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Since Adam Curry (“The Podfather”) broadcast his first podcast in the summer of 2004, podcasting has become one of the fastest-growing media venues in history. Anyone who has the time and interest can create an online program that can play to a worldwide audience.
A podcast is a downloaded audio or video program that you play on your iPod — not that you need an iPod. Anything that can play a downloaded audio or video file (an mp3 player, regular PC and some cell phones) will do. You also can play it from your computer on iTunes (itunes.com).
Podcasting’s ultimate coolness is that it offers the ability to hear (or view) what you want, when you want, wherever you want. Currently, there are about 10,000 podcasts to choose from. (To find them, Google “podcasts” or look for them in iTunes.) And, unlike traditional media, most podcasts have little or no advertising… yet.
Creating a podcast starts with getting a microphone and audio software (Audacity,
www.audacity.sourceforge.net or Sound Studio, www.freeverse.com/soundstudio) that allows you to record, edit and save the audio file as an mp3 on your computer. Once you have that, you can post it to your site with the proper coding. If you want a new site dedicated to your podcasts, Audioblog (audioblog.com) lets you create a podcast-friendly site designed to make it easy to upload and organize your podcast files without knowing code.
A 2005 Pew Internet study reports that over 6 million people have listened to podcasts. Forrester.com says that by 2010, 12.3 million U.S. households will be reached by podcasting. And Adweek magazine reports, “Brands like Volvo, Toyota and Honda are sponsoring podcasts. And since podcasting is positioned to deliver highly specialized content to niche groups, all sorts of advertisers are likely to tap into the medium.”
How will a podcast help your bottom line? It starts with relevant content that benefits your target market. Integrate a couple of your own (tasteful) promotional messages. As with any kind of media, the better the content, the better the odds of converting listeners, viewers and readers into customers.
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John Follis, of Follis Inc, is a 25-year business owner and marketing exec. In ‘93, his previous agency, Follis/DeVito/Verdi, was the second most awarded in New York. John is also author of "How to Attract and Excite Your Prospects" and his innovative “Marketing Therapy” program helps businesses around the US achieve their marketing goals faster, smarter, and more cost-effectively.
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