As a marketer, you want to build awareness, generate leads, and increase conversions. But to do this, you need the right puzzle pieces in your strategy. So what do you do? Likely, your first move was to add more formats to your strategy, such as emails, blogs, guest posts, video, and social media.
Excellent start.
But there's another tool you can (and should) use to amplify your content strategy:
Podcasts.
If you're not already using podcasts as part of your content marketing and lead generation efforts, then you're leaving prospects at the gate for competitors to snatch up. The growth of podcasts (especially in the B2B sector) is exponential. It's not something you want to overlook, especially with 32% of the American population (over 12) tuning in to podcasts each month.
That's an astounding 90 million people.
There's no question that it's a platform for potentially reaching millions of people. However, you can't help but wonder whether it's worth the effort and ROI. So let's take a look at why and how to use podcasts to grow your business.
Why Podcasts Are a Marketers Best Friend
How many podcasts have you listened to in the past month? If you’re like millions of Americans, then you’re subscribed to a handful of podcasts and enjoy listening to them on a weekly basis.
Podcast consumption is going through the roof. So much so that you’ll see people doing it practically everywhere — in the car, at the bus stop, in the office, at home, and at the gym. Podcasts are undeniably convenient, turning millions of people into multitasking kings (and queens). They’re listening as they drive, work, cook, and even exercise.
So it’s no surprise that podcasts continue to grow in popularity — not just among everyday people but businesses as well. Studies show:
- 62% of respondents began listening to more podcasts over the past year. And even more so now that we're living in a pandemic.
- 31% of Gen Zers and 26% of millennials are listening to more podcasts due to the Covid outbreak.
- 74% of podcast listeners interested in learning new things and
- 71% of podcast listeners want to be entertained.
- 13 million households are avid fans of business podcasts and another 52 million are casual listeners
This presents a great opportunity for brands to deliver content their audience actually wants to consume. And it presents your brand with the opportunity to connect with audiences you actually want to target.
Because the reality is — podcast listeners are no scrubs.
The majority of podcast listeners are demographically valuable. For example, 34% of listeners earn between $50K and $75K, and 32% make $75K to $100K. So if your target customers are under 40, business owners, and/or professionals, then hosting a podcast is something you want to pursue.
If a dairy brand can succeed with podcasting, then so can you. T.C. Jacoby & Co. is a major dairy product and ingredient trading firm that uses digital inbound marketing. And while it was working alright, they weren't hitting their target audience — dairy farmers.
So they decided to venture into new territory (podcasting) and were unsure of whether or not it'd work. Nineteen months in, episodes of the podcast were downloaded nearly 8,000 times and had an audience spanning across the continental U.S. and 53 countries.
Wow.
Now, you may be asking, “How can I develop a podcast that yields results?” Well, we have a few ideas you can try.
How to Use Podcasts as a Lead Generation Tool
So it’s established — podcasting is a gold mine for marketers. But do you simply start hosting episodes, hoping it’ll drive listeners to your website?
Absolutely not.
One mistake businesses make when creating a podcast is using it as a standalone platform. Instead, you should treat it as part of your content strategy. But how do you do this?
Here's a look at four methods you can use to incorporate podcasting for inbound lead generation.
1. Create Content Using Podcast EpisodesEach episode you publish on your podcast channel offers a chance to attract leads. But it's going to take more than hitting the "publish" button to get results.
By creating supporting content for each episode, you can amplify your podcast and get better outcomes. For example, choose a key takeaway from an episode and write a blog post that dives deeper into it. Then include a link to the episode within the blog post.
These different content formats and channels will give your podcast a boost:
- Social media: Create audiograms and audio snippets to share on social channels
- Email: Add a link to your podcast episode in an email promoting it
- Blog post: Include relevant audio snippets of the podcast in a blog post talking on the same topic (i.e., create a section in the post that was discussed in the episode and add an audio snippet within that section)
- Guest blog post: Audio snippets and links to podcast episodes is an excellent way to drive traffic
If there's a company out there we can crown as the podcast repurposing king, it's Lumavate. The thought of allowing any podcast to go to waste is cringy, so they make every effort to turn each episode into all sorts of different formats.
Here’s an example of how they operate:
They hosted a 30-minute podcast and turned it into three mini blogs based on three key takeaways from the episode. Then turned around and crafted social media posts, audiograms, and smaller snippets for those who enjoy bite-sized content (aka snackables).
But this is just one way you can strategically repurpose the content from each of your podcasts. The more you create, the more you can share, which increases the odds of reaching and engaging your audience.
2. Make Guest Appearances On Podcasts
You’re more than just a marketer, business owner, or content manager. You’re an expert in your domain and you want to share your expertise with the world. In fact, it’s a must, especially if you want to establish your brand as an industry leader.
Besides, who said you always have to play the host?
Consider switching things up by being the expert on other podcasts to grow your credibility, visibility, and traffic. Making a guest appearance on a RELEVANT podcast with a unique audience can extend your reach.
Podcast appearances can generate leads in three ways:
- Creating SEO opportunities using backlinks
- Using promotion from the host
- Connecting with the podcast's audience
Just make sure the podcasts you choose are within your industry and speak on topics your target audience cares about. You want to position yourself as an expert and thought leader to gain trust. For example, you can:
- Offer a new opinion
- Solve a problem within the industry (or a potential resolution)
- Conduct a study and share it
- Provide a unique angle on a popular topic
- Perform an analysis of a case study, survey, or other data
Who knows, you may get a few becoming avid listeners of your podcast.
3. Include CTAs in Your Podcast Episodes
You wouldn’t publish a piece of content without including a CTA (or at least, we hope not). And you should do the same for your podcast episodes. Have you ever listened to a B2B podcast that asks you to visit, download, or subscribe to X? These are the type of CTAs you want to include not just at the end but throughout your episodes.
And like with a blog post, video, and other content, you want to give your audience an incentive to complete the call to action. For instance, if the goal is to drive more people to your email campaign, then you can offer things like:
- An eBook
- Discounts
- Free trial or sample product
- Sample chapters of a book
- Templates
- Checklist (people love to-do lists and next steps to take)
As always, the key is to get people to visit your website and convert. Don't expect podcast listeners to be any different from other audiences. If you don't include CTAs and lead magnets, then odds are they're going to move on to the next thing without looking you up. You can place links for the CTA on the page with your episode, so there's no need to write down a URL.
4. Find Industry Experts to Interview
This is the inverse of making guest appearances. By hosting interviews with industry experts, you can grow your listens and downloads. People like hearing the opinions and insights from the thought leaders. So take advantage of this by promoting the expert you're planning to interview.
Make sure to create a list of experts in advance, so you aren't left scrambling to find interviewees at the last minute. Folks you want to consider are:
- Authors
- Bloggers
- CMOs
- Journalists
- Business owners/Founders
- Customers (testimonials are excellent if your CTA is to sell a product, service, or trial)
Once the episode is published, the expert you interviewed will share it with their network on social media, email campaigns, and other content they create. It's a win-win for you and those you invite to your podcast because it helps to improve traffic for both of you.
Squeeze Every Drop Out of Every Podcast Episode
Hosting a branded podcast can potentially increase your engagement by 16%. What can we say, folks in B2B and B2C enjoy listening to industry experts, especially if they’re edutaining (educationally fun). As long as your focus remains on your target audience and delivering on the promise to provide valuable content, then your listenership should steadily grow.
But to achieve this, you're going to need a solid content marketing strategy. Like creating the cross-promotional web of content we discussed earlier.
How else can you promote these podcasts and get those quick wins?
