Lessons Learned from a Podcasting Connoisseur

by Brian Carroll 

We all know that there is growing agreement that podcasts are a great way to share your thought-leading content.  

According to a study released by KnowledgeStorm and Universall McCann on the emerging role of new media, more than 41% of survey respondents claimed they listen to podcasts on more than one occasion, while 13% stated they frequently download or listen to them. And 65% responded that they listen to podcasts for both personal and business interests.*  

This article tackles the increasingly avid demand for podcasts as part of a marketing offering, and how you can engage your audience and advance your conversations with prospective customers through the use of podcasting as a tool in your marketing arsenal.  

The Emergence of Podcasting as a Bonafide Lead-Generation Tool  

The audience for podcasts is tiny, when compared to other marketing mediums, but growing especially in the context of the complex sale. Podcasting is proving to be a great way to share multimedia content because your audience can fetch it automatically or when it fits their schedule.  

Not only can podcasting give your company and its image a new perspective, it can, in the realm of the spoken word, bring it an altogether new personality. And increasingly, as it evolves, podcasting offers promise of being yet another highly effective way to reach and develop the potential customer.  

New information and communications technologies spring onto the scene with breathtaking frequency, and it is quite likely that the search for the elusive qualified sales lead will continue to be enhanced by their continuing introduction and evolution. For example, companies are already using podcasts to generate sales leads and revenue for their sales training events.  

Tips for the Newbie Podcaster  

Though about as new as applicable technology can be, podcasting is—by way of RSS feeds—very easy to access. Major search engines and music sites have added the ability to search for podcasts and pull RSS feeds for updates.  

Podcasting doesn’t necessarily require you to start from scratch. You likely already have high-value content that you produced for other lead-generation venues, which will lend itself perfectly well to podcasting. Recorded Webinars, Webcasts or teleseminars are especially good. Even articles could be repurposed into a radio show-like format analogous to books on tape.  

Some other things to keep in mind if you decide to proceed with your first stab at podcasting: Know what you want to say and have a point of view Be ready and willing to learn by trial-and-error—podcasting is still formative leading-edge technology without a lot of helpful tools Develop a working familiarity with sound editing software Determine your comfort level with speaking in a broadcasting voice Know Thy Customers—and Respect Their Buying Process  

One marketer I recently talked to said, “Podcasting may not be mainstream yet but it is gaining huge momentum. It is a nice change of pace to listen to the information I need instead of reading it on a monitor. I can also do other things while listening. Hey, I think I talked myself into doing a podcast.”  

People want different information, in different ways, and at different times during their buying process. The choices they’ll make will depend on their role, their exact need and the time frame they have to solve that need.  

One of the reasons I think podcasts are important is because they engage an audience or prospective customer in a way that other offerings may not. So if you have potential customers who are listening to podcasts, why would you want to leave that offering out of your mix?  

Your way of selling and marketing must conform to the customer’s buying process, driven by a clear understanding of needs and the impact of those needs on both that company and its customers. Every potential customer will have a slightly different buying process.  

Create a Buzz Around Your Content  

To that end, you should also gear your podcasts to having “buzzworthy” appeal. There’s no reason to do a podcast unless it’s going to create engagement between you and your customer. And even further, if it gets your customer talking about the uniqueness of it to other folks, then your podcast has that “buzzworthy” appeal. Remember, the goal of podcasting is to share your thought-leading content to your customers and prospective customers.  

Podcasting can help you generate more leads and nurture future customers. Research shows that podcasts do impact B2B purchase decisions. Buyers want to know you understand them and that you’re relevant to their specific needs. They also want to know the people behind the company. If you provide your prospects with high-quality thought-leading content as part of your lead nurturing process, then you will find that your prospects are calling you first when they are ready to buy.  

Lessons Learned from a Podcasting Connoisseur  

Which brings us back to the “lessons learned” title of this article and some tips for you to help make your podcasts not only “buzzworthy,” but also fantastic lead-generation vehicles.  

I had the pleasure of interviewing Paul Dunay, director of Global Field Marketing for Bearing Point, who by the way is planning on doing more than 100 podcasts this year alone. Paul gave some superb insight into what you can do to make your podcasts truly valuable to your potential customers.  

Here are some standouts from the interview: Always include a killer intro to the podcast. Put your best pieces of thought leadership out there in “Reader’s Digest” form for your audience. Always remember you are establishing yourself or the company as a thought leader even through the podcast. Use your audience feedback and apply it to improve your podcast. Remember, you’re engaging the audience’s trust with your podcast. Use a podcast attached to a specific piece of thought leadership online to encourage people to get the full content on your Web site. No selling in podcasts. Always create for the medium. Be thought-provoking and proactive. Understand the power of being “multimodal.” Keep your listeners engaged with the material. Keep your podcast conversational and engaging. I hope that armed with these tips from Paul, you too will apply the use of podcasts as another powerful lead-generation tool in your customer outreach. I also hope that you’ll keep in mind (as I do now) Paul’s advice that “If you’re going to commit to doing podcasts, then keep that commitment and don’t give up. Keep them going.”  

*Emerging Media Series: The Influence of Podcasts on B2B Technology Purchase Decisions, July 2006

Brian Carroll is CEO of InTouch, Inc. and author of Lead Generation for the Complex Sale (McGraw-Hill 2006) and the B2B Lead Generation Blog with expertise related to B2B marketing, lead generation and complex sales.