SaaS Founder Interview with Lindsay Tjepkema, CEO & Co-Founder of Casted

Podcasting as a Marketing Tool & Learning How to Trust Your Gut

 

Casted is the first podcast solution for B2B marketers. It is the new generation of B2B video and podcasting.

Casted enables companies to publish podcast and video content that helps increase search engine, discover ability, enables your sales team, and superchargers your social media and email marketing campaigns. Casted is the most advanced B2B podcast content marketing platform that is available to marketing teams of any size.

Podcasting is becoming an increasingly popular content marketing tool for businesses, as it enables brands to reach wider and more engaged audiences with unique and engaging voices. Podcasts can be used to share stories, discuss industry trends, promote products, interview customers and prospects, or provide educational content that’s valuable to people. It’s also a great way to create loyalty and connection with listeners, allowing companies to build relationships that drive brand recognition and recall.

Podcasting is cost-effective since it requires minimal production resources compared to other forms of audio and visual content like videos or radio advertisements. By investing in podcasts instead of traditional media channels, companies now have greater control over how they are represented while increasing their ROI significantly at the same time!

Tony Zayas, Insivia’s VP of Growth, and Andy Halko, Insivia’s Founder and CEO, interviewed Lindsay about her journey into making Casted a competitor in the market.

Here are some key takeaways from Insivia’s sit down interview with Lindsay Tjepkema.

Getting The Idea Off the Ground

Tjepkema’s background is in marketing where she explored careers like VP of Content and Marketing, and more. But she “found the two best co-founders on the planet” to help excel her ideas:  Adam Padrino and Zachary Ballenger.

“Adam has… a business school background, but also handles the product side of the business. And, he’s got engineering and design and business and knows how it all needs to work together to drive real value in real results.” Whereas their co-founder Ballenger, “heads up the entire revenue side of the business and just has a really unique perspective on how not just new business but also existing business and marketing need to work together to be the tip of the spear,” Tjepkema said.

Even with the perfect team, that doesn’t mean Tjepkema didn’t hit some roadblocks along the way. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to bring an idea to life and get it off the ground. There are never ending obstacles which must be overcome in order for a business to become financially successful: finding the right partners, creating strategies that will drive sales and growth, developing the right marketing plans, determining legal requirements and liability, sourcing affordable capital, staying competitive within an ever-evolving market, ensuring customer satisfaction while providing excellent customer service… The list goes on.

It may seem impossible to succeed at times, but with perseverance and the right team by your side, anything is possible.

What makes podcasting so effective is its accessibility – anyone with internet access can listen regardless of location or device. As such, podcasts have expanded the reach of traditional marketing efforts, allowing companies to expand their exposure with diverse audiences around the world. Additionally, podcasts are highly customizable; they can feature multiple hosts talking informally about anything from tech news to how-tos on specific topics. This means companies can tailor their messaging based on current trends or hot topics in the industry.

“The first couple months of it, it was the juxtaposition between, I can’t imagine anyone else doing this, this is me, this is what I’ve, you know, been working my entire career for: is to be able to dive in headfirst into something that I am uniquely positioned to lead. And I am weirdly, weirdly passionate about it. I just I can’t even fathom the thought of anybody else leading this,” Tjepkema said.

Taking Risks that Pay Off

Taking risks can be essential to the success of a SaaS startup. Those who are not afraid of failure have the potential to create something truly innovative and disruptive. Entrepreneurs need to be willing to take calculated risks in order to create something new and think outside of the box. Without risk taking, it is hard for a startup to stand out among competitors and gain traction in the market. Being creative with ideas, products, and services can help businesses differentiate themselves from their competitors while also allowing them to test different approaches and strategies that may result in greater success. Taking risks is never easy but it can ultimately lead to great rewards.

“You know, it’s funny, I don’t think I realized, I know, I didn’t realize how competitive I am or how much slicker I am, until just a couple of years ago, until other people around me like my husband and friends that were like, I could never do what you’re doing…looking back from this vantage point, looking at, you know, the twists in the road, and the times where I was like, well, that’s not gonna work time to go bet on myself again.”

