Podcasting For Thought Leadership

28th February 2017

Yesterday I came across a brilliant piece of content on thought leadership. It was by Longitude and it is the results of research they have done around the subject of thought leadership content marketing. It really got me thinking about the research and how I can match items in it with the benefits that having a podcast can bring you. Yes. Podcasting for Thought Leadership.
You have to enter your details (as usual) to access their research, but you get instant access to their brilliant interactive report. It is beautifully structured, with clear graphics and powerful information.
An excellent piece of thought leadership content marketing that truly ‘walked the walk’. It did everything their presentation of their results suggested.

The link is at the bottom of this post.

B2B Thought Leadership

Whilst I can’t refer to their facts and figures ‘cos it’s their research, it struck me whilst reading it however, how beautifully having a podcast fits in with these findings.

Before I get much further, it’s worth highlighting that in this post I am talking about primarily a B2B, more corporate, focus.

Thought leader content is seen as an important source of knowledge. It is particularly valued as being original, relevant and insightful.
Having a podcast is a superb way of providing thought leadership, and it also highlights how you are keeping up with – or shaping – key business trends. With a podcast, you provide a clear point of view and position yourself further as a leading expert in your field. When you are sharing your expertise through a high quality podcast, you are adding a layer of personality and character to your information. If your listeners like your podcast, they will undoubtedly include you and your information in their business decision making process – whether they realise it or not. You are building the ‘know like and trust’ factor we hear about daily.

To take advantage of that, please make sure your podcast has a clear and strategic position in your marketing funnel & lead capture process. Make it easy for people who want to find out more after listening to you.

Podcasts Are Great For Busy People

Podcasts are a great medium for busy people to consume your valuable information and expert opinion.

Done well, they are also a perfect contrast to the plethora of other thought leader content out there that is:

long-winded,
or too self-promotional,
lacking an original viewpoint, or,
frankly, dull & boring.

Would you prefer to wade through a whitepaper, or listen to some specific and actionable content? Even though you are not at your desk, you can be inspired about a thorny problem.

We work in various ways and locations, and so we also consume information, and entertainment, in various ways & locations.

Your Podcast Goal:

Your goal is to make your podcast one of those we can listen to and enjoy, and learn from, wherever we are.

There are many podcasts last for an hour or more. Your thought leader podcast needs to be long enough to cover the point of the episode effectively. It has to be short enough that your ideal listener can be bothered to listen to it. A short, snappy and useful podcast will find favour with your busy listeners. Keep them in mind as the important focus of your episodes. And doesn’t the thought of creating a 5 or 10 minute episode seem much more appealing than creating one that lasts an hour?

You Have Piles Of Case Studies In Your Head

Remember that with all your experience you have piles of case studies and examples and stories to pull out of your head and share with your eager listeners. Sharing these reinforces your positioning as an experienced and wise expert, as does having a definite opinion, but you do really have to ‘nail it’ as they say on TV (and everywhere) these days.

Opportunities For Visual Info Too

And although you are creating content in audio format, don’t forget that you have the opportunity to share visual information too – perhaps a really great infographic – via your podcast website, or quotes & memes onto any of the social media platforms relevant to your audience.

With these items in place, your podcast will help you attract an audience that is a perfect fit for you. A perfect fit for your business.

Easy To Create?

The other side of the coin about B2B thought leader podcasting is that creating the content is typically straightforward. You might even find it fun! Obviously there is planning and thought involved in creating the content for your episodes. Writing a lengthy whitepaper would take much longer and be less dynamic. Less personal.

Creating a podcast episode is also less hassle than having a nice series of videos produced.

Another bonus is that audio is also a fantastic medium to re-purpose and leverage in several different ways. With a little extra creativity, each episode gets turned into several pieces of related content to share. This helps more of your ideal prospects to find you. Everyone prefers different types of content.

Just Turn Up & Talk

My next post looks at the podcast formats that give thought leaders maximum benefit with minimum hassle. When you have the right outsourced support ( me 🙂 ), you can focus on your content creation and I will focus on everything else. The list includes strategy & planning, editing and distribution, repurposing content, sharing & social media. Have you heard about my Turn Up & Talk service? It is designed for thought leaders to podcast with ease.