Mitie’s B2B Audio Advertising Success: A Case Study of Award-Winning Podcast Strategy
Winning The Drum Awards for B2B in the Audio category is Mitie. Here’s how their audio content strategy captured attention.
In February 2024, Mitie launched its new podcast series, The Science of Service Podcast. What started as an experiment quickly skyrocketed into the top 10% of podcasts, an unexpected success fueled by a well-executed B2B audio advertising strategy.
Challenge: Shifting Perceptions in Facilities Management
Traditionally, the facilities management (FM) industry was viewed as a cost center rather than a value driver. Mitie saw an opportunity to change this narrative and differentiate itself by using thought-leadership audio content to showcase the innovation happening within FM. The goal was to highlight the impact of their work and the value added to clients’ businesses. With this in mind, Mitie launched a six-part podcast series, utilizing audio case studies to broaden their audience reach and position the brand as an industry thought leader.
Although Mitie had limited experience with podcasts, they were confident in the stories they had to share. The aim was clear: grow brand awareness and engage target audiences that had been difficult to reach with written content. As a first-time B2B podcast, the goal was to achieve 250 downloads per episode. However, their innovative approach to B2B audio advertising helped them exceed that goal dramatically.
Strategy: Immersive Audio Experience and Industry Expertise
To set their podcast apart, Mitie focused on real-world changes and client success stories, offering a hands-on, immersive audio experience. The episodes featured visits to places like Lloyds Banking Group, Eurostar, and The Shard, sharing industry insights in an engaging format that went beyond standard interviews.
The podcast’s audio content strategy aimed to make facilities management more relatable and humanized, blending investigative journalism with warmth and humor through the voices of The Workplace Geeks, Chris Moriarty and Ian Ellison. This collaboration was key to reaching a broader audience.
By partnering with Buzzsprout, Mitie made the podcast accessible on major platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music. This helped move the content beyond professional circles into a broader, on-the-go audience, turning the series into both a source of inspiration and entertainment.
Execution: Targeting B2B Audiences through Multiple Channels
Mitie targeted a wide range of listeners, from industry experts and prospective customers to Mitie colleagues and featured clients. The podcast was promoted through multiple channels, including email marketing, PR, social media, and internal communications. Most promotion directed listeners to a bespoke landing page where they could listen to episodes and engage with lead generation forms.
Internally, Mitie’s Bids and Sales teams used the podcast to spark conversations and integrate it into client bids. External promotion included creating 101 creative assets—such as episode artwork, promotional banners, and social cards—that broke away from traditional corporate branding to appeal to a wider audience.
Results: A Top-Ranking B2B Podcast Series
Mitie exceeded expectations, with each episode averaging 10K downloads—far surpassing their initial target of 250. One episode was downloaded more than 26,000 times and counting. As a result, the podcast ranked in the top 10% of podcasts globally within the first seven days, with two episodes hitting the top 5%.
Mitie’s innovative B2B audio advertising approach, combined with a thoughtful audio content strategy, resulted in a podcast series that not only shifted perceptions within the FM industry but also positioned the brand as a thought leader in the B2B space. This case study proves that when executed with creativity and precision, audio content can deliver measurable success and far exceed expectations in the world of B2B marketing.
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