Targeted custom content is not new for B2B marketers, with a long history of businesses turning to paid placements in trade magazines to reach potential clients, customers and partners.

But one thing that is changing is the fact that many of them are taking their cues from the consumer marketing world, be it terms of the platforms they are exploring or the tactics they are utilizing. And whether B2B or B2C, the reason is the same: increasing brand awareness and forging deeper relationships with audiences.

Branded podcasts has become one the areas B2B marketers are focusing on, with shows focusing on finance, management and entrepreneurship making turning many decision-makers into regular listeners.

Amanda Cupido, founder of Lead Podcasting and director of Talk and Talent at 640 Toronto, says branded podcasts allow marketers to tell compelling stories and share information about a topic that relates to their brand and to speak directly to audiences in an authentic way. “The approach can be tailored, depending on the marketing communications priorities. Some leaders will create a podcast to help highlight their expertise and grow their leadership profile. In 2023, saying you have a podcast holds similar clout as saying you’re an author.” 

Some businesses use podcasts to turn cold leads into warm ones. Cupido says she has helped organizations create podcasts to sell their products and services, to boost SEO or for human resource departments to create internal podcasts to engage employees, the last of which is a budding tactic that she believe will continue to grow in 2023.

Jennifer Blenkhorn, communications director for Cairns Oneil, says that the opportunities available for media partners that work with and create content for B2B marketers to create content with targeting and placements that hits the right audience for the message are growing, and essential. “Podcasts, blogs and custom content allow for more long form copy, as there is typically an education element in B2B marketing, which these tactics can achieve in a digestible format that can be distributed within highly targeted environments. While other ‘soft’ tactics such as rink and stadium boards recognize that, with B2B, we’re still talking to people who have other interests outside of their business, career, it’s content in appropriate settings that deliver for marketers.”

Annex Business Media is a large B2B publisher with a stable of 60 print and digital brands covering virtually every business category – and associated verticals – from agriculture and livestock, food, engineering, and healthcare to forestry, firefighting, technology, and aviation. The latest titles added to its portfolio include Avert, which is focused on the disaster industry, and The Trough, a brand covering the livestock feed industry. The Trough is scheduled to have three print issues a year, a dedicated website, e-newsletter and podcasts. 

Aside from the new news brands, Annex also recently launched Amplify, a new full-service custom content studio that creates relevant content for advertisers in any industry through various platforms, including branded articles, blogs, whitepapers, reports, podcasts, webinars and email marketing campaigns.

Michelle Bertholet, group publisher for agriculture brands at Annex, says Amplify came about because the company saw a lot of opportunity for B2B marketers to use different forms of advertising. “Content marketing is something that applies to every sector, every business, whether it’s content for a blog, website, or social media. Content is something that any B2B brand can use to position themselves as a thought leader, and use the content to help educate their buyers on the services and products that they offer. The real goal of content marketing, most of the time, is to position that brand as a solution, when their target audience is looking for solutions to their challenges. Of course, it also drives up SEO and that’s a huge goal of a lot of brands.”

Chris Hummel, president of B2B division GreenThread at Horizon Media, says cross-segment learnings between B2C and B2B have been accelerating for at least a decade.  “Consumer brands – traditionally focused on emotional connections – understand the lasting power of a multi-touch marketing strategy to build deeper loyalty.  B2B companies – who usually focus on promoting expertise – have begun to appreciate the power of breakthrough creative and individual-centric touchpoints to influence targeted buyers.  For both segments, it’s a race to capture hearts and minds in an incredibly crowded market.”  

Why now? Technology has democratized the tools of the trade. Hummel says, “Not that long ago, as a Fortune 500 CMO, I would spend $100,000 or more to build quality videos, but now my 14-year old daughter can build high quality, complex media assets for free. Second, changing buyer behaviour forces marketers of all types to expand their perspective.”