By Joshua Nite

Podcasts are very easy to create and launch. Anyone with a microphone and an internet connection can have a podcast listed on Apple and YouTube and ready for consumption.

On the flipside, the low barrier of entry means it’s hard to get a new podcast noticed. And the ease of putting out a podcast can hide how difficult it can be to make a good podcast, one that people will be compelled to listen to.

The TopRank Marketing team has worked on podcasts with brands like SAP and 3M. Here’s what we’ve learned about B2B podcasting:

B2B podcasting: What, why and how

Let’s start with the easiest question first:

What is a podcast?

A podcast refers to a series of recordings that are organized in an RSS feed, listed in public directories, and available for listeners on demand. The ‘pod’ part derives from the iPod, which was the first widely-adopted player that supported podcasts.

It’s important to keep the definition broad, because podcasts aren’t tied to a specific genre or format. Some are live interviews, some are panel discussions, some are fully scripted and produced audio plays; some are cryptic monologues about a bizarre southwestern town.

But they all share two attributes:

There are multiple recordings for each title, and
They’re organized in an RSS feed you can subscribe to on podcast platforms

Why podcasts? (The benefits of B2B podcasting)

It may surprise you how popular podcasts are for a B2B audience. Last year, a survey of 511 senior-level businesspeople (managers, team members, executives and owners) found that 51% listen to podcasts daily. An additional 24% say they listen 2-5 times a week.

In other words, this study showed that 75% of B2B decision-makers are listening to podcasts. And they’re listening to learn. Thirty-six percent say they listen to learn new things, and 43% even say podcasts are their primary source of information.

Beyond the audience demographics, there are other attributes of podcasting as a channel that make it attractive for B2B:

Time spent listening. Would your target audience sit still for a two-hour webinar? Probably not. But many regularly listen to two-hour-long podcast episodes. Research shows that 22% of people who listen to podcasts listen to over 22 hours of programming per week!
Committed listeners. Those who listen to podcasts are likely to pick up new ones, too. Weekly listeners listen to an average of eight podcasts a week.
Low startup costs. You can start a podcast with a $50 microphone, one voice, and web hosting. Of course, you can make your recordings far more elaborate, but simplicity isn’t a barrier to success.
Access to new audiences. If your podcast includes influencer guests, you can reach …read more
Source:: Top Rank Blog

Author: Aaron