Some time ago, at a Rochester WordPress Meetup, I was asked about how I keep up with all the changes in digital marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I explained that I took advantage of my commute time by listening to podcasts. I’ve been doing this for some time: Keeping up to date, doing research and renewing inspiration through listening.
So, I’m sharing my favorites with the Rochester Digital Marketing community.
Podcasting is a very intimate medium – a lot of the success of a podcast is determined as much by the personality of the presenters as the information itself. Different ones will resonate with different people.
I have listened to many different podcasts through the years from topics ranging from Advertising to Zen. Here are some of my favorite podcasts that I think will be helpful for Rochester Digital Marketing Meetup community.
Follow the links below to try some out – You would be surprised how much more informed you can get from listening a few minutes a day!
#1 eWebResults SEO Podcast: The Unknown Secrets of Internet Marketing
Join Chris and Charles for a weekly , lively review of all things digital marketing from the perspective of an agency that really cares about customer results. Their show is about an hour long and is entertaining, and informative, from start to finish. With more than 300 episodes under their belt they know how to put on a show , but are always experimenting. You can now watch the live and see some of the behind the scenes setup.
The show is divided into “Meat and Potatoes” : The potato portion comes first – news about search and social media changes, and how to connect with them. Although the self promotion in the potatoes to be a bit much for some, if you step back you will see they are putting on a clinic on how to build an audience by providing value and asking for the connection.
This, in itself, is one of the most meaty lessons you can learn about content marketing – Listen close and they will school ya! They are building memes through consistency, and thankfully, they make those messages fun!
The “Meat” portion of the show is a review of a recent article or blog post, usually from one of the major publishers like Search Engine Journal. Sure, you could read those yourself, and I encourage you to do that. But, they don’t just summarize – they drill down into the article and bring their experience into the discussion. The way they give context, give examples and explain all the jargon makes this podcast understandable to newbies. “Punch in the Face” to them for pulling that off!
#2 Marketing School: Unconventional Marketing Wisdom with Neil Patel & Eric Siu
Neil and Eric are brilliant, and relentless, sharks of digital marketing and growth hacking. This cast is only about 10 minutes , but it is delivered daily like clockwork. These are current masters of the trade, delivering focused points of value pulled from their personal experience. Although the topics are pointed they manage to talk in an informal way. Sometimes the context here is focused on companies larger than most of us will ever grow, but there is a good bit of information every small business could use. If you go to the site you will be “greeted” immediately with a signup form which you can bypass if you look at the small print.
#3 The Marketing Book Podcast – Hosted by Douglas Burdett
This is a weekly podcast , and usually runs about 45 minutes. Each week features an influential author of a recent marketing or sales book. Pretty much anyone who is a big name appears on this show. The format is very focused on the actual books that are being discussed – not a lot of rambling. You get a very good idea of what each book is trying to deliver. The format is long enough to get some depth. Douglass Burdett is an excellent interviewer in this context. You can tell he really reads the material and cares about his audience. If you want a more in depth view from some of the hottest digital marketing thinkers then this podcast is a great place to start.
#4 The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast
Hosted by John Jantsch , this is another weekly podcast that is usually focused on current marketing authors. These episodes are usually 20 to 25 minutes long. Mr. Jantsch is the developer of the Duct Tape Marketing system and the focus is on small to medium business owners and professionals helping those folks. While it is sometimes mentioned, there is little promotion of his marketing system. This is usually just straight up good , scrappy advice. I do find it a bit annoying when podcasters don’t use some kind of date or numbering system – it’s all the rage these days to remove dates to keep things “Evergreen” but with things changing so fast it is annoying not to know when a podcast was made.
#5 Internet Marketing Podcast – from Site Visibility, UK
This is another long running weekly podcast series from a large agency in the UK. I like this one because they often interview non authors – just experts in various fields related to digital marketing. These are often unsung heroes whose names are not as familiar as the big authors, and it’s sometimes refreshing to hear from the folks across the pond. Again , the focus is on providing useful information and not self promotion.
#6 Whiteboard Friday from Moz.com – Honorable Mention….
This one is not exactly a podcast , but it deserves honorable mention here. Rand Fishkin delivers insightful video episodes every Friday on a variety of topics mostly related to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) . These are only about 10 minutes long , but include a wealth of information summarized on the whiteboard , which is very handy for reference. Rand is one of the biggest names in the field and the episodes are lively, timely and entertaining. Full transcripts and notes are available on the website along with the videos.
Do you have a favorite digital marketing podcast? Have a comment about one of mine? Please post in the discussion …..
