, or sharing ideas on the newest information. These usually have recurring segments or audio cues to maintain the listener . Instance: The Superior Promoting Podcast. 

What’s the aim for a B2B podcast?

Each firm has completely different targets for his or her podcast, nevertheless it’s normally a mixture of the next ten. The great thing about making a podcast is that you may leverage it to drive impression in a number of areas of the enterprise.

• Model: Drive model consciousness to your goal market. As Chandar, the CMO of Coupa instructed me whereas speaking about consciousness on the Demand Gen Visionaries podcast, “I wish to paint the skies Coupa blue.” 
• Interact goal accounts (ABM): Assist your gross sales crew, who’s hyper-focused on key accounts. That is the proper method to just be sure you can co-create content material with focused accounts.   
• Content material machine: Create a high-quality content material machine. The content material of a particular episode can later be repurposed into shorter audio or video clips, which can in flip generate extra income. 
• Pipeline: Goal key prospects and speed up pipeline. 
• Group: Construct and personal a neighborhood.  
• Class: Outline a class and assert market management. 
• Relationships: Hook up with key clients, prospects and influencers.
• Buyer Tales: Inform extra buyer tales in a top quality audio/video.
• Thought Management: Make your CEO/CXO a thought chief.
• Social: Create a video-first strategy for partaking social content material 

Podcasts are longer-form content material the place the audio system can focus on complicated subjects in depth. For those who promote an enterprise product with a big shopping for committee, podcasts are an ideal software to have interaction the group. 

Concentrate on the viewers 

A profitable podcast could be a extremely efficient software for fueling your organization’s progress, nevertheless it’s not straightforward to create a present that isn’t nearly you. Step one in making a profitable podcast is to find out your general enterprise goal. Select from one (or many) of the examples above. However after that? Concentrate on the viewers. 

Decide your viewers’s goal. What do they wish to know? How are you going to ship it? Would you like one thing very area of interest for a particular demographic or one thing just a little broader? In creating your content material, a very powerful consideration must be the wants of the viewers. Whilst you wish to align your content material along with your model targets, discovering out what your clients must know and putting these considerations first is in the end the important thing to producing a profitable podcast. 

Concentrate on the visitor expertise 

As they are saying, buyer expertise is the brand new model. The best way that you simply deal with your podcast friends is a very shut illustration of your model. Are you organising prep calls? Sending over questions forward of time? Do you share an episode draft with their PR crew earlier than the episode goes reside? Is the visitor’s title, title and firm spelled proper? 

These are simply a number of the many issues to think about when inviting a visitor to your podcast. You need your podcast friends to really feel snug all through the interview course of. They need to be excited to share the episode with their crew members and on their social media channels. Visitors who’ve a constructive expertise in your present could be nice advocates in your podcast and general model. 

Sourcing friends and constructing a constant pipeline are two main challenges for a lot of corporations who’re simply beginning to construct out their very own podcast sequence. Making certain that you’ve a pipeline of high quality friends could make the method just a little simpler. 

Have a transparent format and be constant 

Subsequent, you’ll determine on the particular format and content material of your podcast. In a crowded podcast market, you’ll want each benefit you will get to make your episodes stand out. In spite of everything, advertising must be exceptional. 

A very powerful approach to assist your podcast get consideration is to determine a novel, authoritative voice and a compelling format. You need folks to tune in to your podcast as a result of it provides them one thing they’ll’t get from different podcasts. This “emotional character” is the mix of the authority of your host, friends, sound design, the standard of the recording, and the way the tales are instructed. Putting a stability between informative and entertaining content material is hard — don’t be boring! 

Consistency is vital. It is best to have an identical format for almost all of your episodes and publish episodes on a constant cadence. Your format, high quality, and content material create a “promise” that it’s essential to ship on in each episode. Weekly podcasts usually outperform reveals that publish on a random, inconsistent schedule. Crafting a compelling narrative is difficult work, so that you wish to give your self one of the best shot. 

Distribution is important

Simply since you constructed the podcast doesn’t imply the viewers will come. You should have a powerful distribution and advertising technique in place. Along with getting your podcast on the correct platforms, efficient methods to extend consciousness of your podcast might embody focused distribution, cross-promotions, and smartly-placed promoting. I might write one other 1,000 phrases on this, however you could market your content material — for my part, it’s non-negotiable. 

A successful technique

No matter format or strategy you’re taking, podcasts have grow to be a vital software for B2B corporations in disseminating their messages, establishing model consciousness, impacting the pipeline, partaking new clients, and telling buyer tales. With the format proving extra fashionable than ever, the time is now. 

Ian Faison is the CEO and founding father of Caspian Studios.