Room to Grow: Digital Marketing Podcasts to Pay Attention To
These days, everyone and their mother has a podcast. What’s the lure? Well, they’re engaging, for one. You kind of feel like you’re right there in the studio, or better yet, like the host is sitting in your living room or in the passenger seat of your car. Which brings us to the next reason podcasts are now the ‘It’ thing, accessibility. You can listen during your commute. Hell, you can even listen at work (don’t say we didn’t warn you). You can listen while you’re doing other things, and be a multitasking genius (or maybe just your average American with ADD). Because of all these things, an average of 73 million Americans listen to podcasts on a monthly basis (that’s 26% of the US, for all you statisticians out there). Many of us are better auditory learners than others. Auditory learning allows us to get other things done and learn something at the same time. Because we’ve all become such overachievers, podcasts give the perfect opportunity to kill two (or more) birds with one stone.
Digital marketing podcasts are fairly common, but a good number of them offer valuable advice and insight regarding current trends as well as old school information, making them accessible to the newbies and seasoned alike.
Wide Audience Podcasts
Certain established digital marketing podcasts tend to be broader in scope than the newer ones. Others span the gap with ease, covering both new and not-so-new topics. One of these is Marketing Over Coffee, which has been doing shows from at least 2007, if not earlier. Hosts John Wall and Christopher Penn describe the podcast as a discussion of both “new and classic” marketing, covering everything from the effects of technology on moviegoing to how many social media reposts are acceptable. If you want a broad spectrum take and are suffering from FOMO, this one’s for you.
Another digital marketing podcast that’s more established is the Harvard Business Review Ideacast, a podcast hosted by the executive editor of the HBR, and whose most recent episode, entitled ‘How One Google Engineer Turned Tragedy into a Moonshot’ (intriguing, no?) focused on Mo Gawdat, a former Google CBO who now heads a startup with the goal of ‘helping one billion people find happiness’.
Niche Podcasts
Brian Moran, host of 5 Minute Marketing, keeps his episodes short (anywhere from 5 to 25 minutes) so that you can git ‘er done and get back to whatever it was you were doing. Moran is the CEO of multi-million dollar startup SamCart, which helps online entrepreneurs strategize for success. If you want quick snippets and are short on time, this podcast is for you.
Content Jam, a podcast on all things content-related, is a more specialized example of a digital marketing podcast. Hosted by Andy Crestodina and Barry Feldman, the program discussions range from SEO blunders to LinkedIn etiquette to the importance of research in creating marketing content.
Duct Tape Marketing is specifically targeted toward industry beginners and small businesses. For example, one of the recent episodes covered the top four small biz trends for 2019 (we’ll give you a headstart: the first one is Google My Business). Other topics are related to UX, such as setting up a successful online presence and the importance of empathy when communicating with your customers.
Hack the Entrepreneur is another specific-focus podcast that centers around successful and not-so-successful habits and behaviors of entrepreneurs.
Are you a blogger or professional writer? Copyblogger FM is basically your BFF. The program engages in discussions about things like email/content marketing, copywriting, conversion optimization, and even freelancing.
Social Media Podcasts
Because social media is such a huge part of digital marketing, there are a ton of podcasts out there devoted to the subject. We’ve narrowed it down to the best ones for you (you’re welcome):
Mixergy
It isn’t just a podcast — it’s practically a business school. With access to interviews and courses from industry experts and entrepreneurs, the focus is on sharing knowledge and experience. How to Sell Advertising (to Grow Your Business), How to create company culture, and How to get customers (through LinkedIn) are just a few of Mixergy’s class offerings.
Social Media Marketing Podcast
This podcast is about Social Media Marketing. Boom. Seriously though, head over to iTunes and give it a listen. Hosted by Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner (the self-proclaimed ‘largest social media marketing resource’ in the world), the show is all things social media: LinkedIn videos, Twitter marketing, YouTube ads, you name it.
Disclaimer: Some of the podcasts we’ve already mentioned (Marketing Over Coffee, Hack the Entrepreneur) offer excellent coverage of social media issues, but don’t necessarily specialize in the topic.
Either way, whatever you’re looking for — unsolicited advice, war stories, industry giant interviews, or tips for beginners, there’s definitely a digital marketing podcast out there for anyone and everyone!