Monday, 30 April - 20:54 Category: e-marketing, Content

The Princess And The Podcast

SYNOPSIS: 10 Podcast ideas and why you should be jumping on the Podcast train!

To be honest, the link between this headline and what I have to say is pretty tenuous but I liked the headline so hey, I'm going to bend the content!

Podcasting is catching on big-time. (The number of people who listen to podcasts is currently DOUBLING every 3 to 4 months.)  You only have to visit the Podcast section of iTunes to discover just how popular this sport is becoming. If you're not familiar with what a Podcast is then don’t panic because it sounds more complicated than it really is -- it is an audio recording saved, usually as an MP3 file, and uploaded to the Internet. It becomes accessible for people to download either via your website or by connecting in with the many Podcast directories that are springing up (iTunes being one).

So it's just an audio recording. The great thing about it is that anybody can do it and when you look at just how many Podcasts there are out there it appears that everybody is. Now I'm not one to jump on gravy trains because they never last but I think Podcasting may be different and it may be something which your business can effectively utilise. After all, the ability to put audio on a webpage has been around for years it's just that now it has a cool title courtesy of the iPod generation.

Let's just take 1 minute to understand why you might want to do this. As a business you are no doubt looking at using as many ways as possible to get your message out to your prospects. At its simplest audio is another delivery channel. However it also creates very important personal contact with your business. Now your prospect can hear you and the passion you have for what you do. This helps in creating a human bond between your website and your prospect it is also a more relaxed/passive way of your prospect of absorbing key information.

Let me give you 10 ideas for Podcasts that you could do almost immediately.

  1. Interview your MD (if you are the MD just talk passionately about your business values and what you hope your customers can achieve with your help).
  2. Interview people in your organisation at key points in your production process.
  3. Giveaway some free, useful information which will help your prospect.
  4. Interview a customer.
  5. Give a 5-minute review of a new product or service in your industry.
  6. Get some audio testimonials from clients.
  7. 10 Things Our Competitors Don't Want You to Know.
  8. The Best Kept Secret You Need to Know
  9. 7 Ways We Can Help You Make Money
  10. 7 Ways We Can Help You Save Money

That's a kickstart for you but there are no rules on content, just let your imagination go.

There's lots of great advice on the web about the type of recording gear you need but you could easily use dictaphone and condenser mike and still get good results. There's also lots of great advice on how to present yourself in the Podcast but here is my advice... be yourself. The more natural you sound the more people will connect with you and your message. Don't worry about pauses, umming and r'ing and whatever you do don't be too serious. A little bit of comic banter can take the stiffness out of the presentation. Just imagine you are having a conversation over a coffee (or better still, a pint). (If you want to listen to the absolute masters of this type of presentation checkout www.boagworld.com.) And the link to the headline? Never talk like a member of the Royal family (appalling, I know, apologies -- I'll try harder next time.)

Happy talking!

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Posted By:Jed Wylie on Wed, Apr 30th 2008, 20:54