“Creating a professional website layout, navigation and design”. This is video 4 in a series of 10 videos about how to start an internet business from scratch. From SubHub (www.subhub.com), membership site experts.
Posts Tagged Business
Friday, July 30th, 2010
How to Start an Internet Business – Video 4 of 10
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
Wardrobe secrets of business queen in weekly podcast
Wardrobe secrets of business queen in weekly podcast
Business Editor Amy Bould lets us into her wardrobe secrets in this week’s Sunday Supplement, on the eve of the Shropshire Business Awards.
Read more on Shropshire Star
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
Podcasting For Your Real Estate Business
Make room for the next generation in online communications, the Podcast. A podcast allows you to host your very own radio show and you do not need to work in the broadcasting industry or even be that entire tech savvy to create a podcast.
For those who are not sure what exactly a podcast is, it is simply an audio and video file containing speech, text, video, and even music if you like, that you create for others to download to their computer or MP3 mobile device to listen to at their convenience. Try Itunes and similar online outlets to find other real estate podcasts that you can download free to get a feel for how others have created theirs.
How do you get your podcast to your intended audience? By uploading your audio file along with and RSS file to your website. Visitors then can utilize programs designed to enable automatic downloading of these files for fast and simple on demand access to your podcast.
Ten Podcasting Tips
One, consider contracting with a real estate virtual assistant who offers website services such as podcast development and implementation, especially if you are not comfortable with speaking at length. You may wish to write down what you want to speak about before beginning so that you do not lose your train of thought and have uncomfortable gaps of silence in your audio file.
Two, to create a podcast without the services of a REVA, simplify things by using programs that have been made to do the harder work for you. Podcast People is one such example of a program that simplifies the making and publishing of a podcast.
Three, check to see if your computer came with a microphone already installed, otherwise you will need to buy one before you can begin recording your audio files. You may want to investigate purchasing a headset microphone with noise cancellation technology to keep white noise from overtaking your broadcast leaving you sounding as if you are speaking from inside a tunnel.
Four, you will need podcasting software for recording, storing, and uploading the files for your podcast. These podcasting software programs vary widely in price from 75 dollars or less to over 250 dollars. An alternative to investing in expensive podcast software before you know enough about them to choose the right one for your podcasting needs is to use a free podcast software program provider such as Audacity.
Five, you are going to want to make a few test recordings so that you can detect any problems before you publish your podcast and suffer the embarrassment of having numerous mistakes pointed out to you. Your goal if you remember is to impress clients and give them the rationale for choosing to bring their real estate business to you as opposed to your competitors, not to cause them to scoff at unintelligible podcasts.
Six, do not use industry terms that are not commonly known by everybody. This is the quickest way to turn off an audience and potential customers for your business.
Seven, variety is the spice that gets the best results. Avoid creating a podcast that is just one long sales pitch. Add in some interesting information and educational tidbits, humor, music, and more. Pretend you are speaking to good friends in your living room.
Eight, it is not too late to reconsider letting a real estate virtual assistant create a spectacular podcast for you if after listening to your test recordings you do not feel confident about the podcast you have created.
Nine, if you have decided to go with your own podcast creation it is now time to publish it for your clients to find, download, and listen to. Your podcasting software will convert your audio files into MP3 files, or if you have chosen an online podcasting software provider, follow their instructions for converting files to MP3 format and publishing your podcast.
Ten, for smaller or targeted distribution of your podcast upload it through the RSS feed to your website and you can even email your podcast files as attachment in emails to your valued clients.
Our Real Estate Virtual Assistants (VA) support real estate professionals nationwide with all of their marketing, technical, and, administrative needs.
Visit our VA Directory to find a Virtual Assistant in your state.
Monday, May 10th, 2010
Business Idea: Podcasts
One BIG tip that I can offer you as read my short synopsis today, learn how to become a successful PodCaster and watch your bottom-line fly skyward!
Each day starts and usually ends with the same BIG question. Our clients and prospects ask us, “How can I grow my business and capture my fair market share?” Our answer is quite simply, “Build yourself a base of prospects and work that pipeline relentlessly and efficiently.”
One BIG tip that I can offer you as read my short synopsis today, learn how to become a successful PodCaster and watch your bottom-line fly skyward!
