The Business Case for Podcasting
by Kay Stoner
Published on this site: August 26th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
The phenomenon of Podcasting has been getting a lot of press,
lately. It seems everytime you turn around, someone else has
a new pocast. Should you have one, too? Perhaps. According
to Forrester Research, by 2010 podcasting may have as many
as 12.3 million listeners. Somebody's got to create content
for all those listeners - maybe you're one of the "somebody's".
Now, you may think Forrester's numbers are about entertainment
podcasts - music, talk, and other audio distractions. What's
the point of *your* business getting into that business? Actually,
podcasting offers you the opportunity to do more than entertain.
And it's a lot more powerful than a simple personal online
broadcasting platform.
When properly used, podcasting can - and will - take prospect
contact and customer care to a whole new level with the sound
of the human voice, not just the code from a keyboard. Podcasting
lets you put a human touch on your customer contacts - and
it's delivered to your subscribers' computer for you.
10 Ways Podcasting Can Help You Do Business Better
- Reach exactly the people who ask you to
When someone subscribes to your podcast, it means they are
genuinely interested in what you have to offer. They're
not a "cold call" - they're an interested prospect
(or an existing customer) who has taken the time to subscribe
to your podcast with the expectation that they will hear
from you regularly. This model is quite different from the
e-mail model, where people often opt-in with their e-mail
as a reflex, and then don't bother to read the messages
they receive. It's also a complete departure from direct
mail, where recipients are often "hapless victims"
who resent the intrusion of too many unsolicited messages.
- Bypass the restrictions of e-mail communications -
you won't get blocked by spam filters
One of the (many) beauties of podcasting, is that it's a
great way to communicate with a receptive audience without
being blocked by spam filters, or getting lost in an in-box.
Podcast clients (or "podcatchers") can automatically
pick up the latest and greatest podcast you have available,
without subjecting it to a filter. iTunes does have restrictions
on "explicit" content, but if you're using podcasting
for business purposes, this is a non-issue. Your message
will get through to people who want to hear it.
- Tailor your message to literally speak to your prospects,
for a more personal touch
The human voice is far more expressive, than an e-mail or
a web page. Podcasting lets you connect with people and
communicate with much more than words. Intonation, inflection,
emotion, all carry on the human voice - they get through
to your audience on your podcast in ways that the written
word can't.
- Give your customers, or another target group, a personalized
message they can listen to anytime
Another great thing about podcasting, is that your audience
can listen to your audio anytime, when they use an mp3 player,
like an iPod. They can also download your podcast to their
computer and listen there, or burn it to a CD and take it
with them. Your message gets to them on their terms, in
their time, in the way they want it. Podcasting really is
Personal-On-Demand-Casting. It's not just about iPods.
- Reach your customers in a variety of ways
Podcasting isn't just only about audio, either. With
your podcasts, you can include text messages that your audience
reads in their podcatcher. Include website urls in your
podcast, or add last-minute information they may find useful.
Podcasting gives you the best of both worlds in a very small
package.
- Find out what your audience's degree of interest really
is, with stats reporting
When you send out an e-mail or a direct mail piece,
it's impossible to tell if people received it, if they read
it, and how they responded to it. With podcasting, you can
measure the statistics of your subscriptions and find out
how many people each month are picking up your podcasts
and downloading your audio. If they keep picking up your
podcasts, you know you're doing something right.
- Get real-time metrics on who's who's bailing on you
You can also find out if people are unsubscribing to
your feeds. If your numbers go down from week to week or
month to month, something may need to change. You can find
this out immediately with podcasting, where e-mail and direct
mail responses may take much longer to analyze.
- Keep in closer touch with groups
Podcasting doesn't only have to be for businesses. Social
groups can also use it, for re-broadcasting important meetings,
or sending out messages to members who need to keep in touch.
Recordings of training sessions and workshops can be put
into mp3 and distributed via podcast, as can motivational
talks. Anything a group experiences 'out loud' can be recorded
and placed in a podcast, for all the members to subscribe
to and enjoy later at their convenience.
- Technology does the work for you
Because podcatchers automatically pick up the latest
file(s), you don't have to notify people that the audio
is available by conventional means - including e-mail. As
long as you update your feeds regularly, and your audience
checks their podcatchers regularly, they will get the latest
and greatest audio you have, without having to search for
it.
- A potentially huge audience is ready and waiting
Podcasting is big, because there's such a huge audience
for it. iPods sell like hotcakes, and they're given away
as premiums by many businesses. Gear is amply available
for playing mp3s in the car, during exercise, on home stereo
systems, and of course, on computers. People download podcasts,
they're familiar with the concept - and downloading commercial
podcasts from businesses they value and want to patronize
is the next logical development in podcasting. When done
properly, business podcasting can be fun, entertaining,
and a valued service for valuable customers. The only barrier
to putting it to good use, is the limits of human imagination.
In sum, podcasting may very well revolutionize the music
broadcasting industry, but the *real* power lies in how it
will impact the small and medium-sized business community.
Whether you own a business yourself, or patronize those who
do, there's tremendous potential for podcasting to deepen
and enrich customer experience, as well as the ability of
businesses to serve their valued clientele.
So, check out podcasting as a whole new way to reach the
kind of people who want you to reach them. What you don't
know about podcasting won't hurt you but it won't help you,
either.
Kay Stoner - Founder, Podtopia.net
Podtopia.net
- Create and publish podcasts quickly, easily, and at very
low cost. Podcast today with Podtopia.net
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