What every small business owner ought to know about podcasting
By MichelleI hope that you welcomed 2009 with excitement and anticipation of the great things to come. I know I have. I have big plans and exciting ideas that I can’t wait to share with you in the coming months.
In particular, I spent many hours during the holiday, while driving to Philadelphia and back, listening to business-related podcasts on my iPod.
If you’re not familiar with the term, a podcast is really just an audio file (.mp3) that you can play on an mp3 player (like an iPod) or your computer.
I find podcasts on iTunes and other business websites. I recently realized that I haven’t even listened to music on my iPod in months…how strange is that?
What I want you to know is that podcasting can be an excellent way to connect with people, build your list of subscribers, drive traffic to your website, develop reusable content, generate income, share your knowledge and truly make a difference in people’s lives.
I’m not exaggerating; a podcast can do all of those things.
Some of the podcasts I’ve listened to lately have resulted in a complete paradigm shift and have taken me in a direction I would not have even known existed 6 months ago.
From a personal perspective, what I’ve observed is that great podcasts:
- Have an engaging host or duo (some podcasts feature 2 hosts) who make you feel like they are talking directly to you
- Provide practical information that you can put to use right away
- Leave you waiting for the next episode with a lot of anticipation
- Answer questions from listeners
From a business point of view, great podcasts:
- Take a moment to tell you about a great offer that you can receive by signing up for their list
- Don’t hard sell
- Direct you to their website or blog for downloads related to the episode
- Truly build a community of listeners
Podcasts can be transcribed. These transcriptions can be:
- Reworked into articles for article marketing
- Reworked into multiple blog posts
- Combined to create an eBook
- Sold for $5-$7 along with the audio file
- Bundled with other products
- Included as free bonuses for other products
- Distributed in waiting rooms, trade show booths or at presentations
Here are 2 transcription services that I’ve heard podcasters mention:
- New Media Transcription (offers formatting and branding as well)
- Verbalink
The sky is truly the limit. If you already have regular speaking engagements, you should really consider making digital audio recordings of them.
You may or may not want to post them on iTunes, but you could post them on your website, transcribe them or sell them.
Many people would rather listen than read…and the truth of the matter is that with everyone’s busy lifestyles these days, many times it’s easier to listen to something on the go, rather than make time to read it.
Check out these websites and listen to a few podcasts in your field or areas of interest:
Here’s another resource if you’re ready to jump right in and start recording:
- Audacity – Free Audio Recording and Editing Software
Let me know if you have audio ready to go and just need it uploaded to your website or iTunes. I’d love to help!
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