Over the past decade, the Internet has created many new breakthrough marketing mediums. From successful ezine publishing and distribution straight through to more pronounced search engine optimization practices.
As a television and radio broadcaster/marketing consultant, I have had the sincere pleasure of understanding just how important both the radio and television marketing methods are to businesses and individuals in getting the word out to their prospective audience.
Our weekly online radio show, Net Talk Radio has been received very well amongst listeners and advertisers alike. I guess I always knew that in time, connectivity speeds and portable hand-held devices would ultimately allow for a more expansive target audience reach.
The day has finally arrived!
Although, we began using our online talk radio format years ago, we are now able to sweeten the pie by allowing our listeners to almost effortlessly download our show (information and entertainment) right into the iPod and iRiver devices. Now our audience can listen where ever and whenever “they” like. Plus, as an added-value benefit to us and our valuable advertisers, we can track every hit (listener) around the clock for about the cost of a cup of coffee! We make all this happen by deploying one of today’s best emerging audio/blogging technologies popularly referred to as, “PodCasting”.
PodCast Marketing: Anyone Can Do This!
First, What is Podcasting?
Podcasting is a term that manifested as a fresh way to describe the technology used to push (share) audio content from web sites down to consumers (clients) of that content, who usually listen to it on an iPod (hence the term “pod”) or any other type of .mp3 player (iRiver) at their command, convenience and control.
PodCasting is somewhat similar to the concept of time-shifted video software and devices like TiVo, which let you watch what you want exactly when you want it by simply recording and storing video, except that PodCasting is primarily used for audio to date. (Universal video deployment is most likely just around the corner.) With that stated I should explain, however, that this easy to use emerging technology can be used to push (deploy) any kind of file such as photos (images), software updates, videos and/or text.
PodCasting uses an XML-based technology called RSS (Real Simple Syndication). Content publishers (PodCasters) describe new content in an XML RSS file which includes dates, titles, descriptions, and specifics links to the .mp3 files. This “automatically” generated file is referred to as an RSS feed. Dave Winer is considered by many to be the creator of RSS and a pioneer in the environment of applied XML. The component to making PodCasting work with RSS is “enclosures” (remember that term), an element supported by RSS 2.0.
As a consumer or end-user, you simply run an “aggregator” (remember this term, too) program like MTV’s Adam Curry’s iPodder software on your local computer, which lets you easily subscribe to RSS feeds. Programs like Adam’s will either by schedule or by random design, download the RSS files, and check to see if any fresh content is available. If new content exists, the audio files are automatically downloaded and put into a folder (of your choice) on your hard disk or directly routed to your mp3 player.
I used an asterisk as noted above to make this very honest and often painful-to-some disclaimer. When I stated that “Anyone Can Do This”, I should more accurately state, “Anyone that properly learns (from a real professional) and activates their own PodCast process can reap the significant harvest of BIGGER numbers by creating and nurturing their own emerging community. As an online business owner this is HUGE and required! This marketing solution can not only make you financially solvent, it can even make you a “STAR”!
Fitting The PodCast Magic Into Your Arsenal
Here now is a list of things to do to prepare yourself for your first PodCast presentation.
1. Research The PodCast Element
Learn precisely what PodCasting is all about and how it works. I recommend visiting http://www.google.com and typing, “PodCast Radio” into the search field.
2. Physically Search Out Only The True Professionals
Create a list of those PodCasters that undeniably know exactly what they are doing. Align your yourself with only the best. From this list, call them on the phone and pick their brain(s). If you cannot locate an actual telephonic point of contact, I strongly urge you to wipe them from your list. You want to do business with those that believe in “touching” their market with more intimacy and one-to-one personalization rather than just an email. Remember, you are looking for a friend. A mentor. Not necessarily someone to take your money and be off. A solid partnership (friendship) is your objective here.
3. Discover Your Passion
What passion do you share with others? What true value will your audience glean from you? Who is your target audience? Understand your “WHY”!
4. Develop Your Plan & Work Your Process
What do you need to learn? What do you need to do? What specific date will you be ready? Who will provide you with the support you will need to fulfill your plan. What equipment is required?
5. Make Your Podcast Happen!
As you roll out your “new-to-you” adventure, don’t expect total perfection on day one. Be kind to yourself and know that you will evolve. We all started from square one. You should have heard my first radio air check from my first radio gig in Bakersfield, California. I sounded just like a bumbling knucklehead. 
