Why Podcasts are an Important Part of the B2B Marketing Mix
In recent years, podcasts have become an increasingly popular part of the B2B marketing mix. Podcasts offer a unique and engaging way to reach your target audience, and they can be an effective tool for building thought leadership and brand awareness. In this post, we'll explore some of the key reasons why podcasts should be part of your B2B marketing strategy.
The potential of podcasting for businesses
Podcasts are quickly becoming more popular in the business world, allowing B2B companies to maximize their marketing potential while also fostering further engagement with customers. Through podcasts, businesses can create content designed to inform and engage listeners, strengthen relationships with existing customers, attract new prospects and build a community around the brand.
Podcasts are relatively easy to produce yet offer invaluable benefits for businesses of all sizes, from lead-generation opportunities to improved online visibility. Podcasts also provide a platform for human voices to represent your brand, which can be a lot more compelling than written content.
The episodic nature of podcasts also means that you can achieve regular and frequent engagement with your audience. This builds much stronger relationships than campaigns, which might run for a short time and then stop, leaving the audience with an inconsistent relationship with your brand.
Podcasts can be an effective way to reach your audience
Podcasts can be an effective way to target a specific audience. Although it is true that some people don’t consume podcasts, many do and are increasingly looking to podcasts to learn more about their field of work.
Podcasts are an ideal platform for guests that have particular expertise in your target market's area of interest, to talk about your brand. These conversations with industry experts can give a broader perspective on what you do, and provide an implied 3rd party endorsement of your organisation.
Building an audience and promoting your podcast can be challenging: simply relying on your audience to search for, and find, your podcast is unlikely to produce good results. So to reach your audience you should consider a good promotional strategy. Frequently B2B podcasts are primarily promoted on LinkedIn, but other social networks, search engine marketing and emails are all good ways to grow the number of subscribers.
Building relationships with customers
Podcasts are an increasingly popular method of connecting customers with brands. It’s not only about encouraging customers to learn more by listening to guests’ stories of success. Although insightful case studies on how guests have used your products or services to achieve their goals are great, and a podcast's informal nature allows podcast guests to provide honest feedback, often asking someone to appear on your podcast is an incredibly effective way of strengthening your relationship with your most important clients.
Podcasts as part of a marketing strategy
As podcasts continue to grow in popularity, marketers should make sure their strategies include regular podcast episodes. Doing so will not only help keep customers engaged but will also complement more traditional marketing tactics such as emails, media relations and other campaigns. By incorporating podcasts into a larger marketing plan, companies can reach a much larger audience, as well as build trust and loyalty.
Creating successful podcasts that will engage listeners
To create podcast content that engages listeners there are a few important steps to take. The first and most important tip is to record the podcast with a high-quality microphone to ensure good sound quality. You will also need to use a good podcast hosting service – this not only provides the XML feed required, but will make it easier to distribute your podcast across all sites such as iTunes or Spotify, making it easier for your audience to find your podcast, helping you reach more people, and keep your listener base engaged with your content.
It's time to launch your B2B podcast!
If your business is looking for a starting point in its podcast journey, then look no further. Napier provides the skills and resources necessary to help companies create their first podcast – from concept to execution – so you can begin building meaningful relationships with your target audience. Take the plunge and get started today: ask Napier for help and make an impression with your very own podcast!
Why I’m Looking Forward to Trade Shows Returning
The trade show industry has taken a hit in recent years, with the pandemic preventing many physical events from happening and companies opting to cut back on exhibition attendance in favour of digital marketing initiatives. However, trade shows are making a comeback, and this is good news for B2B technology companies.
In the electronics sector, we’re looking forward to electronica and SPS, which will be held on consecutive weeks in November. SPS will run from 8th to 10th November, with electronica held in the following week, from 15th to 18th November.
Trade shows are important because they provide an excellent opportunity to showcase new products and technologies, build relationships with potential customers, and generate leads. They also offer a unique chance to gather feedback from customers and learn about the competition. In short, trade shows are an essential part of the B2B tech landscape, and their return is welcome news for companies in this space.
However, I’m wondering whether companies will take full advantage of the return of these important events. Too often, I see companies not going beyond the basics of setting up a booth and waiting for visitors. So what would I recommend if you are attending these events?
A good trade show is so much more than just a booth to meet interested visitors. Customer meetings are an obvious element of shows, and the best campaigns include pre-set meetings. Often you will have senior people at the event who can meet with a large number of customers, a very efficient use of their time.
Exhibitions provide an excellent opportunity to meet journalists and other key influencers who can help raise awareness of your brand. And because trade shows attract a large number of attendees, they provide an excellent platform for launching new products. Most shows offer the opportunity to hold press conferences, although often it can be more effective to meet journalists on a one-to-one basis on your stand so you can have an individual discussion with them.
Shows provide an informal setting for customers to give you their honest opinion about your product or service. This feedback can be invaluable in helping you improve your offering and better meet the needs of your target market. This is something I rarely see companies doing, but is such a good idea. Implementing a formal approach for gathering customer feedback is a great way to get more value from attending an event.
Finally, there is competitive analysis. You can learn about the latest trends, share best practices, and find potential partners or suppliers. We’ve had clients who have used events to gather surprisingly detailed information about their competitors' plans, something that can be a real help when crafting messages and briefing sales teams.
With careful planning, trade shows can be a great way to boost your company's profile and build relationships. I’m looking forward to seeing companies make the most of electronica, SPS and the other shows coming up over the next few months.