marketing podcast

Almost as soon as the original Apple iPod was introduced, people in the marketing profession began to realize the potential of the medium to convey brand and product messages. Today, podcasting is a popular method of communicating corporate information that allows companies to deliver valuable content to listeners. Because the sound of the human voice conveys emotion, the medium can deliver content more effectively than text. In fact, some marketing experts believe that podcasting is more powerful than other marketing mediums, such as direct mail advertising. By developing and incorporating a podcast into their marketing programs, companies can, for example, educate listeners about new and upcoming technologies in their industry, inform customers about soon-to-be-launched products, and promote new services. Use the following guidelines to develop your podcast.

plan your attack
Before you even start recording a podcast, you need to decide what you want to say, who your target market is, and what your call to action will be. At the end of your podcast, you may want to direct listeners to a specific web URL that will drive sales and measure how many people have listened to your podcast. You should also develop a script that tells the person doing the voiceover exactly what to say. And because of people’s generally short attention span, you should avoid creating a podcast that’s longer than 20-30 minutes.

Get the right tools
To create your podcast you will need a PC and a microphone. Many computers already have built-in microphones. But you may want to purchase an echo canceling variety to ensure the best audio quality from your production. Headphones are also a good idea if you want to listen to your playing recordings without hearing additional noise from your surroundings.

You’ll also need voice recording software, such as one of the basic or preloaded programs that come with your PC’s operating system. Or you can purchase a more sophisticated solution that allows you to edit the audio file, such as ePodcast Creator or the easy-to-use Audacity program, which is compatible with Windows and Mac. Audacity is available for free download at audacity.sourceforge.net.

start recording
Go to your program’s file menu and select New. Test your microphone input level and then just click the record button and go. If you’re using Audacity, the software automatically saves the recording as an .aup file. However, some programs cannot open this format, so you must export your podcast as an .mp3 file after recording.

upload your file
Once you’re done with production, you’re ready to upload the .mp3 file to your website or publish it to a blogging service like Podcasting.com or Apple’s iTunes Podcast Directory. If you want to post regularly, you’ll need to create an RSS feed. You can do this with an easy to use program like FeedForAll.

Advertise your podcast
To ensure you get a large audience, you should send an email to the contacts in your company’s database to let them know your show is available. Include some basic details that will grab their attention. And be sure to include a URL where they can download the podcast. You can also maximize your audience by making sure your podcast appears on web search engines like Google and Yahoo and by using RSS search engines including Google Blog Search, Bloglines, Feedster, and Technorati.

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