Content marketing strategy and the value of broad appeal.
When it comes to content marketing, early concept development is absolutely crucial — especially if your team decides on a branded podcast.
You’re looking at a major project and (if all goes well) a substantial collection of high-value content, so finding the right niche can come with a lot of pressure.
Unsurprisingly, this is something a lot of brands struggle with, in part because they’re faced with so many options.
One of the most important things to consider is whether your concept will appeal to your unique audience, and this is a must for any effective show…
But should your corporate podcast appeal to everyone that follows your brand?
The short answer is “probably not.”
But to get a better understanding of this — and the strategies we use to approach it — let’s take a closer look at some successful branded shows.
In this post, we explore three podcasts we’ve created with A-list clients, so you can get a feel for how industry leaders target loyal listeners, and make big waves in spoken audio.
Build It Braver: Business Class by American Express
This corporate podcast — produced by JAR and backed by Amex — is an example of a show that clearly won’t appeal to the brand’s entire audience…
A deliberate and strategic choice.
Instead, this finance giant created a show that target’s entrepreneurs, and other folks in the small business realm.
While this series is loaded with high-quality content, it’s very niche specific — which makes perfect sense for a brand of this scale.
American Express has upwards of 100 million cards in the hands of consumers today, and half a million followers on Instagram alone.
Trying to capture the attention of all (or even the vast majority) of these people wouldn’t just be challenging, it wouldn’t make much sense.
Given the broad appeal of its products, Amex would have to make an incredibly general series to target all of its potential clients, and this probably wouldn’t work in their favor.
From a marketing strategy standpoint, it makes much more sense to create targeted, quality content that appeals to a certain demographic they already work with — and intend to attract.
Loaded with tips from entrepreneurs and world renowned mentors, Build It Braver focuses on value-rich content for one high-potential group, and aims to do this exceptionally well.
The Sound Bath by Lush Cosmetics
Also a massive name in its space, Lush Cosmetics currently has locations in over 50 countries around the world.
Despite its scale, this is a brand (and line of products) designed to appeal to a more specific customer than companies like Amex.
This eco-focused biz creates ethically-sourced, cruelty-free, vegetarian, handmade, and low-waste products — with a marketing strategy that emphasizes its core values.
It stands to reason then, that Lush’s corporate podcast leans heavily into its underlying ethos.
The Sound Bath explores what personal, social, and environmental care and wellbeing really mean in today’s society — and given Lush’s overarching identity, probably appeals to most of its audience.
That said, some consumers buy Lush’s products because they’re pretty, effective, or popular without personal investment in the brand story, ethical consumerism, or the environment.
Needless to say, The Sound Bath might not appeal to those consumers…
But given the specificity of this Lush’s identity, product, and target market, it made sense to create a series that would appeal to most of the folks that love their products.
Out Travel the System by Expedia
Out Travel The System — produced by JAR and backed by Expedia — has less to do with ethos, leaning instead into practical advice.
Packed with behind-the-curtain info and easy-to-apply hacks, this corporate podcast is designed to appeal to just about anyone who might book with Expedia.
While it might appeal most to folks with serious wanderlust, this show is perfect for anyone who travels and loves to save…
From the super commuter, to the Disney family, to the grandma flying her kids to Massachusetts for Christmas.
The goal of this series was to drive home one facet of Expedia’s purpose and identity — helpfulness, and the best way to meet this goal was with a broad-appeal show.
Strategy first
While some brands choose a more general approach, and others target a smaller segment of their ideal market, one thing is clear…
No corporate podcast will appeal to every single member of your ideal audience. Nor should it.
What’s more important than trying to please everyone is strategy – and that’s where you should start.
Broad appeal should come second to building a plan appropriate for your brand that considers scale, identity, and long-term goals.
If you’d like to dive deeper into the potential of a branded podcast, and determine objectives for your corporate show, check out our totally free guide to podcast ROI.
