How Podcasting Can Power Up Your Employee Development Program

Duration: 42 mins

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In this 50-minute webinar, discover how podcasting can engage your employees and make your internal podcast successful. Led by John Kiernan, Head of Marketing at Podbean, you'll explore the power of podcasting for internal communications. Learn about podcasting's appeal, its versatile applications, and the key factors for success.

Whether you're new to podcasting or aiming to improve your internal podcast, this session equips you with valuable insights and strategies for success using Podbean's innovative platform.

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How to Create a Thought Leadership Branded Podcast With Gene Marks of Paychex’s Business Series

It can be a daunting task to start a thought leadership branded podcast. We met with Gene Marks, host of the Paychex Business Series podcast to find out how businesses can leverage podcasting as an effective marketing channel.Paychex is a global HR and payroll services business, supporting more than half a million small to mid-sized businesses. While Gene Marks is the creative inspiration for Paychex Business Series as well as its host.How do branded podcasts serve Paychex’s marketing strategy?Paychex started considering ways to modernize their marketing strategy about four years ago. Podcasting was proposed as a way to provide meaningful information to support their existing customer base and also other small businesses around the country. The inspiration came from researching and learning how successful podcasting was becoming, and Paychex not wanting to miss a chance in this unique space.The Paychex Business Series is, in fact, just that start of the plan. 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By providing high-value content to their existing customer base, Paychex helped cement the relationship with their customers, adding value and improving the chances of retaining those customers for life. This “captive” audience has come to expect a 360-degree support from Paychex, helping them to address those concerns they have that are common to any small business.The next factor is brand growth. To grow the brand, the Paychex philosophy is simple: all it takes is one recommendation. If just one existing customer recommends a branded podcast as a worthwhile listen to another small business, Paychex has, ideally, a potential new customer, and if not a customer, then one more potential new promoter.It is this organic growth that underpins Paychex’s branded podcast marketing strategy.How is the branded podcast produced?A high-value, well produced branded podcast usually has a team behind it. We asked Gene what is “under the hood” of the Paychex podcast. Being a small business owner himself, Gene’s own pain points and need-to-knows drive the content creation process. Gene has an excellent network of connections to tap into and he marries the need to the expert and places the proposal before his producer.The producer is a Paychex employee who handles the pitching and administration surrounding getting everyone together. The producer also manages the person responsible for post production.In terms of recording the show, Gene’s trick is to record a video call with the interviewee followed by adding the introduction and closure for the show to the same call – after the interview is done. This allows him to be responsive to the interview that actually happened, rather than the one he predicted would happen. 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Many careers, and especially perhaps careers in the academic and academic-support space, only make sense with a degree of hindsight. The podcast provides an avenue through which to showcase employees' careers and provide that hindsight, so that others may be inspired to see different paths.And finally, the podcast is also a vital part of Lehigh's hiring strategy. From portraying the wide array of types of positions available at a university to articulating the work culture at Lehigh, the podcast allows people who are external to the community to learn more about Lehigh and its 1,200 staff members.Is there a wider value to the podcast?Hillary feels that the podcast has allowed staff members’ stories to have greater reach than their normal range might offer. For example, one of the staffers is a role model to, and supportive of, the LGBT+ community at Lehigh. Students and faculty members who otherwise may not know, were made aware of this person's commitment to being an important resource. Another episode featured the story of the university’s performing arts center director. This story served both to highlight the diverse careers and paths to them at Lehigh and also to show people beyond the campus the many functions the university serves in the community.What has the response been to the podcast?Interestingly, the response is often related to a more hidden value of the podcast. That is, the recognition that the interviewee receives as a result of the exposure.Time and again, Hillary sees the podcast travel beyond the normal brand reach of Lehigh University and travel outward on social media in the interviewee's own circle.In fact, it is often the interviewee who returns with feedback to Hillary regarding the overwhelming response they received. It is this personal feedback and the connections created, more than numbers, that have shown the success of the podcast.What value does a podcast bring that other mediums don't?Hillary loves conversation and listening to other people's stories and is a firm believer in the connection that the medium of speech gives both the interviewee and interviewer.Based on the response to the podcast that Hillary receives, she can see how it is building community by creating reach at a human level.What are your future goals for the podcast?Hillary is considering adding a format to allow employee communications to go beyond the focus on personnel profiling to discuss policies and practices that affect staff. Hillary considers this will require a shorter form podcast. Meanwhile, she remains committed to retaining the original, longer-form interviews as well. There are still a plethora of fascinating stories to uncover amongst Lehigh employees.Do you have any take-home advice?Lehigh University's brand promotes that "you bring the passion we bring the possibility". Hillary's experience has taught her that this resonates well via podcast. So, Hillary’s number one piece of advice is that podcasting is an excellent medium for passionate individuals to unleash great possibilities.More pragmatically, Hillary also emphasizes that it is okay to not aim for perfection, and that most people won't even notice what you consider to be flaws. Pick your battles and determine how much you want to invest in each.

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