Being competitive in entrepreneurship is key for any business hoping to make it big. Having the right combination of skills, resources, and strategies can enable entrepreneurs to have an edge over competitors. To stay ahead of the competition, businesses must be constantly adapting and innovating, as well as keeping a close eye on market trends and customer demands. Staying organized and efficient with operations can help entrepreneurs gain ground while also saving time and money in the long run. Maintaining focus on the bigger picture by understanding goals and knowing how to measure success can help ensure companies are continuously striving towards something greater.

Being the Target Audience Your SaaS Business is Targeting

“I have the distinct advantage of having been in my customer’s shoes, but I also don’t want to make the mistake of assuming that I know what they know, right?” Tjepkema said with a grin.

Understanding your target audience is vital to the success of any business, but is especially crucial for startups. Knowing who your potential customers are and what they need/want can help you create a product or service that meets their needs. It is also important to understand how different demographics respond to various marketing tactics and campaigns, as this can help you customize your approach in order to reach people more effectively.

“Especially the further away I get from it, you know, so I haven’t been a marketing leader, as my single job for a year and a half now, right? And so I have to continue, and our whole company does have to continue to talk to our customers, ask our customers, ask our prospects, take the voice of the market, and, and really not take anything for granted. Because when you do that, that’s when you make a lot of mistakes. And so, my experience, although it is very, very deep, and I rely, I think your instinct, your gut instinct is data. It’s one data point,” Tjepkema said.

Knowing what motivates them, their pain points, and how they think can give SaaS foundeers the insight needed to craft effective strategies that will resonate with their ideal customer base. By having a deep understanding of the target audience, businesses can ensure that they are better able to meet consumer expectations and build long-term relationships with their customers.

Maintaining Balance as a Woman in Charge

Halko, Insivia’s CEO, pointed out how exponentially more difficult it is to not only be a woman in business, but a female founder, mother, and woman in charge.

“You know, you’re a mom, you’re a founder. How do you find that balance to or the expectations that come from that? Because I do think it’s different for me as a dad than it is even for my wife, as a mom. And so I’m just kind of curious from that perspective.”

Tjepkema replied with gratitude, “Thanks for asking [that question]. Because I think a lot of people are like, ‘well, why would you even ask me that?’, but it’s true. I mean, whether we want to admit it or not. It’s true. I think that’s just kind of the way it is. Good, bad or otherwise.”

According to a recent analysis of data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, women are starting businesses at 1.5 times the rate of men. Additionally, research from First Round Capital found that companies with female founders outperform those without by 63%. It’s no doubt women can lead, but accompanying that with the burden of starting a family and having a life outside of work is difficult no matter who you are.

“I’m a mom. And I’m trying really hard to kick ass at both. And I think same for you. I mean, you’re, you’re a dad, and, and you’re running a company, and I think you’re trying really hard to kick ass at both. And we’re all I think, I think for everybody, it’s, it’s one of those adages, like you never know, what somebody else is, is bringing to the table. So like, acknowledge it, your whole self to what you do. Be your whole self. I think especially now, we’ve all been through this last year, people are much more willing to, to be open to that and to share those sides of themselves. And I absolutely think we should.”

Key Takeaways

Building the right team will be difficult no matter what, it’s arguably bigger than even a marriage. Once you find the right people who are perfectly aligned with your mission, while there will be roadblocks and obstacles along the way, taking risks will pay off. It is vital to pay attention to female founders who are experts in the field in order to benefit from the unique insights and experiences they bring. With the rise of podcasting as a booming industry, many female founders have had success in this area, proving that their voices need to be heard. According to recent research by IAB, podcast ad revenue reached $708 million in 2019, up 86% from 2018; indicating that podcasts are still experiencing strong growth and should not be overlooked as a strategic marketing tool.