The latest episode of my podcast of Insider Interviews with E.B. Moss is an interview with, well, me! Julie Livingston of Want Leverage PR asked for my POV on the art and value of adding personality to your B2B content and especially your company podcast. How does humanizing a brand and its executives help create a better connection with the audience — your clients and prospects? Here’s the headline:
“People buy from people they like” (and that also gets you more “likes”!)
Listen to (or watch) the full episode for the details:
There’s a time and a place for a sales brochure, and for leveraging audio for technical explanations. But that place is not your podcast. So, after a brief review of the differences between branded podcasts and B2B podcasts, Julie and I dive into the how and why to add personality, use storytelling, get good guest …and get the most out of your host… and even simple tech tips for putting your business in its best light. It starts with getting real…even evoking emotion.
Get Emotional.
There are great lessons around on which emotional triggers drive purchases. See this presentation by Binet and Fields on the Principles of B2B Marketing. For my part, I’m not speaking to what clinically drives a B2B buyer — like “fear of losing one’s job” or “fear of missing out”. For our podcast purposes, I’m speaking about overcoming the fear of being oneself. Or rather, the fear many exhibit of vulnerability in a business setting. Push past and pull out the story. The humor. The human side. That is what we buy into when we feel comfortable with someone. And that is what many B2B podcasts can stand to offer a little more of.
Branded or B2B?
“Branded” or B2B podcast? It’s kind of semantics, or a bit of a Venn diagram. Your branded podcast can be for B2B purposes, but it’s often more story-driven content that could easily be B2C — or B2B2C! There are great companies that specialize in crafting brand endearment wrapped in a Trojan Horse of great storytelling. I’m all for that. Think the beloved Trader Joe’s show. Or Trailblazers with Walter Isaacson, which is a BTYB from Dell. There’s a reason iHeartMedia just announced Ruby, a studio dedicated to creating branded podcasts, so if your STRATEGY* dictates one dive in; the water’s great!
This POV is more focused on what I see as the traditional B2B audio content that is courting business customers, most frequently done as an interview to inform, and hopefully entertain — or “edutain.”
*Know your why — and your what:
Just as I ask all my podcast development clients (did I mention I train companies in launching a B2B podcast?): ‘why do you want to start a podcast?’ And ‘what’s in it for me as a listener?’ Those answers will inform the rest of your strategy. Whatever that is, you can afford to make it compelling! For example:
- If you can’t seat the best spokesperson who may be more junior but effervescent, you can train the bigger brass to be likable and mic-able. And PS: that begins with having a good mic!
- Make your guests shine! Since you’ll frequently seat your prospects or customers as expert guests, you’ll definitely want to put them in their best light. That takes preparation. Just like my favorite joke about the skeleton who walks into a bar and asks for a drink… and a mop. (Think about it.)
- Ask your guests for what they’d most like to discuss…but come prepared with personal insights that will humanize them as well in conversation. That’s never to say embarrass anyone; but a little disarming can be fun and delightful to your guests and the listeners. You’ll often find me motivated to sing to my guests. (Yes, I illustrate that in this bonus episode. Why it’s called a bonus.)
Understand the value(s) of creating a B2B podcast
Podcasts are great for communicating in a personal way that can explain more complicated ideas, or for reaching your customers even when they’re out for a walk. But given a sea of five million podcasts out there, it’s not the listens or “counts” that count, but how you spin, slice, and dice the content. Remember that podcasting is just another form of your sales collateral. So, leverage it:
- Since you’ll be creating some form of show notes or a transcript – and consider leveraging #AI to help you create your transcription and turn it into good show notes and social media posts: like Swell AI, Podium, Listener.fm or Capsho, who spoke with me in Insider Interviews Episode 5 — take your show notes and turn them into a blog post for your site, publications (like The Customer), or social!
- Then create promo spots or clips to share and post, via a service like Headliner. (That affiliate link gets you a free two weeks, FYI.)
- Encourage your guests to share the episode on their site and push the social to it, too. (Guilt is also a good incentive, since you’ve gone to the trouble of featuring them. Ask Mrs. Fields about reciprocity marketing!)
- And once you’ve proven your host has the power of personality, guest on other shows! It’s a flywheel.
Clearly, everything is a reflection of your brand so how much you employ humor or human touches might require a balancing act: Your podcast might be the place where you can be a little less serious, and perhaps your site is where you’re a little bit more formal. But do strive to express the personality of your company and your executives. They’re your megaphone. They should wield the power of personality.
The goal of this article and episode was to pack it with insights and practical tips to help you create a successful B2B podcast. But for more help, please ask about my No More Bored Rooms Podcast Launch Training! www.mossappeal.com
Photo by Jonathan Velasquez on Unsplash
