In the early 1980s, podcasts were famously known as ‘audio blogs’. The early 2000s saw a surge in portable audio devices and internet accessibility. That’s when podcasts gained popularity amongst the millennials and Gen Z.

Podcast listeners have grown exponentially since 2004.  It’s a boon for multi-taskers and someone who wants to cut down on their screen time. Podcasts are an educational tool to learn directly from experts.

Not just that, podcasting is a phenomenal marketing tool for any B2B or B2C business. It’s easier to build trust, turn prospects into clients and make top-class sales. To your wonder, creating a business podcast is easier than you think. Plus, it can showcase benefits in several marketing channels in terms of ROI.

Let’s dig into steps of understanding podcasting and see how can you reach millions with advocacy marketing- 

Podcast as a Thought leadership feature 

In kaleidoscopic knowledge of industries, having a distinguished opinion is lauded. Earlier, conveying these unique POVs had only two options – long-form blogs or high-quality videos. But, podcasts are a game-changer. They are variably less time-consuming and economical.

Podcast listeners are social people. They share their views, snippets of interesting subjects, and more on their social platforms. Interestingly, 4058150 podcasts are registered and 424 million people are podcast listeners worldwide. Indeed an opportunity for B2B businesses!

Consider storytelling as the sailor of your B2B podcast ship. Sticking to a theme for your podcast series can give your listeners relativity and create interest. Brands can curate podcast content with a distinct narrative specifically for your audience segmentation.

A podcast series provides an opportunity to build a loyal audience of attentive listeners – and even brand advocates. It’s a remarkable approach to building podcasts into lead generation strategy over time by covering a wide range of topics and interviewees.

Advocacy and Trust

Advocacy marketing is gaining your customers’ trust for them to endorse you. But how do you gain trust?

Let’s see some daunting statistics. According to Adobe Trust Report 2022, 29% of customers convey brands’ incompetence to safeguard, understand, and control how their data is used. 55 % of customers say they will never give a company their business again if they violate their trust.

So what can you do to change this scenario?

Data governance and care will take your brand to the next level. Content is still as important as it was. Personalization for high-priority customer concerns will deepen trust. Customers are AI optimistic and brands must align their strategies accordingly. Focus on enhancing every experience as it will make or break your business. 

Podcast content needs to pivot the pain points of your target audience. It can also instill creative ways to plug in brands’ proficiency. You have to give your customers a reason to trust.

Approaching advocacy marketing

• Social media marketing for your podcasts is a must. Create an online presence, especially for your podcast on every possible social media platform that your target audience is active on. 
• CTAs are a good nudge. Brands should initiate notifications for giving reviews and feedback. Spotify and iTunes reviews are the ones where you need visibility of your brand. Make sure you engage with your advocates.
• Cross-promote other podcasts with a similar audience as yours. Optimize with titles and transcripts to maximize SEO opportunities. Give snippets of behind the scenes to make your audience connect to your brand on a personal level. This will invoke trust and ensure advocacy.

Wrapping up

B2B podcasting is paving the way for brands to reach millions of listeners. A thumb rule to keep in mind while considering advocacy marketing – is a good product/service accompanied by a remarkable customer experience. 

Create an accessible plan for your podcast advocates by enabling hashtags, social sharing links, and “social media” worthy pictures and videos. 

Customer advocacy and awareness is the first step to exploring your niche market. And podcasts will soon become an elemental mode to grab the audience’s attention!

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