Enough practice and desire can make you near perfect, but do be fair with you and give yourself time to grow.
Listen to other Pro-PodCasters. Listen to your local radio stations. Read books and articles like this one on a daily basis. (I do it everyday!6. Finally… No Excuses!
If you “really” want to crank up the heat on your marketing efforts, than PodCasting will give you the significant marketing advantage.
Know this…Others will talk about it, but never make their move.
You, on the other hand, will except no feeble excuses and get working on your very first PodCast right away! (At the very least, be sure to move PodCasting up near the top of “TO-DO” list!
In closing today…
I have illustrated only a fraction of what you must know before you go piling into your PodCast endeavor full steam ahead. Be sure to identify and experiment with all angles of marketing when it comes to producing an on-going, money-generating PodCast production for all the world to hear and take notice!
Happy PodCast Marketing!
Warren Yarnall
Author/Webmaster
Customer Care Representative
Phone: 928-684-6817
Email: warren@articles-barn.com
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
Getting Your Customer Grabbing Small Business Podcast Produced & Published Quickly
Stephanie Ciccarelli is the Vice President of Marketing and co-founder of Voices.com , the voice over marketplace. A vocal major and graduate from the Don Wright Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario, Stephanie is able to translate years of classical music training, theory and performance into practical applications within the voice over industry. Specializing in public relation and copy writing, her presence and persona embody the Voices.com brand through partner sites like PodcastingVoiceTalent.com.
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
What is Podcasting, and How Can Podcasting Boost Your Business?
“So what is podcasting all about?” you might ask. Podcasting is all about audio. You can make an MP3 (or other format) audio file full of valuable content and distribute it via the internet. Many people and companies produce podcasts on a regular basis, and they have subscribers who are notified every time there’s a newly uploaded podcast. Users can download podcasts to listen to on their computer while offline or on portable music players. Despite its name, podcasts are not made only for iPods but for any device capable of playing MP3 and other audio types.Many tech people and those in the internet industry have adopted podcasting as an important way of distributing content and marketing material. Podcasts allow you to create content that is different from articles and other written forms. They allow your listeners to hear you and even interact with you if the podcast includes a teleconference or phone recording. This will help build trust and boost your credibility, as long as your podcasts are full of valuable information.Know what is the best part about podcasting? The best thing is that anyone can produce a podcast; you don’t have to be a professional audio producer or a techie to be successful with this technique.Podcasts can be subscribed to via RSS feeds. RSS lets users know when a new podcast is ready and attaches the file to the feed. If your reader supports podcasting, you can even listen to it in the reader, or automatically download it and listen to it at their convenience. It only takes a bit of imagination to discover what podcasts can be used for – information content, interviews, music clips, news, radio shows, commentaries, webcasts, story telling, instructional and many more uses. The opportunities are endless.Technology such as VoIP is increasingly being used for podcasts. This adds a whole new level of functionality to podcasting and one that savvy users are taking advantage of. If you want to make a name for yourself in the internet marketing or affiliate marketing world (or any other industry), then running a weekly podcasting session and encouraging people to join in are effective ways to do that. People will look forward to your next recording and you can, of course, subtly promote your products and services in the podcasts. As long as you’re providing great value, podcasts make an excellent way to build trust with your customers and prospects, and increase your bottom line.What are the top benefits of podcasting? They include:1. BrandingPodcasting allows you to build a brand for your business. This is particularly true if your podcasts follow a similar format each week and have a catchy musical introduction.2. Asynchronous broadcastingPeople do not have to tune in at a specific time as with old-fashioned webcasts. They can listen to your podcast anytime, anywhere.3. Little effort requiredEven the most technologically challenged users are able to use podcasts – they just download the MP3 and play it on their computer or portable device. This makes it highly accessible to anyone.4. Relationship and trust buildingBy broadcasting yourself for your audience to hear, you instantly strike up credibility. Once your visitors know that you are a real person because they can hear your voice, the barriers come down and they subconsciously start to trust and like you more. This is a great way to strengthen the relationship between you and your website visitors and listeners.Now that you know what podcasting’s main benefits are, you can start using it today to grow and promote your business to a new level.
