B2B Marketers, are you looking to build a niche/premium client base that is highly engaged? Look no further than podcasts! It's a content marketing format that is booming and how!

85% of people who click 'play' on a podcast listen to nearly all of it and 42 million Americans (or 15% of the U.S. population) listen to a podcast every week. One of the main reasons for such a huge audience to invest in this content asset is because of the kind of value it adds to businesses, both, established and developing.

Podcasts Have Come a Long Way

The popularity of podcasts as a content marketing outlet is growing and expanding exponentially and even has statistics to prove it. The podcast ad spend in 2018 was more than $479 million, up from $314 million in 2017. That number is expected to reach north of $1 billion by 2021 in the U.S. alone. The concept of this content marketing strategy has been around for a long time. In the 1980s, these live recordings were marketed as audio blogs. Later in the early 2000s, Apple came out with its streaming programs based on a similar approach. As the buyer persona is becoming more tech-savvy, people want their information on the go which traditional marketing activities can't fulfill. Some of the major examples of modern digital content include, virtual assistant technology in homes and wireless connectivity in cars during commutes enables today's modern audience to listen to their interests on demand; with the touch of a button. The ability to access engaging content from any part of the part is the true mark of digital content marketing.

Podcasts Will Generate High-quality Leads

People who willingly dedicate their time to participate in a niche, valuable content, podcasts are a gold mine for them. Being able to deliver your great content at the right to your target customer is every advertiser's dream. Marketers are increasingly focusing on their audience with CRMs and AI , data analytics, machine learning, and predictive analysis to further qualify VIP targets for their business. Additionally, what makes podcasts such a great marketing tool is the ability to provide specialized and fathomed content that the audience is passionate about. This inbound marketing stint is extremely helpful for brand awareness as it the most subtle method of targeting your potential customer.

We understand your main focus is on digital marketing, here we bring to you a few ways to boost your podcast outreach and make it the most lucrative content marketing campaign of all times.

1. Sponsored Content and Paid Ad:

According to WordStream, businesses are expected to spend over $500 million on podcast ads by the year 2020. Going by this, content creation is going to form the center of all discussions. For this, market your podcasts to various advertisers and sponsors, let them know how you can put their message in front of hundreds (or thousands) of subscribers eager to learn more about their products and services. Understand where you fit, what kind of ads & visual content will resonate with your audience, and how to invest the right resources to see results. You can boost your outreach by buying ad spots as add-ons on advertising packages or as stand-alone products. Another way to popularise your brand is by putting out blog content on thought leadership and the philosophies of your business, running facebook ad campaigns. This kind of content marketing effort is not uncommon, but the results it is bringing for businesses are surely astonishing.

2. Affiliate your Podcast with reputed Podcasters:

Who are podcatchers you may ask? They are the apps or online platforms that specifically play podcasts. The best bet is trying each platform out for yourself to ensure a smooth experience for your listeners. Along with quality content, it is essential that your entire content marketing effort in the form of these podcasts is successful. Here a few recommended applications that will help you reach your target audience just the way you want to.

These platforms should be included in your content marketing plan to have everything handy. Having them as a part of your content strategy benefits you more than it does to your target audience.

3. Don't forget to Repurpose your Content:

You can select highlights from your podcasts and post their transcriptions on your website's blog. This way you don't have to put in a lot of effort in creating content but just come up with ideas for repurposing it. You can also turn good portions of a podcast into an infographic, whitepaper, email marketing content, or even a detailed blog post. Multichannel marketing your podcast will significantly increase your exposure and allow visitors to engage with your content in the medium of their liking. Using 10 platforms is always better than relying on a single distribution channel to popularise your brand. The audio version of your podcast will be broadcast on iTunes and other distributors, but having a print version of the interview works well for the search engine as it brings SEO value and has the potential of going viral all over the internet because it is easier to share.

To sum up there's no one full-proof successful content marketing strategy that is bound to work. It depends on the kind of content you put out, the way you market, and in the end, the results depend on how your target audience perceives it. The content marketing examples mentioned above are bound to work in your favor if you are a marketer who goes the way and beyond to make your podcast become a success.