Rishabh leads the content strategy at Content Beta, a creative video and design agency for Tech & SaaS companies.
In this guide, we will examine the rise of the podcast industry and how podcasts are changing the world of B2B SaaS marketing.
In the first part, we will talk about the origins of podcasts, their growing popularity, and why they have grabbed the attention of large B2B SaaS Companies.
In the second part, we will look at some of the podcasting shows run by big companies and the lessons SaaS businesses and professionals can draw from them.
Podcasts are audio files that can be downloaded or streamed through the internet and made available to listeners, whether they’re high-end devices or more affordable smartphones. They typically offer a combination of audio and/or video and are delivered in “episodes” or “segments” that people can subscribe to.
Podcasts can be used to inform, entertain, or simply sell Products. They enable listeners to hear a story or interview they may have missed on the radio, or for those who don’t have time to immerse themselves in a lengthy read.
The concept of podcasting is fairly recent, with the first podcast being released in 2004.
The best part about podcasts is that you can listen to them anywhere. You can listen to them on your commute to work, at the gym, or when you’re cooking dinner.
“The exciting possibilities the medium offers to market their B2B business is what has got the biggies in the B2B SaaS space excited.”
Podcasts have become a huge hit in recent years, and they are increasingly being used by businesses, journalists, teachers, marketers, and entertainment professionals.
There are mainly five reasons for their rising popularity:
Podcasts make advertising on a large scale easy because compared to other forms of content, podcasts are easier and cheaper to produce, share, and promote.
Using podcasts, one can reach people on their daily commute or while they are cooking dinner, making it a non-intrusive but cheap and effective way to reach a large audience.
Podcasts have something for everyone. They provide a forum for groups of people with common interests to discuss a variety of topics—from politics to health and Business to travel.
“A large and diverse group of audiences offers unlimited marketing opportunities for SaaS and other businesses.”
Next, let us look at the diverse composition of podcast users and why they use the medium:
All business professionals can benefit from listening to podcasts—and not just the SaaS professionals.
It is not very often that Marketing and salespeople have the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with a more “creative” co-worker. And podcasting offers them just such a platform.
Podcasts provide marketing and salespeople with the opportunity to have conversations with experts, thought leaders, and other industry professionals.
And, because they can be downloaded and listened to whenever, podcasts can be a great source of motivation and inspiration for busy professionals.
Plus, podcasts can be played to many people who do not have access to smartphones or computers.
Podcasts are an incredibly effective way to run advertising and marketing campaigns. Using podcasts, marketing and sales teams can:
Many companies are finding podcasts cost effective to promote their services and provide informative content. The other benefits are listed below:
Podcasts are an increasingly popular form of media, especially amongst students and teachers. Podcast producers continue to innovate, catering to a variety of genres including SaaS, education, humor, and lifestyle.
B2B SaaS companies are becoming increasingly aware that social media has transitioned from simply being a place to show family pictures to a place where one can share valuable information, market your business, or grow your network.
In today’s ever-competitive B2B SaaS market, many companies are turning to content marketing to get ahead. B2B companies can no longer afford to just rely on traditional marketing tactics. Fortunately for them, podcasts have become a go-to resource for B2B SaaS marketers.
But the B2B SaaS landscape is filled with other marketing options such as social media, blogs, and eBooks. Therefore, B2B SaaS companies need to use podcasts more and more to reach their target audience. They can also use it to position themselves as thought leaders and experts in a given industry.
Podcasting can be a very cost-effective marketing tool for B2B companies that can make them engage better with their target customers and stand out from the competition.
Many marketers have been slow to integrate podcasts into their marketing strategy because of a lack of information. They should understand that podcasts are a lot easier to produce than publishing a whitepaper or eBook.
Thankfully, podcasting has gained traction and seen significant growth in the recent past. While traditionally touted as a consumer medium, podcasts have suddenly become quite the resource for businesses and enterprises to showcase their products and services.
Top 50 most listened to US podcasts: Q4 – 2021:
Podcast listening is on the rise. People are listening to more podcasts than ever before, and this growth shows no sign of slowing down.
According to Edison Research, the weekly podcast listening has jumped from a mere 7 million in 2013 to 28 million in 2021. It is expected to touch 74 million by the end of 2022.