Discover the most profitable website marketing strategies and methods to increase online traffic using the very techniques, knowledge and tools that have made internet marketers millions of dollars at http://www.dynamic4marketing.com/
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
What are Podcasts and How Can They Help Your Business?
So What exactly Is A Podcast?
The word Podcast gets thrown around a lot these days but what exactly is a Podcast? Think of a podcast as a radio show that you can subscribe to or download at any time. It may help to think of it kind of like TIVO for audio programs. In fact, a podcast is a web feed of audio or video files placed on the Internet for anyone to subscribe to, or download. Search online and you’ll find a range of Podcasts available on nearly every topic imaginable. They range from entertainment focused to educational to business oriented and everywhere in between.
A podcast differs from a simple download in that new content may be automatically delivered. Users need not click into your website for important specials since all of this information may be automatically downloaded. A podcast show consists of a series of individual episodes that you can listen to and view on-line or offline whenever and wherever you want.
While podcasting has been around for about five years now remarkably, the term itself, has only been around since 2004. It’s a contraction of IPod (The most popular MP3 player) and broadcasting. However, you don’t even have to have an MP3 player to listen to programs. You can ’subscribe’ to an entire podcast series using software on your PC or listen to a single episode at a time by using a web browser. Subscribing to a podcast ensures that all new shows are automatically downloaded to your computer as they are published, and even better subscribing is generally free.
If you do happen to have an MP3 player, the next time you sync your device, your podcasts will be downloaded for listening on the go. If you don’t want to subscribe, but rather just want a copy of a particular episode, you can just click the “Download” button to save to your hard disk. Once downloaded you can then manage it and play it like you would any other audio file. What distinguishes podcasts from other audio or video media is that the content is accessible to its audience(s) whenever, wherever, and however they want.
What are the business applications of Podcasting?
The podcast is a real advantage for business travelers and salespeople who are constantly on the go. Since they are frequently in transit they can learn about what a company is offering while they travel. They’re able to stay in the loop about changes that are occurring in the industry or a particular company while on the way to their next meeting.
Whenever a business wants to change its marketing emphasis, their podcast will change with them. Podcasts enable potential customers to find out more about a particular company and its range of products and service without feeling pressured by a salesperson. Rather, a friendly voice explaining what makes the company unique will better serve to convert a potential client into a customer.
Podcasts also save on manpower. An extensive sales force is typically required to detail a company’s newest offers and innovations. With a podcast, visitors click in and are directed to any new information the company wants to present.
The other really great thing about podcasts is that they have an incredibly wide reach. Clients from across the world can access information on companies or products and learn about them in a simple, direct manner at any time, and without having to be tied to a computer.
Especially important is the utilization of pod cast directories which list podcast shows along with the links to their original websites. These directories publicize the available podcasts. Among the more popular of the podcast directories are Yahoo Podcasts, Odeo, Podcast Alley and Podcasting News.
When using directories it’s important to select genre and content categories that make it easier for listeners to find your podcast. Once you are listed with a directory, you will begin to get visitors from these directories to your website. In order to encourage visitors to listen your podcast you’ll need to start by creating an enticing title that tells them just enough about your product to intrigue them. More important than having a great title though is having even better content. An outline for your podcast will enable you to be sure you don’t lose your audience, and cover all the points you want to hit. How long your podcast will be is directly related to how much news you have to share and the extent to which you can keep that news fresh and exciting. Frequency of updates is also an important issue to address. This will likely depend on the nature of what you’re discussing and how quickly things change in that industry.
They range from entertainment focused to educational to business oriented and everywhere in between. Podcasts are basically like online radio shows that can be downloaded, or subscribed to. When used effectively they can be a powerful marketing tool for any sort of business.
Warren Yarnall
Author/Webmaster
Customer Care Representative
Phone: 928-684-6817
Email: warren@articles-barn.com
Monday, April 26th, 2010
How Podcasting Can Help Your Business
If you have a business, podcasting has many applications that allow you to get in front of your customers, get your name out there, and ultimately make you more money. It’s a great way to boost your business with a very small investment of money and time.
If you are not ready to make the leap to full time podcaster, there are other ideas. For example, you can podcast on an area of the industry you currently work in as an employee.
Show yourself to be interested in learning more about the business and you could find yourself considered as an up-and-comer when the next round of promotions happens at your office.
