Podcasts now a top channel for B2B marketing

Podcasts are now a top channel for B2B content, with 43% of decision makers saying they use them to get business related content, according to a new study. That puts them into a tie with email newsletters, webinars and social media as the most preferred channels for buyers.

Second place went to industry-specific newspapers (39%), according to the study by Sapio Research, a market research firm. National newspapers (36%) and virtual industry events (35%) came next. Note to event organizers: Only 9% said in-person conferences.

Dig deeper: Soundrise connects advertisers to podcast creators with shared values

Podcast popularity among B2B execs mirrors that of the U.S. overall. Currently 38% of Americans over the age of 12 — 109 million people — listen to podcasts monthly, according to Edison Research. That’s up from 32% in 2019. Furthermore, 26% listen to podcasts every week.

Big in the C-suite

Some 44% of C-suite executives, VPs and department heads who know about podcasts listen to them, according to LinkedIn (and 79% of the US population knows about podcasts). Also, podcast ads drive an aided brand recall rate of 71%, per Nielsen. 

In a report commissioned by the BBC, organizations with branded podcasts saw:

• 89% higher awareness.
• 57% higher brand consideration.
• 24% higher brand favorability.
• 14% higher purchase intent.
• 12% higher memory encoding than other forms of content.
• 16% higher engagement.

Some 38% of marketers working for retail companies say podcast advertising is the media channel with the biggest ROI, according to HubSpot. That same survey found 39% of Information Technology companies plan to leverage podcast advertising in 2022. Also,

HubSpot also reported that 18% of U.S. companies plan to leverage podcasts and audio content in their marketing strategies.

Three other key podcast statistics:

• 52 million US households listen to business podcasts. [Nielsen]
• 54% of podcast listeners are likely to consider the brands they hear advertised on podcasts. [Edison]
• 66% of podcast listeners have a college degree and an average income of $75,000 per year. [Buzzsprout]

Why we care. Podcasts have a lot of upside for B2B marketers. For one, they don’t have to be a huge hit to succeed — a niche show with a niche-sized audience of your preferred customers is perfect. They don’t have to have unique content. This is the perfect medium for repurposing blog posts, white papers, surveys, interviews with SMEs or executives, new product developments and other material. Because most people discover podcasts via social media, it’s easy to work it into you social media strategy.