According to AdWeek, podcasts are on the rise, particularly with the millennial generation, and the lifecycle of the blog is slowly dragging along.

And yes, this is a blog post about blogs dying—well, more so about podcasts thriving.

In this digitally-immersed culture, connecting with your audience is a more crucial element of your marketing strategy than ever. The consumers and the decision makers you are looking to attract to your company are constantly on the go, and the time they have to direct their full attention to reading your blog is null. Podcasts, on the other hand, are specifically designed to empower their listeners with the gift of multi-tasking. They’re accessible at any time—in the car, during exercise, or during household chores—and the method of communication offers more authenticity and engagement than words on a screen. Instead of letting your words speak for you, you can control your tone, delivery, and the excitement in your story-telling, which will more effectively engage your listeners. 

If you want to connect your audience to your brand and highlight your thought leadership, podcasts might just be the best way to show your credibility and engage with your consumers.  Here is our list of the five best marketing podcasts that you can listen to no matter where you are or what you're doing.

1. Growth Byte: We're always on the go—it’s the sometimes unfortunate reality of our lives that there will always be something more important to be doing. Our attention spans are completely limited, and this is why Growth Byte is one of our favorite podcasts. As a 2-3 minute summary on successful growth hacks, this podcast offers its listeners a broad overview of topics that you can then dive into more thoroughly at your own convenience. 
2. Social Pros Podcast: Social media marketing is in, especially for B2C businesses. Your brand’s presence should be wherever your customers are, and these days, it doesn’t matter if your customers are the millennial generation or beyond—social media has penetrated every age group. The only question that remains is simply a matter of which platform your audience is on.  Listen to tthe Social Pros Podcast to learn how to effectively put your message across through social media.
3. PNR: This Old Marketing: Don’t let the title of this one confuse you into thinking it’s about outdated methods of marketing. PNR is all about content marketing, which has been around for decades in case you didn’t know. While these shows are a bit lengthier (up to an hour) they’re particularly entertaining and informational. Not to mention it’s led by the geniuses behind the Content Marketing Institute.
4. Conversion Cast: Everyone wants to maximize conversions—after all, conversions are where the money is made (or at least where your database grows). These podcasts range from 5 -30 minutes and present a collection of case studies for those of you who want a more tangible example of success. Each episode gives you the real before and after data to illustrate tactics that you can start using in your own marketing strategy.
5. Marketing Over Coffee: Just like you go to a coffee shop to have a nice conversation with a friend here and there, “Marketing Over Coffee” takes place at a local coffee shop each week and provides the kinds of marketing insights that can only come from casual conversations. These podcasts are only about 20 minutes long and cover a broad range of topics including copywriting, social networks, and even offline marketing campaigns to name a few you may not find elsewhere.

These are just Snyder Group's list of the best marketing podcasts.  If you have other favorites, let us know in the comments, but if you're ready to start launching your own podcast series, the most important starting point is in understanding your targeted audience. From those insights, you can set specific durations, topics to be covered, points of views to include, and other unique points that will help your podcast stand out from some of the best.