This is Why Podcasts will Have a Significant Impact on B2B Marketing

"In a world where more podcasts are being released than anyone can listen to in a lifetime, the content needs to be highly compelling to attract and retain listeners.” - Alex White, VP of content at Pandora.

I am what you would call a super commuter. I'm fortunate enough to be able to work from home a few days a week, but on days I do drive in to the office I travel over 100 miles, spend nearly 4 hours in the car, and listen to a ton of podcasts.

I can't be alone in my experience. According to 2019 data from Nielsen, 50% of the US population has listened to a podcast and business podcasts were among the top 5 genres. This growing media channel will have a profound impact on the future of B2B marketing. In this article, I share my experience as a listener, advocate, and producer of podcasts.

Discovering a Treasure Trove of Audio

My behavior changed a little more than a year ago. I used to tune in to the local Washington, D.C. FM sports station 106.7 The Fan to keep me company on my drive. One day I heard J.P. Finlay plug his Redskins Talk show. (A top 50 podcast now...wow!) I started listening and was hooked — refreshing my iTunes feed every time I got in the car for the latest sports content from shows like Redskins Talk, the Cooley Podcast or the Kevin Sheehan Show.

Eventually, my thirst for information extended beyond sports media. You can't read a blog while you're driving. Or download a white paper. Or watch a video.

But you can listen to a podcast.

Soon I was listening to Marketing School every morning. It was nice to drink coffee and listen to Eric Siu and Neil Patel. The strategies and tactics they shared were easy to implement and it was a productive use of my long drive. These radio personalities were able to add valuable insights during the time I loathe most of all: sitting in traffic on route 66 west of Washington, DC.

If you're a marketer and want to start listening on your drive, some of my favorite marketing shows are Building a StoryBrand, B2B Growth, Marketing Companion, and Forecast.

The Impact of Podcasts on my Career

Marketing is an industry where success is determined by your ability to stay up-to-date on current trends and being open to new perspectives. The minute you think you have all the answers is the minute your growth stalls — as an organization, as a team, and as an individual.

At home my wife and I have two boys under four years old and another baby on the way, which means I have TONS of time in the evenings to read blog posts or articles.. So I use my driving time to stay up to date on the latest marketing trends.

Listening to my favorite shows has become part of my morning and evening rituals. I look forward to learning from all the interviews and conversations and stories. It feels like I belong to an exclusive niche community of podcast listeners. And I've been able to apply many of the insights to my own work.

For example, I listened to a recent episode of the B2B Growth show titled 5 tips for headlines that win clicks and applied those insights to the headline of a blog post I was writing that same day!

I act as a filter and share select insights with my marketing team at work. It helps keep us up-to-date on the latest marketing trends and topics, and challenges traditional ways of thinking. And the format makes it easy to share with colleagues in the office as we gear up for the day.

Producing the Visible Expert Podcast for Hinge

Earlier this year, Kelly Waffle joined our team at Hinge and was intrigued with the idea of tapping into the podcasting network to exchange ideas with other thought leaders. With his encouragement and support, we decided to pursue a podcast show of our own.

On the Visible Expert Podcast, Kelly and I interview industry thought leaders and share stories, research and actionable marketing insights. If you're a B2B/professional services marketer or business practitioner looking to build your personal brand, you may find value from our show. Currently you can stream episodes on iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud, and YouTube,.

Producing podcast episodes for the first time was like riding a bike for me. Actively playing music since I was 10 years old, I spent many hours in various studios recording and editing audio files. We even used clips of my original music in the show intro and outro segments. (Hat tip to my brother, Joe, for the groovy bass line).

Here are some recent episodes you might like:

• Rand Fishkin - Wizard of Moz, Founder of SparkToro, author of "Lost and Founder"
• Ahmad Munawar - Creator of the 90 Day Pipeline
• Mark Amtower - Preeminent GovCon Marketing & LinkedIn Advisor
• Andy Crestodina - Cofounder and Strategic Director of Orbit Media

Our goal for our podcast is to release weekly episodes. What Visible Experts would you like to hear on the show?

Let me know in the comments!