Podcasting as a Digital Content Marketing Tool within B2B : A qualitative case study exploring why and how Swedish B2B companies use podcasts as a marketing tool

Sammanfattning: Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to explore why and how B2B-companies use podcasts as a marketing tool and evaluate how it canfunction together with other marketing strategies. Problematization Digital content marketing is an increasingly popular marketingstrategy within B2B. There is however a large content saturationonline, this puts pressure on organizations having to increase theirmarketing creativity and finding alternative means to stand outfrom the crowd while at the same time staying within theirmarketing budget. Podcast marketing is a form of content marketingbeing fairly untapped territory and with little research dedicatedtowards it, however being the fastest growing medium it is of highinterest to better understand its marketing potential and how toutilize it. Methodology A qualitative case study with an iterative approach. The empiricalfindings derive from semi structured interviews with five selectedcase companies and a podcast producer. Conclusion Why B2B companies use podcasting as a marketing tool variessomewhat, the five main reasons identified are cost and timeefficiency, active listening, building relationships, branding andemployer branding. Some view podcasting in a strategic sense first,while others seem to use podcasting just as much for their ownenjoyment as they do for strategic purposes. There are challenges inregard to measuring success. However, those challenges do notappear to be very problematic as costs are low. Reaching the rightpeople is more important than reaching the masses. Contribution This study adds to existing research within the field of B2B content marketing by exploring podcasts as a marketing tool.