Say it with podcasts

Do you wish your organization had all the radio airtime to talk about your products and services? Guesting on a radio program requires some serious media relations effort and yes, moolah. Thanks to social media, there’s now an easier way to get all the airtime you need without having to spend a lot.

Enter podcasting—it’s like an online radio show except you go niche and targeted, not broadcast approach. And unlike the traditional radio show, podcasting allows your listeners to download the digital content—an audio file called a podcast —so they have an option to listen to it anywhere and anytime they like–even repeteadly. They can even subscribe to it so every time you have a new episode, they can get it immediately and listen to it through an iPod, MP3 gadget, or on a PC.

To give you more idea on podcasting, watch this video by Common Craft:

How can you get started?

I made a podcast for my class last year (the first and only I’ve done so far, hahaha!) just by watching video tutorials on Audacity, a free audio recorder and editor software. You can download Audacity here, then get some tutorials here or watch this.

And because podcasting is pull content, you need to promote your podcast so your target customers will know about it. Jason Van Orden’s book Promoting Your Podcast: The Ultimate Guide to Building an Audience of Raving Fans offers some helpful tips. Here are some:

• Be consistent in releasing quality content. And release content regularly.
• Have a solid description and a good logo. This includes a gripping podcast title, a keyword-rich description, and subtitle.
• Spend regular time soliciting your customers to vote for, and rank, your podcast in specific category.
• Submit your content to podcast directories like iTunes, Podcast Pickle, Podcast Alley, among many others.

Orden’s book has more tips so check it out or visit this site.

When does an organization use podcasting?

The organization is in the best position to decide whether or not it is ready for podcasting. Like other social media tools, podcasting requires some commitment from the company. You need a dedicated team, time, and effort to sustain the podcast. Without the commitment, the podcast will be like a one-hit-song wonder. So going into podcasting is more a question of commitment than a question of readiness. You did a great job launching your organization’s podcast, but can you sustain it?

According to Claxton and Woo’s How To Say It: Marketing With New Media, an organization needs to ask 3 questions when going into podcasting:

1. What would customers want to listen to than read about?
2. What information is easier and more interesting to talk about than write about?
3. Will the podcast provide value to your customers?

The third is perhaps the most important as it will determine the success of your podcast (read: subscribers, or even cult following!) and  it answers the customer’s questions: What’s in it for me? Why should I download and listen to your podcast?

So don’t just talk about your new product; talk about how that new product will make life easier or better for your customers. Don’t just talk about your company credentials; talk about how your company’s services improve your customers’ quality of life.

Podcasting, like other social media tools, is not another advertising medium, so watch out when your old marketing self kicks in. Think customer needs. Always.

Popular coffee chain Starbucks brewed some podcasts called Coffee Conversations, but it was heavily criticized. Some said it’s an example of ”how not to do a podcast,” while others said the podcasts “overheated and brewed too long.” You don’t want these descriptions for your company podcasts, do you?

Download and listen to more podcasts at Podcast.Com.

Happy podcasting!

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