Our 7 Favorite Digital Marketing Podcasts

Published on October 13, 2017

It’s fairly well-established that to be the best, you need to learn from the best.

And when it comes to business and digital marketing solutions, it’s never been easier to absorb lessons from some of the greatest thinkers and most successful industry leaders out there, thanks to the rise of the podcast.

Audio files are the perfect medium for today’s busy marketer; they’re perfect for staying informed and entertained whether you’re sitting at a desk, riding the L, or even getting in reps at the gym. Here at Geek Chicago, our team always keeps our playlists stocked with podcasts.

So, which marketing and business podcasts does our team love? Here are seven notable podcasts worth your time:

This Old Marketing

Hosted by the passionate, experienced duo of Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose, this podcast from the Content Marketing Institute is perfect for keeping up-to-date with the latest trends in the industry, and for digging into marketing’s amazing history – all in one listen!

Short and snappy and endlessly addictive, each episode of This Old Marketing features a few “can’t miss” segments, including a look at content marketing in the news and an “example of the week,” which digs into a compelling piece of content marketing from the past still worth studying today.

Want to give it a listen? Check out the show’s official page, here.

Social Media Marketing

Social Media Examiner is a key resource for anyone looking to stay on top of the constantly-shifting ground that is the social media landscape, and its Social Media Marketing podcast is a welcome addition to the site’s educational arsenal.

Coming in at a tight 45 minutes per episode, Social Media Marketing often features an interview with a social media marketing innovator or thought leader, and digs into a topic, tactic, or strategy certain to pay off for your brand; recent episode subjects include everything from generating revenue with content to working with YouTube influencers.

Ready to see what these social media gurus have to say? The show’s back catalog is available to stream here.

Marketing Over Coffee

Whether you’re a healthcare specialist or a copywriter, we’re willing to bet that you take plenty of meetings at coffee shops. Whether it’s your local coffee roaster or your favorite mega-chain, the coffee shop is a sacred place, a modern day salon where work gets accomplished, deals get made, and great minds come together.

That’s exactly why the Marketing Over Coffee podcast works so well! Each brief episode (roughly 20 minutes long) is recorded in a coffee shop, and captures the feeling of well-informed professionals coming together to talk shop in a light, breezy, way; this podcast is a great, educational resource, but it’s also a far cry from the didactic or dry tone that bogs down so many business podcasts.

Ready to see what value you can gain from casual conversation? Check out Marketing Over Coffee’s blog page and listen in to a few episodes, here.

The Science of Social Media

Most brands know that they have to put social media to work – but many don’t realize exactly how social media works, in and of itself.

For a deeper understanding of the many moving parts of a successful social media marketing campaign – including everything from user-generated content to social listening – this podcast from Buffer is a great entry point!

Each episode features an episode with an industry insider, telling a personal story about their success with some aspect of social media marketing, whether that’s adapting their marketing for the holiday season or by getting started with Instagram Stories for business.

Looking to gain deeper insight into the stats – and stories – behind great social media marketing? You can listen to every single episode of The Science of Social Media here, via Buffer.

Adventures in Design

It’s important to realize that design is a vital part of any successful digital marketing strategy - whether that means creating compelling infographics, fashioning a memorable logo, or implementing a cohesive brand identity across a website.

So we’d be remiss if we didn’t highlight a few design-centric podcasts for all of our Photoshop-savvy friends and teammates! Whether you fire up Adobe every day or you’re a graphic design newbie, Adventures in Design is a great place to start.

Hosted by Mark Brickey, this daily show is educational and inspiring in equal measure; each episode features a free-wheeling conversation with a creative professional, diving into their work, their personal life, and the balance between the two.

You can explore Adventures in Design’s extensive backlog here, on SoundCloud.

Design Matters

If you believe that design matters – and if you’re a friend of the Geeks, we’re going to assume you do – then Debbie Millman’s essential podcast is for you.

Billing itself as “the world’s first podcast about design,” Design Matters is an easy entry point into the world of graphic and visual design because it doesn’t strictly limit its focus on the industry; instead, Millman invites on wide range of guests from a wide range of fields, exploring the many forms that design can take in business and everyday life.

Ready to hear what filmmakers, curators, branding consultants, and playwrights have to say? You can get started with Design Matters here.

StartUp

The flagship podcast of Gimlet media, StartUp is a fascinating, funny, and utterly unflinching look at what it actually takes to launch and run a business, soup-to-nuts.

Told via the insightful and compelling stories of hosts Lisa Chow and Alex Blumberg – a CEO who got his start as a radio journalist and producer – StartUp is now in its sixth season, but it’s just as relevant as ever, and its extensive back catalog makes it a perfect marathon listen for flights or car rides.

What’s more, StartUp’s longevity has allowed it to dig into topics that other podcasts could never explore, including its recent, fascinating looks into the world of domain names.

Ready to start up with StartUp? Check out the show on Gimlet media’s site, here.

Have any other business, design, or marketing podcasts you think our team needs to check out? We’d love to hear from you! Drop us a line today, and don’t hesitate to reach out via Facebook or Twitter, where we keep the geek-speak going 24/7!