These healthy numbers might just be able to explain the growing interest of the big SaaS companies in tapping this lucrative medium.
Let us look at some of the most listened to podcasts in the US in 2021.
The SaaStr Podcast has a large following and is uploaded 3 times a week with a running time of about 25-30 minutes. You can catch it on Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple podcasts.
Popular podcasts include:
Our in-house Podcast Show hosted by Rishabh Bhandari, CEO, features some of the best SaaS professionals in the world.
Our guests talk about a wide range of topics, from content creation and driving engagement to marketing your SaaS with no budget and creating effective product demo videos.
Here is the transcript along with the video of the podcast, ‘ How to drive engagement with marketing’ by Joe Abusamra, Director of Product Marketing at ServicePower.
They call themselves the audio destination for business professionals for the best education and inspiration on how to grow a business.
The topics covered include sales, marketing, leadership, customer success, and start-ups
Here are two popular podcasts:
Allows you to search and listen to podcasts from across the world for free.
Most SaaS companies aspire to grow big with a large customer base and a larger profit margin.
However, growing into a big SaaS company needs more than gargantuan sales and revenue: They need to sustain the momentum by being considered a thought leader.
They may already have a killer product, but are they considered a thought leader in their niche?
A thought leader is someone who is acknowledged as an authority in a given field. People tend to follow them as everybody feels the need to have an inspiring mentor they can count on for ideas and guidance.
To be considered thought leaders, B2B SaaS companies need a team of subject matter experts (SME) who can be a source of valuable information, guide the company’s growth, and create authoritative marketing content.
What rewards await such companies?
“Being considered a thought leader can be immensely rewarding for a SaaS company. And podcasts allow you to accomplish your goals.”
The thought-leader label can help SaaS companies generate new leads, give more online visibility and drive traffic to the website.
Most importantly, a thought leader status gives one the credibility to command a premium for SaaS products.
Next, we will see how two of the biggies and thought leaders in the SaaS space are doing with their podcasts:
This Google podcast is a weekly affair, aired every Wednesday and hosted by Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, Stacey Higginbotham, and Ant Pruitt. The discussion with guests involves the latest Google and cloud computing news. The podcast can be downloaded within 12 hours.
Topics discussed include products and services, corporate leadership and competition, policies and internal workings, emerging tech, global impacts, and their impact on individuals and communities.
The year 2009 saw smartphones becoming standard and app downloads more common. We also witnessed the rise of Facebook and Twitter in the social media space and Google accelerating the growth of the mobile computing era.
Thus was born the ‘This Week in Google (TWiG).
“The show has quickly established itself as a voice of authority befitting Google’s exalted status in Techdom.”
The podcast is published bi-weekly and each episode runs for about thirty to forty minutes. The show is hosted by Albert Chou, an entrepreneur and tech connoisseur, who is Vice President of operations.
On the show, you will find the latest trends in technology, advice from Fortune 100 leaders, CIOs, CTOs, and CDOs on how to implement these trends into your business, and case studies and insights from business leaders.
The homepage features highly recommended podcasts featuring thought leaders from companies like Dropbox, Autodesk, and Darktrace.
Salesforce has become a force to reckon with in the SaaS space in a short period. They are taking the next logical step:
“They are accomplishing twin goals with the help of podcasts: fueling growth and establishing themselves as thought leaders in the SaaS space.”
If these success stories have inspired you, then it is time to examine:
The primary consideration a SaaS business should have when starting a podcast is having a comprehensive plan and roadmap.
Podcasting is a powerful way to reach a new audience. So, what types of podcasts should you create? The ones that allow you to:
Before we wrap up, let us recap why big SaaS businesses are getting into podcasting. They know that podcasting is the most effective way to:
According to a study, the United States will have 100 million podcast listeners by 2024. That’s too big a number for any company, including SaaS businesses, to ignore. An interested audience tuning into podcasts presents these companies with immense marketing opportunities.
Podcasts are more popular with young audiences than any other group. Podcasts also attract about 17% of monthly podcast listeners with a household income between US$100,000 to $150,000. The audience is also educated with 28% holding a college degree.
Apart from the marketing opportunities, the big SaaS companies have realized that podcasts are an excellent forum for communication, engagement, and nurturing. But the single important reason is the opportunities for establishing themselves as thought leaders in their fields.
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