Marc Apple and Clark Buckner met at a networking event when they just happened to sit down together at the same table for lunch and a presentation. They recently sat down together again to talk about the power of podcasting in the B2B space on the first episode of Buckner’s new podcast, Brandcasting.
Apple is the founder and Chief Strategist at Forward Push. He encourages many of his clients to take real advantage of the rapid trust-building benefits of podcasting as part of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.
Buckner is co-founder of Nashville based podcast production agency Relationary Marketing, which primarily works with mid-large sized organizations seeking to leverage podcasting in their content marketing strategy.
The How and Why of Podcasting
Relationary Marketing have worked on several podcasts for Forward Push clients and the two experts chatted about how and why a podcast might be right for your business.
Everything your competitors are doing is so visible these days, it can be tempting to see what someone else is doing and decide you need to do that same something.
But podcasting has a distinct advantage over other forms of marketing outreach.
“I love podcasting and I encourage all of our clients to do it,” said Apple. “It is such a great way to connect with your audience. The audience has the opportunity to hear your voice.”
It’s such a different way to consume content. The trust that is established with your audience when they can hear you pause, laugh, and emphasize certain points cannot be duplicated in written content pieces.
As experts in digital marketing, at Forward Push we help our clients understand with total clarity who they are trying to reach with their marketing outreach. Then we look at that specific client’s buyer persona and determine if they’re a demographic who listens to podcasts.
If the answer is yes, having a branded podcast to promote your professional services can make all the difference in positively influencing your listener’s hiring decision.
With Headphones On, It’s Super Intimate
Podcasts are such a great way for people to connect with a brand or business because listeners have not only a better idea of what you do, but of you as a person as well. One of the undeniable benefits of podcasting is that every episode is another chance for your audience to get to know you better.
It’s true that for many B2B podcasts your audience is likely going to be smaller, but that’s okay. Even if it’s only 100 people who consume your content, they’re getting exposed to that content in an intimate way that can’t be duplicated in other content formats.
Part of what creates the bond with listeners is designing each episode to deliver the most timely and relevant content your audience is actively searching for.
“If done right, podcasts are real-time information. Talk about what’s happening right now,” Apple recommends.
Your Branded Podcast: A Trust Building Machine
From a marketing angle, whether it’s someone’s first listen or their 50th, a good B2B podcast is designed to deliver on the know, like, and trust factor. You want a listener to think “I’ve got to call this person. I need their help. They’re the one to help me,” Apple says.
Podcasts are a trust building machine. Clients at Forward Push who do podcasts as part of their content marketing strategy routinely call Apple and say their newest clients and consultations say, “I heard your podcast and that made all the difference for me to hire you.”
Like with all successful marketing plans, you need to stick with podcasting to see return on your investment. If you only produce 3-4 episodes, you may not see the desired results.
Apple says, “Ninety-nine percent of business is showing up,” and hosting a podcast is no different. Even after you’ve earned the trust of your audience, you still have to work to keep their loyalty and attention.
The easiest way to do so is by being consistent with your podcast content and schedule.
Client Goals and Distribution Strategies
With reports of over a million podcasts out there now, you may think you need to be on the big podcast platforms to make use of a podcast in your business. But many of the podcasts Buckner and Apple collaborate on for clients may not actually be in wide distribution but these recordings still help clients reach their business goals.
Some strategic ways to use podcasts that don’t rely on downloads to be effective:
- To embed in blog posts
- To increase overall accessibility
- To incorporate into a larger content marketing mix
Having an audio version of someone speaking passionately about a topic where you also have a blog post and an infographic allows you to treat your marketing assets like an ecosystem. By catering to readers, skimmers, and podcast listeners, you’re making your content accessible to everyone. And that skyrockets the return on investment for every piece of content produced.
Content Marketing Made Easier
Not only does a branded podcast make your content more consumable, but it can also make content production easier.
Not only do people like options for consuming your content, subject matter experts and thought leaders might prefer the freedom of speaking content into existence rather than always having to write articles and blog posts.
Many Forward Push clients get their content out of their heads and send the recording over for production because it’s easier for people to speak when they’re knowledgeable and passionate about a topic.
Experts often say exactly the kind of insider information people are looking for. Once clients are warmed up, Apple finds himself saying, “You know what? That would make a great podcast!”
The True Power of Podcasting
Apple is passionate about podcasting. It’s not unusual for him to evangelize about how valuable a tool it is for building trust and loyalty to his small and midsize business clients.
Once you realize that a podcast is the right way for your business to connect with an engaged audience, you’ll likely fall in love with podcasting too. The flexibility in how you can use podcast content together with your other marketing assets allows you to really maximize the ROI of your content production.
Podcasting is one of the fastest growing and most effective ways to market your business and make content that people look forward to engaging with. Ultimately, you want to create assets for your business that are getting used and consumed. This positions you to attract your ideal clients and gets your business goals pushed forward.
To learn more about podcasting to build trust and credibility with your best prospects, schedule a consultation with one of the content marketing experts at Forward Push.