Alternatively, you can moonlight outside of your job as a podcaster. You can do this on a free basis as a hobby or in the capacity of an entrepreneur looking to eventually build your part-time business into a full-time career.
Palmcasting is a similar concept to podcasting, except it applies to PDA devices which can receive and play podcasts. Punchcasting is a way of receiving podcasts in your smartphone without having to sync it onto your computer first. It requires that you have a smartphone with RSS.
The future of podcasting is wide open right now because it is still a fledgling industry without a regulatory body. While podcasting is just catching on and only a couple years old, people are already talking about zencasting or vidcasting which is similar to podcasting but contains video as well.
But it doesn’t stop there. Visionaries will see beyond podcasting and even though it is exciting and new, technology advances so rapidly that it will get old very quickly. What is around the corner and how will podcasting influence it?
Soon, we may find highly interactive vidcasts that are automatically made available to us without us having to subscribe to them.
Based simply on our browsing or online buying habits and the technology will be streamlined enough that computers will automatically come with the programs that go out and catch the podcasts without having to download additional programs.
If you are really excited about the opportunity to podcast, then take a moment to select two or three topics and start brainstorming some subtopics that might be interesting to podcast on.
You can probably already see some opportunities for you to start a business or increase your current business through podcasting. You may want to create some subtopics under each heading to start thinking about specific podcasts that you can do.
If you want to make the leap from hobbyist to professional, to either boost current business or start a new business, you can. You’ll need a couple extra programs to create a quality sound. Here are some recommendations to get you started.
While technically, you can get started with the microphone that probably came with your computer, you’ll want to likely invest in a slightly better microphone or if you have more than one person speaking in your podcast, you’ll need to get more than one microphone.
A good place to start without having to rob a bank is to buy a USB microphone at an office supply store. They are affordably priced and unless you are planning studio quality production, they will do an excellent job for you.
It is quite easy to podcast; I’m sure you’re surprised at how easy it is. It’s quite another thing though, to maintain a podcast on an ongoing basis. A lot has been discussed about the regularity of podcasts and exactly how frequent a podcast needs to be.
While it is true that the frequency of a podcast does depend largely on the material that is covered, it is also true that subscribers may not be able to listen as frequently as you want to podcast.
If you have a lot of material and are looking to make a daily podcast you might want to consider a very short podcast of two to five minutes.
Like e-mail that gets stacked up in your inbox, podcasts that don’t get listen to compile a very quickly if a subscriber doesn’t get a chance to heara few of them in a row. Often what happens after that is a delete the whole batch, figure they’ve missed too much vital information, and unsubscribe.
On the other hand, too infrequent of a podcast will mean that people do not feel the same ownership in listening as they would from something a little more regular.
When it’s all said and done, you need to know what material you need to cover and how much time you have to spend on podcasts in order to determine how frequently you are going to podcast. This is the length to width ratio: the length of your podcast in relation to the width of the material.
Look at other podcasts to see what kind of material may cover and the relationship that has to the frequency they produce these podcasts. CNN, for example, can produce a daily podcast that is very short because of the nature of its headline style material.
Their podcasts are very short. A podcast covering the world of baseball, might be better off podcasting every week since they will be able to talk about a couple of the games is well is some news
Richard Reichmann is internationally known as a millionaire maker. He’s a leading consultant in real estate and internet marketing strategies that are profit proven.
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Sunday, April 25th, 2010
Home Party Marketing Podcasts & Podcasting : the Best Way to Promote Your Home Party Business
Home party companies place many restrictions on their home party consultants and direct sales reps. when it comes to marketing! When one considers the competition that is out there relative to party plan companies, it is a wonder that home party consultants are still going strong. At the end of the day in order to qualify for that commission check you must make direct sales, which translate to individual volume and personal volume. So what is a direct sales consultant to do? May I recommend podcasting?
What Is A Podcast?Podcasts definitions being what they are, can get the newbie confused. Think of a podcast as home made advertorials. There are both audio podcasts and video podcasts.Podcasts are a series of audio or video digital-media files, which can and should be distributed over the Internet by syndicated download, through Web feeds, to portable media players and personal computers. Podcasts stand out and are distinguishable from other digital-media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added. Podcasting is having your own personal TV show or radio show, featuring you! So its Oprah being heard and watched in over 70 countries! The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.Apple, the company has revolutionized this method of media dissemination through ipods and more recently with its uber popular iPhone! Educational podcasts tend to be one of the best podcasts out on the marketing.So How does one create a podcast?
