In the business world, leaders are always on the lookout for new ROI-driven marketing solutions. Today’s landscape is driving business leaders to connect with their target audience through their ears, and with 42% of Americans aged 12 and older having reported listening to a podcast in the last month, according to the Pew Research Center, audio has become the new king in marketing.
At the forefront of this audio transformation is Sam Littlefield, the president and CEO of the Littlefield Agency, an award-winning B2B marketing firm based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to helping the firm’s clients, which include some of the world’s largest B2B companies and financial institutions, drive revenue growth through marketing, Littlefield also runs his own podcast called “Little Talks,” in which he discusses B2B branding and other agency-related hot topics.
Because of this, Littlefield not only has experience seeing how audio content helps his clients’ businesses but also his own.
Why audio is king in marketing
Audio content is an excellent way for business owners to become thought leaders in their industry — experts trusted as some of the foremost authorities in their niche. Because audio content is so of the moment, it allows business leaders to talk about current events and evergreen topics related to what they do in their daily operations. This can help business leaders earn the trust of potential clients and customers, making them appear more knowledgeable, legitimate, and trustworthy to broader audiences.
Littlefield refers to this concept as the “soft sale.” He says, “It’s an opportunity for brands to engage and entertain their target audience and build a relationship long before a purchase decision is made.”
Indeed, while podcasts may not be a direct sales tool — you’re usually not talking about your services directly, outside of a brief plug here or there — talking about topics and issues relevant to your field gives you an opportunity to show your expertise. Indirectly, this lets listeners know how you will take care of them if they do business with you.
Appearances on existing podcasts are also great opportunities for business leaders to reach and tap into new audiences. By appearing on someone else’s podcast, especially in the B2B space, chances are you will be engaging with someone who is just as knowledgeable about the topic as you are, creating a chance for a legitimately meaningful conversation where you can show your stuff.
Start your own podcast as a marketing tool
However, as Littlefield explains, the more advantageous opportunity right now is for business leaders to start their own podcasts.
“It is an opportune time to start a podcast in the B2B space,” he says. “We started a podcast for our client Ditch Witch within the last year, and it’s one of the best things they’ve done over the past decade. Their ability to connect with their audience in a new way has been entertaining and educational and now provides the opportunity to continue building a 1:1 relationship with their prospective and current customers.”
The biggest mistake business leaders can make in creating audio content is investing all this time and money into producing a podcast and not doing anything with it. Don’t just record the show and let it sit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, hoping the right people will stumble across it! You also have to talk about your podcast and share it on social media like Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. Tell your customers and prospects about your podcast and tout it on your website.
However, this only scratches the surface, according to Littlefield.
Using audio content in exciting new ways
Littlefield encourages business leaders starting podcasts to find ways to repurpose the content they are creating.
“Don’t think of this podcast as one piece of content!” he asserts. “You have a video form you can use for YouTube, social, and pre-roll purposes. These podcasts can turn into blog posts, which is great for SEO.” By reusing this content on a variety of platforms in different formats, as Littlefield suggests, business leaders have the opportunity to connect with multiple audiences without substantially changing the amount of effort they have to put in.
Furthermore, Littlefield advises that business leaders don’t overlook the opportunity of their podcast as a way of gathering customer testimonials.
“Consider inviting a current customer as a guest on one of your podcast episodes — you’d be surprised at how many endorsements come out of a recording session,” he says. “Your customers love to hear from other customers regarding how much they love your brand, and this is such an organic and authentic way to have that happen. Clip those and use them for your website and social media or closing deals.”
With the popularity of audio content today, now is the time to take advantage of this trend and use it to your advantage. If you make the most of audio content, you can boost your credibility, authority, and trustworthiness, building deeper relationships with existing customers and forming relationships with new ones. Don’t miss out on this powerful new tool in the entrepreneur’s marketing arsenal.
