The Untapped Potential of B2B Podcasting

For a long time, podcasts were primarily focused on reaching individual consumers. However, the potential benefits for businesses operating in the B2B sector have remained largely unexplored.

Casted: Pioneering B2B Podcast Solutions

Recognizing this significant opportunity, Lindsay Tjepkema, a veteran of B2B marketing with over 15 years of experience, established Casted in 2019. This innovative company provides an audio and video podcasting product specifically designed for B2B marketers.

Series A Funding Secured

Casted has successfully secured $7 million in Series A funding, spearheaded by Revolution Ventures. This investment signifies strong confidence in the company’s vision and growth trajectory.

Investor Participation and Total Funding

Existing investors, including High Alpha Capital, Elevate Ventures, and Tappan Hill Ventures, also contributed to this financing round. To date, Indianapolis-based Casted has raised approximately $9.3 million since its founding.

Impressive Growth in 2020

The year 2020 proved to be exceptionally successful for Casted. The company experienced a fourfold increase in revenue, a tripling of its customer base, and a doubling of its team size throughout the year.

Notable Clients

Casted boasts an impressive roster of clients, including prominent companies such as PayPal, HubSpot, Drift, and ZoomInfo. Furthermore, its platform serves as the central repository for Salesforce’s extensive collection of over 25 podcasting shows.

Accelerated Revenue Growth

According to Tjepkema, the company’s revenue growth actually reached an impressive eightfold increase year over year.

Beyond Podcast Distribution

Tjepkema emphasizes that Casted’s value proposition extends beyond simply hosting and distributing podcasts. The platform’s ability to analyze data and translate it into actionable insights for sales and marketing teams is a key differentiator.

The Importance of B2B Podcast Analytics

“While download numbers are crucial for podcasters focused on audience growth and advertising revenue, they hold limited value for B2B and enterprise companies,” explains Tjepkema. “Understanding audience engagement, content interaction, and the resulting impact on revenue, pipeline, customer loyalty, and lifetime value is paramount.”

Casted’s Comprehensive Platform

Casted’s SaaS platform empowers marketing teams to efficiently publish content. Upon publication, users gain access to a fully searchable content archive, complete with transcription services and tagging capabilities.

Content Amplification and Integration

The platform also facilitates content amplification through cross-channel distribution. Crucially, Casted integrates seamlessly with leading digital marketing platforms like HubSpot, WordPress, and Marketo, providing detailed analytics on user engagement.

Data-Driven Insights for Sales and Marketing

These data-driven analytics provide valuable intelligence for sales and marketing teams, informing their targeting strategies and enhancing their understanding of customer needs.

Empowering Sales Teams

“The platform’s transcription feature allows for easy content clipping and sharing across various channels, equipping sales teams with readily available resources to facilitate more effective customer conversations,” Tjepkema notes.

Revolution Ventures’ Perspective

David Golden, Managing Partner at Revolution Ventures, acknowledges that the marketing technology sector presents challenges for investment due to its crowded landscape. However, he believes Casted represents a genuinely new category.

A Natural Evolution of B2B Marketing Tools

“Lindsay and her team are building something truly innovative. Podcasting for B2B marketing is a logical progression, considering the evolution of tools available to business marketers, such as blogs, white papers, and webinars,” Golden stated.

The Rise of Audio and Video in B2B

“It was only a matter of time before audio and video became essential components of the marketing toolbox, and no one else was addressing this need.”

Market Potential

Revolution Ventures estimates that B2B content currently accounts for approximately 15% of all podcasting content. However, they project significant growth, potentially reaching a $20 billion market within the next five years.

Indianapolis as a Martech Hub

The company is part of a growing community of martech businesses located in Indianapolis, including ExactTarget, which was acquired by Salesforce for $2.5 billion.

Future Plans

Casted intends to utilize the new funding to expand its 25-person team and further develop the platform through new integrations and strategic partnerships.