You must first decide whether you will be requiring an audio podcast? Perhaps you are more inclined to video podcasts, you are also welcome to a combination of the two.Then you need to decide what outlets you will use to dissemeninate your podcasts. There can be found on the web a listing of podcast directories that you can submit your podcast to, the most popular one being iTunes! Also be aware that there may be those who do not use itunes, so offer some options. One of the better known podcast directory for podcast distribution services is podcast alley. A podcast blog is highly recommended because people can read and hear the content right from your won blog and as such create a lot of traffic for you! (Do I hear free, qualified direct sales leads?)Of course as with any endeavor, you will want to decide on a target audience. My target is women, between the ages of 25-50 who are involved in direct sales, direct selling, home party plans, or home based business!
Then you want to decide what the focus of your podcast. Will you be sharing storied, interviews, tips, marketing lessons? How to and educational podcasts a staple. Writing podcasts is highly recommended, always create outlines so that you do not ramble on for hours on end! You will need an introduction, body and conclusion to your podcast!How to Make A PodcastNow this where things get exciting. What type of computer do you have? Mac come with inbuilt software throught garage band that makes it very easy to record and covert your mp3 podcasts. This the the file format that makes it easy to download podcasts.Garage Band for MacsAudacity for PC’s (they also have audacity for macs)MicrophoneEditing AbilityIntro & Outro MusicPicturesRSS Feed Creator!Podcatchers e.g, itunesAn Internet connection!Alright now armed with your tools and knowledge, be on your merry way and create a podcast!
Have an iPhone? Got iTunes? I have a special treat for you. Every Wednesday I share a 15 minutes Home Party & Direct Selling Marketing Strategies Guaranteed To Boost Home Party Sales! Here is to your success,Party Plan PatDirect Sales Coach & ConsultantEVERYONE IS PODCASTING, DON’T GET LEFT BEHIND ?!!!
Hi, I am Party Plan Pat! I am the author of
10 Deadly Direct Sales Home Party Business Mistakes
The Little Black Book Of Home Party Plans Success Secrets
I was once a struggling home party consultant.
When I started in the Home Party Plan Industry I had zero skills- I had no sales skills, no marketing skills, no confidence, no direction, no warm market, a shoestring budget that I wasted instantaneously. I had no clue, neither did my uplines.
Then I did what most other people do, jump from company to company only to have the same results! One day I looked at the facts. The companies kept changing, I kept experiencing failure and I blamed everyone except me. It wasn?t the company,the compensation plan and people didn?t suck. It was me!
I realized, what most home party consultants direct sales representatives do not realize; a home party business is the business of marketing! Regrettably, many of us who pursue this industry have no idea how to market or promote our home based home party plan business.
If you’re tired of trying to build your direct sales business with dead-beat prospects, poorly attended home parties, and spending more money than you make, then your troubles have ended?
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
Business And Podcasting: Finding The Benefits
In recent years, podcasting has become quite a phenomenon. Who hasn’t heard of iPods or Apple iPods – small portable and trendy media players? Originally intended for users to listen to music even while on the go, podcasting is now used by companies as a marketing tool to communicate with their target audience and grow their businesses. Media, fashion, technology and the consumer markets have especially benefited from podcasting as present day consumers become more tech-savvy.
Podcasting Defined
Podcasting is shortened for iPod and broadcasting. Tech experts refer to it as personal on demand casting. In plain language, podcasting is simply a method of making radio-quality audio files from the Internet available for download through an RSS feed to a computer, iPod, MP3 player or other portable audio devices. An RSS feed is an XML file format that provides web content or summaries of web content together with links to the full versions of the content and other metadata. Listeners need to subscribe to a podcast only once. They can subscribe to podcast feeds with Yahoo, iTunes or any desktop podcast RSS feed reader software application. Fresh content is then delivered automatically to them as it becomes available without them having to do anything. Listeners can also download and listen to any programming of their choice whenever and wherever they want. With podcasting, listeners have full discretion over what they listen to and when they want to.
