Calling all ancients who lived back in days where marketing podcasts were not a thing! ??

Let's flashback to 10 or 15 years ago on those long commutes, where all we did was turn up the volume when Adele came on the radio or roll our eyes at the goofy DJ and his uninspired jokes. Alas, 2021 came along and we say 'No more!'.  Most of us have now (quite intelligently) joined what we here at ClickGUARD like to call Highway University (it's not a term we coined ourselves, but we adhere to the sentiment). 

Our daily morning commute has turned from the most dreaded time of day into what is often a time for winding down and learning new and exciting things. How? Why, through podcasts, of course! With over a million podcast channels creating regular content and around 43 million episodes aired as of January this year, there's certainly something out there to satisfy just about anyone's thirst for either knowledge or entertainment. 

If you're a marketer or entrepreneur, you probably already know what we're talking about. Marketing podcasts - particularly the best marketing podcasts - are a goldmine of information and a great tool for learning from the best marketing minds. We're sure you already have a favorite or two, but with so many good ones, it's almost impossible to keep track of which ones to follow. Or which ones to pass. 

So if you're looking to get inspired, we've put together a list for you of the 10 marketing podcasts to keep an eye (or an ear ??) out for in 2021. 

Marketing Over Coffee 

With 12+ years of broadcasting, this popular weekly podcast hosted by John J. Wall and Christopher S. Penn covers new tactics as well as classic approaches in the worlds of social media marketing, SEO, search marketing, copywriting, affiliate marketing and more. 

Each 20 to 30-minutes long episode is recorded in a local coffee shop and has a casual, conversational feel about it. 

But, short as they may be, every one of John and Christopher's podcast episodes is packed with insights and has an actionable takeaway you can start using today. 

 ?? Recommended Episodes:

• The Facebook Money Machine (2018) 
• Seth Godin on What To Do When It's Your Turn (2015)
• Simon Sinek: Start With Why (2010)

Marketing School with Neil Patel & Eric Siu 

This podcast is 100% marketing. 

If you want to stay on top of the newest trends, tips, dos and don'ts of marketing but you just don't have enough time for those lengthy 1-hour podcasts, Neil Patel & Eric Siu, marketers extraordinaire have got your back! 

Dropping daily 5 to 10 minute episodes, industry experts Eric and Neil aim at bringing you valuable, actionable tips to help take your business to the next level. 

Their content is entertaining and useful and Marketing School is notorious for making you want to kick your traditional marketing strategies to the curb and adopt some of the more unconventional approaches these two co-hosts have learned through their years in the trenches.

Available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, YouTube, Google Play and SoundCloud, Marketing School is probably also the most ever-present podcast. You can hardly find a platform where it's not hosted! 

 ?? Recommended Episodes:

• How You Can Make Your Content Addictive (2018) 
• Never Polish a Turd (2020)
• 5 Sneaky Ways to Decrease Your Facebook Ad Costs (2021)

Online Marketing Made Easy

Since the first episode of Online Marketing Made Easy in 2013, Amy Porterfield's podcast has been THE GO-TO marketing podcast for small business owners. 

A sort of Marketing 101 class offering 'expert interviews, mini execution plans, intimate behind-the-scenes secrets from the biggest launches, and so much more'. 

For those of you first starting out, vague marketing strategies like 'create value for your customers' can feel overwhelming and confusing. Amy's superpower is breaking down these strategies into small, manageable step-by-step pieces that are easy to execute and implement on your way to reaching your business goals. 

In short, she makes online marketing easy! You just have to be willing to put her actionable tips to work.  

 ?? Recommended Episodes:

• Landing Page Not Converting? Here's What To Do! (2020)
• Common Facebook Ad Mistakes: How to Avoid Them and Save Money (2021)
• Email List Growth Strategies That Will Transform Your Business (2020)

The GaryVee Audio Experience Podcast

Hosted by entrepreneur, CEO, investor, vlogger and popular public speaker Gary Vaynerchuk, this podcast is a mix of keynote speeches, interviews with social media experts, highlights from the DailyVee and parts of the #AskGaryVee Show. 

The co-founder and CEO of VaynerMedia often speaks directly to his followers on online platforms and if you happen to be one of his followers you are probably familiar with his raw, truthful, no-nonsense approach that seems to resonate with so many. 

 ?? Recommended Episodes:

• The Difference Between a Winning and Losing Mindset (2018)
• What Your Media Plan Should Look Like (2021)
• A Rant: Overnight Success (2017)

The Smart Passive Income

We believe the title is self-explanatory on this one. Many times, we get questions about why to listen to this podcast or the other. Our answer in the case of Pat Flynn's show is: 'Do you want to have a smart passive income?' 

If 'yes', that's why. 

With guests every other episode, Pat makes sure to also answer the 'how' by sharing easy, pain-free marketing strategies and revealing the best kept secrets behind generating passive income through affiliate marketing and new episodes come out regularly so as to help you stay ahead of the curve. 

