Over the past year, we’ve watched live events get canceled one after another like falling dominos. Some were rescheduled only to be canceled or rescheduled for a second (or third) time.
With this decline in live events, speaking opportunities, and general face-to-face interaction, we’ve seen a rise in people turning to podcasts for connection. In addition to stats showing steady year-over-year growth, the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the increase of listeners even higher, with global usage up 42%.
What does this mean for your business? It could just be the perfect time to create that B2B podcast you’ve been thinking about.
But like with any content you create, you want to continue amplifying your marketing results around it. And the best way to do that—especially amid a rapidly evolving global situation—is to adopt new methods. That’s why we recommend offering your audience an authentic view of the people behind your brand through podcasting.
Unsure about how podcasts will work or how to implement them as an alternative to live events? Keep reading…
The Fall of Live Events
In the B2B industry, live events are like the lifeblood of the community. They’re an opportunity to engage with peers in your field, learn from industry experts, network like crazy, and build a pretty fantastic potential book of business. There’s nothing like it. Unfortunately, the pandemic has changed all that.
In 2020, we saw event after event get pushed, canceled, or reworked into a virtual experience. We saw even the Tokyo 2020 Olympics get canceled, for the first time since World War II, costing 22% over the initial budget of $12.6 billion. Event companies scrambled to create new offerings and platforms that could serve the new demand for online experiences. And brands looked for ways to hold a torch to what was one of the most lucrative (and expensive) parts of their marketing plans.
But, while many brands looked to recreate the magic of events, digital channels got crowded, Zoom fatigue boomed, and people were looking for opportunities to learn that didn’t involve sitting in front of a computer all day.
Enter podcasting.
This might seem like an unlikely channel or medium to turn to in lieu of events. Still, we saw more brands looking for ways to re-engage their audience authentically by turning to one of the main things that make live events so successful—conversations.
How Brands Like Auth0 and LogicGate are Adapting
So now, we’re seeing more and more B2B companies pivoting their marketing strategies to include podcasting as a way to capture the magic of conversation and offer their audience an authentic view into the people behind their brand.
When live events became an impossibility, Rebecca Abram and her team at Auth0 had to find a way to replace the exposure they were getting through speaking engagements at conferences. Instead of immediately running to virtual events, they decided to find a more intimate way to connect with their niche audience.
As the Senior Global Conferences Manager, Rebecca was used to planning and executing large scale events for their company. She also understood the value that conversations and personal connections played in engaging with their audience. Rebecca led the charge in helping Auth0 pivot to podcasting.
And this risky move paid off. Rebecca and her team saw immediate results with their audience and knew they were on the right path to building a strong connection.
While Auth0 created a brand-new show to combat the new realities of no live events, some brands already had shows they could use to engage their audience and fill the void.
As the Director of Marketing at LogicGate, Carolyn Chapin is tasked with building brand and demand for her company. And with the loss of in-person events and speaking opportunities, Carolyn realized how valuable their podcast, GRC&Me, could be in helping continue to build brand awareness and engage their audience throughout the pandemic.
Carolyn and her team are also looking to their podcast to create better content to share across their digital channels to build more authentic, engaging relationships with their audience.
How You Can Use Your Podcasts to Fill the Void
So how can you turn to podcasting to help fill the void of live events?
First, consider if a podcast makes sense for your brand. If you have thought leaders who are already on the speaking circuit, like Auth0, consider creating a show with them as the host. Or if you already have a podcast, like LogicGate, look for more ways to use that podcast throughout your strategy.
The best part of a podcast is being able to wring it out into multiple formats—having both video and audio allows you to interact with your audience in the way they want when they want. Having audio allows your listeners to consume the podcast while multitasking—while driving, cooking dinner, taking a walk, etc. With video, you get to show the faces behind your brand and put a face to the voice that people are listening to.
Want to take it a step further? Look for ways to turn your podcast into an event with live podcasting. With the live version of your podcast, you can really connect with your audience in a unique way—in real-time. You can recreate the feel of an in-person event while also recording it so that the audience can access it after. This time can also be spent engaging with your fans and gives you a chance to connect and turn them into super-fans.
With live podcasts, one great advantage is that you’ll be able to gather feedback. You can keep a gauge on what content is resonating with the audience and see what questions pop up, what they’re saying in the chat, and what their body language says. This real-time feedback is such a good indicator of what your audience likes and what they want more of.
The Bottom Line
The pandemic is creating new norms in our everyday lives—both at home and in business. Being agile and pivoting how you create content and market your brand is critical. Using video and live sessions for your B2B podcasts is vital to standing out and engaging home-bound audiences.
To make the process of uploading videos easier, you can use our platform, Casted. It’s a platform that enables you to upload and publish directly to your website, social pages, and app platforms. Plus, you can track metrics, such as traffic, listens, downloads, and conversions. It’s a must-have in your B2B podcasting strategy going forward. So check it out by scheduling a demo today!
