8 Reasons to Start a B2B Podcast (Convincing Leadership)
A two-way petting zoo. Where you pet the animals and they pet you back.
Good luck convincing your boss on that idea. ☝
One idea that will definitely get leadership's buy-in? Starting a podcast for your business.
We're even here to help you win 'em over by answering the big question.
Why should I start a B2B podcast? Here are 8 reasons why you should start a podcast for your B2B business:
- You'll build relationships with your ideal customer.
- There's a direct link to revenue.
- You'll gain thought leadership.
- There are high retention rates.
- It's relatively inexpensive.
- You can easily repurpose content.
- It produces original research.
- You can always make it better.
Keep reading for the details of each reason.
1. Build Relationships w/ Your Ideal Customer
First and foremost, a B2B podcast is a platform where you can meet and build relationships with your ideal buyers.
Think about it. You have a podcast that's named for your ICP's specialty. Something like Heroes of Healthcare or Leading With Data.
You ask your ideal customer to be on the show because they're an expert in the space. They're obviously flattered, so they agree.
You record an interview with them, showcasing their experience and insights within the industry. All the while, you're getting to know each other better and building rapport. The recording is turned into a podcast episode that makes your ideal customer look like a rockstar. 🎸
You've just made a valuable piece of content together. You've also initiated a close business relationship that Sales can nurture.
See how podcasting has helped Chad Sanderson build deeper relationships with ValueSelling Associates customers and prospects:
https://youtu.be/W5zdF40vmpY
"The podcast format allows us to engage with customers... in a depth that's not possible through any other medium."
Chad Sanderson, The B2B Revenue Executive Experience
2. Direct Link to Revenue
A marketing technique that directly attributes to revenue? Blasphemy!
It's 100% true.
Remember those ideal customers you're interviewing on the podcast? Some of them may just become your actual customers. This should be your #1 metric: guests turned customers.
Find the ROI by subtracting podcast expenses from revenue generated by guests turning into customers. You can even predict your pipeline value by the number of guests on their way (hopefully) to becoming customers.
Take it from Chad:
https://youtu.be/SLv95b3uzEM
"The attribution for podcast influence on our revenue has been unbelievable."
Chad Sanderson, The B2B Revenue Executive Experience
3. Thought Leadership
The third reason why you should start a podcast for your business? The thought leader status.
You associate your company name with a podcast that features leaders in your customer's industry. That must mean you know a lot about the industry, the challenges, the people, right? Well, at least your guests do. And you're gaining more insights after each interview.
Even though your guests are the ones coming up with the great content, your show's thought leader status is right up there. Practitioners turn to your podcast for advice on how to do their job better.
You could be The Learning Channel of your customer's industry.
Thought leadership is just one of the benefits Sangram Vajre and Terminus have seen from podcasting.
https://youtu.be/vG6Thq_lgv0
"We became the de facto thought leader on the topic of ABM but also leadership and how to build a business."
Sangram Vajre, FlipMyFunnel
4. High Retention Rates
The retention rates of podcasts are among the highest of all marketing mediums. 80% of people listen to the entire episode.
That means you could be spending anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour with your audience at one time. Apple Podcasts even shows you your episode play-thru rates.
But how can retention rates be that good?
It's because listening to a podcast is a passive type of consumption -- you can be doing something else while you listen. Driving, working out, cleaning, walking the dog... anything!
Unlike blog posts or videos, podcasts can be consumed anytime, anywhere.
5. Relatively Inexpensive
Things you need to start a podcast:
- A computer
- Headphones w/ a mic
- Video conference software
Honestly, you don't need a bunch of fancy recording equipment to start a podcast. Plus, you can host and distribute a podcast for free.
Hire a freelancer or podcast editing agency to edit the audio, and you're good to go.
As long as you focus on the quality of the content, you don't need to get too hung up on production.
6. Easily Repurpose Content
Your interviews don't only have to serve the podcast's cause.
You now have original pillar content that can be split up into shareable, snackable pieces. Especially if you record the video, there are a ton of opportunities to repurpose an interview.
- Optimized blog posts
- LinkedIn posts
- Tweets
- Full-length YouTube videos
- Micro-videos
- Instagram posts
- Quote graphics
- LinkedIn carousels (Documents)
- Audiograms
- Emails
Essentially, your podcast can be the source of all of your marketing content. Content that, again, frames your guests as experts in their field. Pretty resourceful, huh?
Take Sangram's word for it:
https://youtu.be/sA0x6Ki5Ajw
"... it was one of the top 10 downloaded podcasts. We took that content to LinkedIn and created hundreds of thousands of conversations."
Sangram Vajre, FlipMyFunnel
7. Produces Original Research
In addition to the sweet insights you're getting from your interviews, there's another way to gather info through your podcast -- original research.
All you have to do is ask your guests (AKA, ideal customers) the same 10 questions before each interview. Questions like...
- What social media platform do you spend most of your time on?
- What makes a captivating cold email subject line?
- What do you Google when you're looking for marketing trends?
- About how many podcasts do you follow?
- What's your favorite way to consume content?
You can probably see how these questions -- when asked to numerous people over time -- would produce valuable insights.
Then, after you do 100 or so interviews with industry leaders, you have some significant data about your ICP on your hands.
Here's James Carbary to go a little more in-depth on original research:
https://youtu.be/dcCeV_Atic4
8. Can Always Be Improved Upon
Our last reason why you should start a podcast for your business is that it's something that can easily evolve.
Podcasting is a medium you can dip your toes into without much, if any, negative recourse. You don't have to nail it your first time. You also don't have to invest a ton of resources into it right away.
The worst that will happen is you make a podcast episode. 🤷♀️
Once you find that it creates demand for your business, you can start to put more into it.
Half the battle is getting started.
Let's Start a B2B Podcast
It's a pretty great idea, right? If you need more convincing or just want to talk, we're here.
Otherwise, keep getting rad B2B marketing ideas by subscribing to B2B Growth on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.