How Podcasting Can Support Your Holistic Marketing Strategy with Tristan Pelligrino with Marketers in Demand

In 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to connect with their target audiences and stand out in a crowded digital landscape. Podcasting has been a game-changer to separate the signal for the noise for me. I've built the back half of my professional journey on the foundation of the podcast medium and believe in the opportunities that podcasts offer businesses to connect with their desired audiences.

In this week's episode I invited a seasoned entrepreneur and co-founder of Marketers In Demand, to share his insights on how podcasting can impact a business's position in the search economy. Pelligrino, a serial entrepreneur with a knack for solving marketing challenges for technology companies, has embraced podcasting as a cornerstone of his content marketing strategies.

Tristan's journey with podcasting began when his agency, Motion, recognized a recurring challenge faced by clients: the struggle to create consistent, high-quality content. While one-off projects like corporate videos and animated explainers were successful, clients often struggled to maintain a sustainable content program.

It was during this time that Tristan's team launched their own podcast, and they witnessed firsthand the energy and momentum it brought to their content marketing efforts. The lightbulb moment came when they realized they could leverage their existing capabilities to build similar podcast programs for their clients, bundling them into comprehensive content strategies.

"We just saw the the energy that it brought. And and, really, it fueled our entire content marketing strategy," Pellegrino shared. "We were like, wait. We have all these capabilities in house. Why don't we build these programs for our clients and actually bundle it together so that it it makes sense to, you know, really run a content program and and really solve a lot of these problems?"

The rise of video podcasting and remote recording platforms like Zencastr further amplified the potential of this medium. Suddenly, businesses could create dynamic, multimedia content that could be repurposed across various channels, from audio platforms like Spotify to video-centric platforms like YouTube.

Planning a Successful Business Podcast

As Tristan emphasized, the key to a successful business podcast lies in meticulous planning and a deep understanding of the target audience and desired outcomes. "Always like to boil it down to truly two main things. Who is the podcast for and how does it help?" he advised.

By identifying the target customers and aligning the podcast's content with the company's products, solutions, and the problems faced by their audience, businesses can create a strong foundation for their podcasting efforts.

However, Tristan cautioned against falling into the trap of solely focusing on promoting the company's products. "You're connecting it to other things that that are really important to your audience," he explained. "And I think that's the the interesting part of a podcast is you are able to get out on on the fringes a little bit and talk about things that, don't focus on your your product specifically or features that you're rolling out."

One of the critical factors in planning a successful podcast is leveraging the strengths and expertise of the team. Tristan emphasized the importance of identifying the charismatic individuals, subject matter experts, or industry thought leaders within the organization who can contribute to the podcast's content.

In some cases, the approach may involve having no dedicated host at all, with the agency's team conducting interviews and leading the conversations. This "documentary style" approach can be effective when there is a wealth of internal expertise but a lack of a natural host personality.

Measuring Success Beyond Downloads

A common pitfall that Tristan has observed is the tendency for businesses to become overly fixated on download numbers as a metric of success for their podcasts. However, he suggests a more holistic approach, encouraging companies to shift their focus toward creating high-quality content that serves the entire customer journey.

"What if we flip it all around and say, what if we don't have a single download for the 1st year?" Tristan posed. "Let's have these interviews. Let's have these episodes, and let's create a lot of content for, you know, really the entire customer journey."

By adopting this mindset, businesses can leverage their podcast as a powerful content creation engine, generating awareness-focused material, thought leadership pieces, and even sales enablement resources. The true measure of success lies in the depth and quality of the content produced, not merely in the download statistics.

Integrating Podcasts into a Holistic Marketing Strategy

To fully harness the potential of podcasting, Tristan recommends developing a comprehensive content plan that identifies the key topic pillars or categories the company wants to be known for. This content plan serves as the foundation for integrating the podcast into a holistic marketing strategy.

One avenue for leveraging podcast content is optimizing it for organic search and SEO. By identifying keyword opportunities and optimizing episodes accordingly, businesses can capitalize on the search engine traffic and improve their online visibility.

Additionally, Tristan highlighted the power of repurposing and amplifying podcast content across various channels, such as social media, email marketing, and retargeting campaigns. This approach not only maximizes the reach of the content but also reinforces the brand's messaging and keeps the company top-of-mind for potential customers.

Examples and Best Practices

While there may not be a definitive "shining example" of a business podcast, Tristan shared a case study that exemplifies the innovative approaches and best practices in the industry.

He recounted working with a client in an antiquated industry that was being disrupted by technology. Despite having a wealth of expertise among their team members, many of whom had decades of experience, the company struggled to create consistent content.

The solution? Abandoning the traditional host format entirely. Instead, Tristan's team conducted interviews with the client's subject matter experts, allowing them to share their knowledge and insights without the pressure of hosting. This "curious exploration" approach resulted in a valuable content series that captured the industry's ongoing transformation and the solutions being implemented.

Throughout the conversation, Tristan emphasized the importance of curiosity, exploration, and addressing customer problems as the driving forces behind a successful business podcast. By adopting an inquisitive mindset and focusing on providing value to the audience, companies can create content that resonates and builds lasting connections with their target customers.

In 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 podcasting emerges as an untapped powerhouse for businesses seeking to drive SEO, build their brand, and ultimately find their next customer. As Tristan Pelligrino's insights reveal, the true potential of podcasting lies in its ability to fuel a holistic content marketing strategy, one that spans the entire customer journey and leverages the strengths and expertise of the organization.

By shifting the focus away from chasing download numbers and instead prioritizing the creation of high-quality, audience-centric content, businesses can harness the full potential of this medium. From optimizing for organic search to amplifying content across channels, a well-executed podcast can propel a brand's visibility, establish thought leadership, and forge meaningful connections with potential customers.

As 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 continues to evolve, those businesses that embrace podcasting as an integral part of their marketing strategy will be poised to thrive. By combining meticulous planning, a deep understanding of their audience, and a commitment to curiosity and exploration, companies can unlock the untapped power of podcasting and pave the way for long-term success in the digital realm.

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