 ?? Recommended Episodes:

• The Story You Tell Yourself (That Could Crush You)(2018)
• Gary Vaynerchuk and How to Fight and Win in Social Media 
• Your Relationship With Selling and How To Finally Get Your First Customer with Ramit Sethi (2020)

Social Media Marketing

Social Media Examiner's founder Michael Stelzner has a weekly podcast where he interviews industry professionals to break down new social media features and strategies and provide listeners with actionable tips they can use to improve their social media marketing efforts. 

Often joined on the podcast by other members of the SME team, Michael manages to supply his audience with real, in-the-trenches insights and real life stories in a fun and entertaining way. 

All in all,Social Media Marketing is probably the #1 social media marketing podcast on this list and an essential listening if you use social media to connect with your customers. 

 ?? Recommended Episodes:

• Facebook Ads: Creative Ways to Attract Prospects and Customers (2017)
• What To Do When Facebook Ads Fail (2021)
• How to Analyze Your Marketing: Google Analytics Strategy (2020)

Copyblogger FM

If you're looking for a podcast to help you improve your content marketing and writing skills (and everyone should), Copyblogger FM has a lot to offer.

It is not necessarily a marketing podcast, but it has a lot of marketing content. Hosts Darrell Vesterfelt and Tim Stoddart and a cast of rotating experts explore subjects in content marketing, copywriting, email marketing, conversion optimization, business mindset and more in this weekly, short-form broadcast. 

If we had to choose one thing about this podcast to call our favorite, it would be the practical advice it offers. There are lists, tutorials, case-studies, basically everything you need to bring your content writing game to the next level. 

 ?? Recommended Episodes:

• 3 Ways Strategic Content Can Drive Measurable Business Outcomes (2019)
• 10 Quality Factors Search Engines Need to See on Your Site (2018)
• How to Write Content That Resonates (2020)

Everyone Hates Marketers 

Louis Grenier, the self-described 'moody French guy who likes to talk of himself in the third person' is the face (or better yet, the voice) behind Everyone Hates Marketers, a weekly no-fluff actionable marketing podcast aiming to help you stand out from the crowd. 

Every week, Grenier holds interviews with marketers and entrepreneurs who share their success stories as well as their most epic failures and who have learned through trial-and-error how to do marketing the right way. 

With the use of practical marketing tips that are applicable to any business, the podcast focuses on getting more leads, more website visitors and more customers for its listeners. 

 ?? Recommended Episodes:

• 3 Steps To Repurposing Your Content For Every Channel (2020)
• How To Increase Conversions by Understanding How People Make Decisions (2020)
• The Mistakes To Avoid When Launching a Product (2020)

Akimbo by Seth Godin

This list of top 10 marketing podcasts would not be complete without Seth Godin - speaker, teacher, and the author of the most popular marketing blogs ever. Also, probably the father of everything marketing in the latter half of the 20th century (but hey, don't take it from us, listen to and read the guy, he's a legend).  

Akimbo is, true to Seth Godin's style, a marketing podcast with a twist. It's a podcast about our culture and how we can change it. 

It's short-and-sweet episodes, rarely longer than 30 minutes, feel more like the chapters of an audio book than your traditional podcast episode. 

Each episode tells the story of a business, a person or a customer and breaks down the lessons about how we (and our products) connect with people. Once the story is told, Seth answers questions about the previous week's episode that can be submitted through the podcast's website. 

 ?? Recommended Episodes:

• The Hype Cycle (2019)
• Direct Advertising (And the Other Kind) (2021)
• Opportunity Cost (2019)

Marketing Scoop Podcast 

Your weekly SEO podcast by Semrush is your source for case-based stories following the marketing growth of brands ranging from local names to global giants like Google, IKEA and Vodafone. 

Tune in once a week, while host Laura Morelli interviews the people behind successful, integrated marketing campaigns. From content creation to the best SEO tools, strategies, and techniques, this podcast educates and aims to give your digital marketing the edge.

 ?? Recommended Episodes:

• Are Links Important for SEO? (2019)
• How Repurpose House Helped Its Client Triple Their Leads by Repurposing Content (2020)
• Social Media Content That Converts (2019)

BONUS: Beyond PPC

The podcasting world is a living, breathing monster and new quality content is being put out every day. Even if you have a go-to podcast for all your marketing latest and greatest, don't underestimate all the valuable information you might be overlooking if you don't keep up with the up-and-coming players.

Like ClickGUARD's brand spanking new podcast, Beyond PPC. Dedicated as ever to bring you all you need to know about PPC (and beyond, in case the name wasn't clear!) with its in-your-ear approach structured in the most convenient format to fit your busy lifestyle, our marketing broadcast aspires to inspire so don't forget to check it out here. 

Podcasts are a part of our daily lives. We laugh with them, relax while listening and, perhaps most importantly, learn from them. By mixing and matching different marketing podcasts episodes, we're able to create our own curriculum, taught by those teachers we want to hear from. 

But enough for today, fellow students of The Highway University. I think I heard the bell.

Class dismissed! ??