Talk To Your Customers Straight From Their Desktop
Get the Podcast advantage
What is a Podcast or Podcasting?
Short answer, it’s RSS with audio ‘attachments’. If you need to know, the audio isn’t really attached to your RSS as you would an email, that’s just so people can quickly grasp the idea. Podcasts have an extra tag added into them that links to your audio file. When someone subscribes to your audio enchanced RSS feed or better known as Podcast with a Podcast aggregator, the aggregator will download the audio file onto the user’s computer automatically each time the Podcast is updated.
Yes if you get the big idea – it works like your RSS aggregator except the Podcast aggregator can download the file and be linked to a media player like Windows Media Player or iTunes and play the file automatically after download. You might think so what? Anyone can download an MP3 file anytime without installing additional software. What’s the big deal?
What’s The Big Deal
Automation! That’s the big deal. Podcast subscribers or listeners if you prefer, like podcasts because it automates the downloading process AND it allows them to have their favorite audio To-Go. Let’s take me for example. I tell my Podcast aggregator to check my chosen subscriptions every night at 8pm and tell it to send the downloaded MP3’s to my portable MP3 player. When I get ready for bed everynight, I unplug my MP3 player, plug in my headsets and start listening.
People love it because it frees them from manually checking their favorite audio enabled websites to download new files. With Podcasts people set their aggregators to download audio files just before they head for work in the morning or whatever activity they do and when they’re ready to go they can take it with them. But Podcast listeners aren’t only attracted to the mobility factor but also the ability to have the MP3 already downloaded onto their PC and ready to listen to whenever they are – it’s like Tivo for MP3’s.
What It Means To Marketers
Plenty. First, if you publish audio files of any kind whether it is audio newsletters, teleconference calls or interviews regularly, now you can put your messages directly onto customers’ desktops. If you’ve ever had the problem of people telling you they never received the email where to download the MP3’s or if people aren’t being notified in a timely manner of your downloads, a Podcast simplifies everything for you and your customers.
Second, audio is easier to produce than text. Okay some of you may disagree with me here but I find it so much easier and faster to record an audio newsletter or message than to sit and type. Podcasts are a quick and easy method of publishing, it’s somewhat personal because people can hear you, your personality comes through and it seems like you’re speaking directly to them - great for building that relationship and it can distribute your message out to them in a timely fashion without concern about spam, filters or any of that stuff associated with email marketing.
I’m sure you can figure out a lot more advantages by now and see the value of podcasting for your marketing efforts. So….
How Do I Create My Own Podcast?
I’m glad you asked! My friend and partner Kelly McCausey, an Internet Radio host and long time podcaster has created an extremely valuable step-by-step course to help you get started. Kelly has really made it easy even if you’re not the technical type and her many years of experience makes her a walking goldmine resource. Check out the affordable How to Launch a Podcast/Internet Radio Show eBook.
