When we think about where an external brand podcast sits in an organization, chances are your immediate thought would be marketing (or communications). And for many of the shows and brands we work with, that is where they sit. But, that’s also because this team created it.
But what if the podcast started somewhere else in the company?
One of the biggest benefits of podcasting is it enables brands to give a voice to their very unique expertise. You might have competitors in the space who have a podcast and bring on guests that might be similar to your guests, but no other company has the internal expertise and team that you have.
In fact, one hill we are willing to die on is that podcasts are the best way to capture your brand’s expertise and share it with the world. Yes, through your podcast, but also allowing those conversations to fuel the content strategy and marketing initiatives your company is working towards.
And Lev is an excellent example of a company who started a podcast because of this. They didn’t start one because “everyone has a podcast and we need to keep up.” Nope. They started a podcast because they had two individuals who were very passionate about their customers, the challenges they face, and solving those challenges.
Because the experts who started the podcast were passionate about what they were doing and the impact their podcast could have on their audience, they brought a show to life quickly and were very open to feedback from other teams.
So how did this passion project turn into a tool that serves both Sales and Marketing? Read on to find out!
Sales was the catalyst for the podcast
In the Clouds came to life in a different way than the traditional podcast. Instead of the company deciding they wanted to do a podcast, vetting ideas, guests, and hosts, Lev had two experienced Sales Team members step up to the plate. An Account Executive and Solution Consultant, Bobby Tichy and Cole Fisher, came up with the idea to create and host the podcast on Lev’s behalf.
Between the two of them, they bring a ton of passion and expertise to the show, including experiences talking to customers that uncovered challenges, pain points, and the wants and needs of their customer base. Talk about an incredible start to ANY podcast. But we want to especially highlight the passion that the two hosts brought to the project, that’s such an important dynamic to have for a successful podcast. Seriously, we’ve had so many guests talk about the importance of choosing the right host and champion for your podcast - it makes such a difference in the content, the interviews, and the overall perception!
Adding marketing to the mix
When Holly Enneking joined the marketing team at Lev, she reported directly into the sales organization. The In the Clouds podcast was already up and running and she loved the content that the podcast duo was bringing to life.
As Holly and her team split off from Sales and became their own entity, she knew content was going to be core to her 2020 strategy. It was important for Lev to present themselves as the experts and differentiate themselves in the marketplace. And the content of the podcast was incredibly valuable given the topics covered and the expertise of the hosts.
She saw an opportunity to align the podcast with the broader marketing initiatives that the company was taking on.
Stephanie decided to approach Bobby and Cole and see if they would be open to aligning with her team on some of the marketing initiatives they would be executing in 2020.
Spoiler alert. They were.
As two members of another team, with their own goals and expectations, as much as they loved the podcast, it’s a lot of work to keep up a cadence of shows and keep topics fresh. So working with marketing to take on topics, ideas, and perspectives that align to the overall vision of their revenue function was a win-win for everyone.
A sales and marketing team working together
Sales and marketing alignment is always a challenge. We’ve all worked at organizations where there are competing needs and wants from each team. Lev’s commitment to aligning Sales and Marketing didn’t start with the podcast. Because marketing was poised to help Sales from the beginning, a trust was built between the two teams.
Holly believes that’s why Bobby and Cole were so open to a partnership on their passion project. They knew they could trust Holly and her team to support them, and the podcast was a great catalyst to strengthen that relationship and create an asset that both teams could use to better serve their audience.
Freedom within a Framework
For Holly and her team, working together is the best way to approach a lot of things from a sales and marketing perspective, but especially with the podcast. By collaborating and staying open minded to ideas, the Lev team has been able to create a lot of value for their audience in their show.
For example, because there is freedom to change, adapt, bring in new ideas, etc. in the framework of their podcast, they were able to do a live podcast broadcast in April that focused on marketing during a pandemic. Given the expertise of the hosts and the new challenges all marketers were facing (including Holly and her team at Lev), they knew they could make a show that added true value to their audience during a time when we were all a little unsure of what to do and how to help.
Understanding (together) what’s working
By partnering up on the podcast, both teams now have a better understanding of what’s working from a podcast perspective. They can each bring a different perspective on how the podcast is performing, what topics are resonating, and what traction the show is getting.
Overall, in a world where it’s far too easy to take on an us vs them mentality, take a page from Lev’s book and work to build trust between your team and the others in your organization. Whether that’s sales, customer experience, services, product, etc., there’s an opportunity to build strong relationships.
At the end of the day, a podcast’s value goes far beyond marketing, Lev shows us how cross-department collaboration can actually create a better show that serves many different areas of the business. And when you have a great show that people are passionate about and love, you’ll see more people listening, sharing, and using it to reach their own goals.
Listen to the full episode below!
Interested in learning more about how Casted is helping Lev understand what’s working with their podcast and how you can implement that same strategy on your podcast? Schedule a demo with us today!
