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March 26, 2010 By 19 Comments

Content Marketing with a B2B Podcast

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The entry level to B2B podcasting might be slightly higher than business blogging, but if done well it can be a really important string to your online marketing bow.

Although I haven’t tried podcasting myself (yet!), I’m a bit of an addict and consume several B2B podcasts a week. I enjoy nothing better than going to the gym with the latest Mitch Joel podcast on my iPhone for a mix of conversation and infotainment.

If you – like me – are thinking about venturing into B2B podcasting here’s what I think you need to bear in mind.

Be Relevant

No matter what your subject is, it needs to match the title on the box. There’s nothing more frustrating than downloading a “B2B social media podcast” to be hit with off-topic discussion and rambling. Resist the temptation to take up off-topic issues. If you don’t deliver what you promise, people won’t listen.

Don’t waste listeners time

Years of listening to radio has trained us to think that broadcasting must be polished, snappy and radio-friendly; however, the great thing about podcasting is that you can hear the ideas coming out in discussion. It’s important to ensure that you’re not just filling time for the sake of it though. It’s better to look at your material and what you have to say. If you’ve got an thirty minutes of valuable content, that’s great. But if you’ve got twenty minutes, that’s great too. One of my favourite podcasters, The Digital Marketer, is always under 8 minutes!

As Shel Holtz says:

Podcasting is all about narrowcasting, particularly when you’re dealing with a business audience. Resist the temptation to digress or risk losing an audience that listens because of the highly focused content you deliver. (Source)

Advertise your services with EXTREME caution

I know you want to remind your audience of how great your services or products are. And, yes, it’s a good idea to brand your podcast, say at the very start and very end of your podcast. But please don’t punctuate your podcast with ads for your company. The very best B2B podcasters out there deliver creative, kick-ass infotainment. They aren’t hitting you with sales copy.

Integrate your podcast into your online content marketing strategy

Don’t podcast for the sake of it or because your competitors are doing it. If you choose to podcast it should be because you have something valuable to say. And an integral part of your overall online strategy! Decide your goals from the outset – whether it’s word of mouth, community building, or engagement. Examine how others have entered the market. Get started and then make sure you collect data to monitor if you’re reaching your goals.

So what about you?

If you’re thinking about B2B podcasting, what do you think makes for great strategy?
Are there any things to definitely avoid? Or definitely do?
And if you’re not considering going down this content road, why not?

Filed Under: communication strategy, content marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

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  • Anonymous

    This is an awesome post, Jon. I have been interviewed on a couple podcasts but have been slow to adopt this technology. Thanks for giving me a push!

  • markwilliamschaefer

    This is an awesome post, Jon. I have been interviewed on a couple podcasts but have been slow to adopt this technology. Thanks for giving me a push!

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  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey’s podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Su00f6dertu00f6rn University last week that inspired this post.nnI’ve been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it’s such an interesting way of connecting. nnI really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak u2013 more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well. nn(I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)nnnn

  • http://www.jontusmedia.com/ Jon Buscall

    @MarkWSchaefer It was listening to you talk on Trey's podcast http://bit.ly/ahchhk in the hour or so I had before I went on to give a lecture at Södertörn University last week that inspired this post.

    I've been mulling over what you can do with podcasts a lot since Christmas as it's such an interesting way of connecting.

    I really feel I form closer relationships with people online when I listen to them speak – more than just reading. From a business point of view, this is something that one can tap into, I am sure, if done well.

    (I included your twitter handle in this response as an experiment to see if anyone clicks thru!)

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