Providing the best service or product to your customers means staying on the cutting edge: Developing a clear vision and then taking strategic risks to achieve it, even if it means disrupting the status quo. But how do you get there? Thanks to ongoing studies and research, the marketing industry is always evolving, bustling with tips on the best ways to reach and connect with your customers. There’s no way around it: To reach your organization’s potential and develop effective marketing strategies, you have to keep learning.
Fortunately, as technology advances, finding valuable resources has never been easier. Hearing directly from marketing industry leaders these days is as easy as reading a blog post, subscribing to an e-mail newsletter, or tuning into a TEDtalk. But if your schedule is demanding or you have a lengthy daily commute and you want to learn on the go, listening may be your best bet.
Enter the world of podcasts. A quickly-growing digital medium—as of 2017, 57 million Americans listen every month—podcasts give you the unique ability to multitask, engaging with valuable content while you work on a project or commute to the office. But unlike the radio, podcasts offer content on demand, so you can choose exactly what you want to listen to and when.
Whether you want to laugh or learn (or perhaps a combination of the two), there are so many marketing podcasts to choose from. In fact, simply searching the keyword “marketing” on iTunes yields hundreds of results! Sound overwhelming? We thought so too! But not to worry. We searched the internet for digital marketing podcasts worth subscribing to. Here are a few we’re adding to our podcast libraries.
Inbound Marketing Podcasts
The Hubcast
What it’s about: This podcast is a must for anyone who uses HubSpot services to grow their reach and convert leads. Along the same line as HubSpot’s online education center and blog, Hubcast focuses on conversation about the latest HubSpot tools, tips, and tricks so you can optimize your inbound marketing efforts.
Why you should subscribe: With more than 4.5 million visitors to its blog every month, HubSpot is considered an authority in the world of inbound marketing, offering products and services for CRM, marketing, and sales. Reviewers also say the hosts, George Thomas and Marcus Sheridan of The Sales Lion, take helpful information on content marketing and present it in a fresh, entertaining way.
The Funnel: A Sales Podcast
What it’s about: Hosted by sales leader and strategist of twenty-five years John Shea, this podcast is just what it sounds like—straightforward tips and tricks on the sales funnel and all aspects related to it, including the sales process, sales management, coaching, development, inbound lead engagement, and sales and marketing alignment.
Why you should subscribe: If you want a comprehensive podcast that covers the entire sales funnel from beginning to end, this one might be for you. In addition, with more than 250 episodes recorded, The Funnel is likely to have an episode on any marketing topic you’re hoping to learn about.
Content Inc.
What it’s about: Through personal anecdotes and lessons from other entrepreneurs, Content Marketing Institute founder, Joe Pulizzi, gives practical resources for increasing conversions through inbound marketing. To ensure you come away with information that will add value to your organization, each episode ends with one key lesson or takeaway.
Why you should subscribe: For this podcast, the proof is in the accolades. The Content Marketing Institute is widely known for its resources and its annual content marketing event Content Marketing World, the largest conference of its kind. In addition, Joe’s book, Epic Content Marketing; How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less, was named one of Fortune’s “Five Must Read Business Books of 2013.” Finally, this podcast offers short-form episodes, averaging at about ten minutes each, making them easier to digest.
Conversion Rate and UX Podcasts
The Conversions Podcast
What it’s about: Hosted by conversions industry leader Francis Teo, The Conversions Podcast facilitates conversation on conversion rate optimization (CRO) with industry experts, website owners, and software developers.
Why you should subscribe: If you’re looking for a scientific, well-tested approach to conversion or if you’re interested in growth-driven web design, this could be the resource you’re looking for. Additionally, since The Conversions Podcasts includes perspectives from numerous angles relating to conversion, you will be likely to come away with a multi-faceted game plan that works for your team.
UX Podcast
What it’s about: User experience professionals Per Axbom and James Royal-Lawson host UX podcast, a show for people who are passionate about balancing business, technology, and users within digital media. Each episode is usually around 30 minutes and includes thought leaders discussing UX-related topics from strategy and information architecture to cognitive neuroscience and story mapping.
Why you should subscribe: Reviewers say Axbom and Royal-Lawson’s knowledgeable yet lighthearted approach to UX leaves them empowered to implement new UX strategies in their own work. In addition, if you are interested in learning about other cultures, you may enjoy that UX Podcast is recorded in Sweden (don’t worry—the podcast is in English).
Call To Action Podcast
What it’s about: As the name suggests, Call To Action is chock-full of actionable tips for increasing your conversion rates. By highlighting online marketing success stories and interviewing digital marketing thought leaders, this podcast gives practical ways to apply its lessons to your own marketing strategies.
Why you should subscribe: Call to Action is the corporate podcast for Unbounce, one of the industry leaders in the world of CRO. As for content, though its focus is crystal-clear, Call to Action provides information on dozens of topics related to conversion, including CRO, A/B testing, social media marketing, content marketing, copywriting, and landing page optimization.
Branding Podcasts
Building A StoryBrand with Donald Miller
What it’s about: Struggling to connect your brand to your customers? Want to increase engagement? Start with a story. Author and entrepreneur Donald Miller offers practical advice for clarifying your message and growing your business through story-based branding. The blog includes interviews with industry leaders like Seth Godin, Scott Hamilton, Ken Blanchard, and Michael Hyatt.
Why you should subscribe: Story-based branding formulas have proven efficacy in brand-building and connecting with customers. As a bonus, Miller is known for his fun, entertaining voice, a nice break from your run-of-the-mill, academic content.
On Brand: A Podcast About Branding
What it’s about: On Brand is a podcast for brand builders, by brand builders. Hosted by Nick Westergaard of Brand Driven Digital, this weekly podcast includes in-depth interviews with branding thought leaders. Each conversation focuses on branding as an art and science and finishes with practical applications for listeners to use in their own work.
Why you should subscribe: This podcast is equal parts “why” and “what.” If you want to learn more about branding in general and come away with actionable insights to implement right away, you’ll enjoy this one. On top of interviews with expert branders, On Brand also publishes five minute news sound bites, giving you a taste of the latest digital marketing and social media news and trends.
Branding Like A Boss
What it’s about: Aaron Pierson’s Branding Like a Boss hones in on the concept of disruption, encouraging you to take innovative risks to be a leader in your field and differentiate your business online with an authoritative voice.
Why you should subscribe: “Disruption” is buzzworthy topic, and Aaron Pierson approaches it like a coach would, challenging his audience to take bigger risks to be better. If you’re looking for practical, tangible ways to establish your thought leadership, this one might be a great fit.
Are You a Podcast Person Yet?
Whether you are focused on inbound marketing, UX or conversion, or branding your organization, listening to digital marketing podcasts can offer you fresh insights you need to shake things up. The best part? The podcast industry is booming and will likely continue to grow, which means you will have access to more insider tips and tricks that could add value to your organization over time.
If you’re looking for more convenient ways to stretch your digital marketing knowledge so you can apply it to your work, check out our Modern Marketer’s Toolbox, a collection of online marketing and training resources.