Podcasting is just like radio broadcasting with a difference. Broadcasting happens at a set time and place. If a listener wants to avail of the broadcast, he has to be in front of the computer at the exact time. Even if a radio broadcast can be recorded for listening later, it still requires manual work. On the other hand, it is possible to listen to podcasts from diverse sources at a listener’s convenience. Podcasts are available online or from any mobile audio device. Podcasts eliminate time and content constraints. Listeners also have access to the audio archives of the programs they like.
Podcasting’s popularity is simple enough to understand. At length, it is an inexpensive way to receive and discover information and communicate with others. It is, therefore, no surprise that podcasting is becoming a mainstream communication medium for businesses wanting to touch base with potential customers globally.
Business Benefits Gained
Business blogging is an effective marketing tool in creating online visibility, extending brand awareness and reaching out to a larger targeted audience. Adding podcasting to blogging and other marketing channels can bring beneficial impact on any business.
Podcasting is an innovative way to promote business. It is not just text or images on a blog page but listening to someone talking. It is a human voice speaking to listeners. This is definitely a more effective way to gain customers and potential clients’ loyalty.
There are various ways to put podcasts to good use. For one, you can offer your listeners short audio messages just like an e-mail course. It has a much better effect than e-mail messages or newsletters in the box. If you have a podcast, listeners can stream the audio and let it play while doing other tasks. You can also record seminars live or interesting excerpts as sound files and upload to a blog where listeners who have subscription can listen to the podcast. You can also provide company news and updates thru podcast. You simply create an audio message and post it in your podcast. There are other different ways
Having a properly executed podcast that delivers honest, timely and relevant content can increase visibility. The whole concept behind blogs and podcasting is to give users information that is difficult to find. Podcast is about credible content that people will want to listen to. Delivering significant content to targeted audience yields high return on investment as compared to any direct marketing campaign. Coupled with this, search engines will index these podcast feeds. Blog and podcast directories will list them too and targeted audience will subscribe to the podcast feeds. A quality podcast can also be listed in the iTunes podcast directory which boasts of over 40 million listeners.
Businesses are also using podcast to promote their products and services. They publish podcast shows regularly to allow prospective customers to be exposed to their products. This, in turn, will create interest in their product or service and subsequently drive sales and increase brand perception.
Another benefit of podcasting is interviews with guests in your particular niche who the audience can learn from will establish your business as a leader or expert in your industry. Internal communication is another area where podcasting can be of good use. Instead of sending out periodic newsletters, conducting training, business podcasting is a cost-effective method of distributing and sharing information. Company staff can simply download updates to catch up on corporate developments and listen whenever and wherever they want to.
The possibilities for businesses to use podcasting for its benefits are immense. Businesses that create podcasts can have direct communication with a focused audience. Podcasting adds a human voice and a distinct personality that builds listener loyalty.
Podcasting Process Summarized
Realizing the limitless benefits of podcasting, the logical question that comes to mind is how to create and deliver podcast. First, create your audio content. This can be spoken commentary, interviews, presentations and updates. You can use a digital voice recorder with plug-in microphone or the microphone that comes with a computer to record your audio content. Save the audio content in the form of an audio file or MP3 file.
The MP3 file is uploaded or published to a blog from where listeners with subscriptions from that blog can download and listen to the podcast. The MP3 file is referred to as RSS feed. The RSS feed shows up on the blog as a list of descriptions of one or more episodes of the podcast available to the listener. The description contains the date of publication of the feed, title, brief description of the feed or of the series that the feed is part of, author or presenter. The listener enters the feed URL into a software application called podcatcher. The podcatcher downloads podcasts (free or paid) and regularly checks for new additional feeds and downloads the new feeds automatically for the listener. This can be downloaded to either a mobile audio device or personal computer depending on the application that the listener is using.
Listeners can then enjoy listening to their podcast of choice any time and any place they want to. As long as you listen to podcasts in your computer only, you can use the audio player like Windows Media Player, RealPlayer that comes bundled with the operating system of your computer. If you want to subscribe to a podcast feed, you have to install a podcatcher software, the most popular of which is iTunes, available as a free download.
Simply put, podcasting is inexpensive, easy to create and convenient. However, it is important to touch base with customers and prospects using various marketing channels. Podcasts should in no way replace newsletters, direct mail campaigns, teleseminars and the like. Podcasting is a complimentary marketing tool that can be added to the marketing mix to maximize business benefits online. So, start podcasting and leverage this new technology to give your business a marketing edge.
