There is no such thing as a comprehensive marketing education. While a top flight degree and experience in an innovative environment can put you at the top of your field, there is always more to learn.
Technology continues to evolve, industries continue to adapt, and marketing strategies are advancing rapidly to stay ahead of that ever-moving curve.
Fortunately we live in an age of freely accessible information, highlighted by the sheer quality of free podcasts on all things marketing. There are dozens of podcasts on the topic – from classic academic theory to cutting edge tactics and strategies from the front lines.
We’ve narrowed that list down to just 10 podcasts anyone interested in a career in marketing should be listening to.
Harvard Business Review IdeaCast
The Harvard Business Review is one of the best known publications in the business education community.
Their IdeaCast podcast is loaded with interviews, emerging trends in digital and traditional marketing, and discussions on the most effective tools and tactics currently being used. It’s a must download for anyone in or soon to be in the marketing field.
Wall Street Journal on Small Business
Along the same lines is the Wall Street Journal on Small Business podcast. While the WSJ podcast is focused more towards small business trends and topics in general, there are a lot of useful insights here about market conditions, consumer behavior, and more.
Again, there are quite a few interviews with industry thought leaders, as well as recent news on small business topics.
The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast
John Jantsch’s philosophy is one that can be applied by any sized business in almost any industry. His grass-roots style marketing strategies can give you insight into how effective marketing campaigns are being scaled at all stages of business growth.
It’s a way to hear case studies from outside of a textbook and imagine how to implement those strategies yourself.
AdAge Outlook
Ad Age Outlook is focused heavily on news in the marketing industry. It increasingly skews towards digital marketing, but Ad Age has long been a solid source of information for traditional marketing channels as well.
Social Triggers Insider
Derek Halpern is known for mining gold from social psychology to show how people think, why they react the way they do, and how those insights can be used in your marketing campaigns.
Whether you are studying marketing or hoping to move forward in your career, Halpern’s insights are unique and incredibly powerful for numerous industries.
Social Media Marketing Podcast
Social Media Examiner produces this podcast almost exclusively about social media. What was once a niche concern is now the focal point of most digital marketing campaigns.
With the Social Media Marketing Podcast, you’ll get insights into how social strategies are evolving, how new product and platform updates will affect you, and what strategies – both in content marketing and advertising – are gaining steam. This is the kind of information anyone seeking a career in marketing should know.
Beancast
Now owned by Evol8tion, the company behind StartupsforBrands.com, Beancast has been around for a long time, discussing important topics in marketing, from advertising platforms to Google’s SEO updates, to the future of traditional media buys, and paid promotions both in social and offline.
This podcast will not only give you ideas; it will provide real world insights into how what you’ve learned in school or in your career can be applied across multiple verticals.
David Allen Company Podcast
David Allen is the visionary behind the Getting Things Done series of books on productivity. He currently does speaking engagements on that very topic and runs this podcast.
While not precisely about marketing, the concepts here are ideal for anyone seeking a fast paced marketing career. From organizing and prioritizing tasks to analyzing results, Allan’s GTD podcast covers it all.
Game Theory
Game Theory is one of the fundamental concepts of modern economics and it lays the foundation for much of what we know about how marketing affects its audience.
While you won’t find a lot of direct tactics or strategies in Ben Polak’s course, you will find a lot of very useful insights into how people think and why they act the way they do. Combined with fun examples, an exuberant instructor, and grad-school level discussions, this is a must for any future marketing professionals.
Marketing Over Coffee
Recently relaunched, Marketing Over Coffee features John Wall and Christopher Penn discussing recent news in the new media marketing field along with specific examples of how tactics are being utilized, mostly online but not exclusively. It’s a fun one but also loaded with useful insights and actionable tips.
These are only 10 of the many podcasts that cover marketing topics every week. Let us know what your favorites are, whether it’s one already on our list or one we missed.
There are so many ways to learn and marketers eager to share their successes and ideas – listen carefully and you can walk away with powerful insights that will prepare you for a career in the marketing industry.
About the Author
Featured on websites in more than a dozens countries, Anthony Chatfield has consulted with business leaders, Fortune 500 companies, and entrepreneurs for much of the last decade.
Anthony founded two companies in content development and marketing and currently provides private consulting services for the online-side of small and medium sized business’s marketing campaigns.
Anthony currently lives in Staten Island, NY and produces marketing and content development training on numerous websites.
For more information, visit his Google+ Page.