Podcasting And Why Your Business Can't Live Without It
Podcasting is quickly becoming a valuable medium for businesses and companies to disperse their advertising and ideas to an ever growing consumer base. Just as the explosive growth of the internet brought almost all companies to a new stage of customer interaction through their websites, so too do podcasts introduce a similar form of [usually] one way communication between a business and listener. In fact, podcasting is as close to a conversation with a customer or prospect a company can get. E-mail has become impersonal in its commonality, and websites have grown far too overarching and unfocused. What podcasting can do is instill a feeling of attentiveness and closeness in the listener since listening is the primary way people take in and process information. In turn, a customer is much more likely to hear your message clearly, think about it more seriously, and remember it with greater clarity than something like an e-mail message or blog post. This alone is reason enough for most companies to develop a podcasting schedule.
One should very loosely tie themselves to a "schedule" however. While it is a great idea to create regularly scheduled podcasts so people know exactly when they'll be available, it isn't something that needs to be strictly adhered to. You can feel free to make an extra podcast if you suddenly have an important update, product launch, or urgent message to communicate to your customers. When a customer realizes that you have a system of communications in place to make them aware of new deals or products they are interested in, they are likely to check back often for that update. This can lead to increase time spent on your pages, as well as some powerful word of mouth for your company or website.
One of the large positives of podcasts is advertising the podcasts itself. SPAM filters are responsible for destroying many emails with your advertisements, but people are actively seeking your podcast, much as they would an industry magazine. If they come across your podcast, it implies they're interested in what you do and so gets rid of the need to cold sell or cold advertise to people. By not having to find customers to distribute your message to, you can concentrate on getting the message you want directly to your existing customers. Not only that, they are very easily found. You can notify users via RSS, put them on a website, and even have them on iTunes. And the best part - it's in all those places for free! In most kinds of advertising, the concept of no cost distribution of your ad is a fantasy, but a created podcast can be distributed effectively at absolutely no cost, making it a truly unique opportunity.
Lastly, in today's world of instant communication, a company's reputation can go a long way. A lot of people purchase based on a company's mission and value statements, and things like environmental records. In the tradition of advertising, podcasting is still new, and associated with a forward thinking and modern style of company. This can be one of the single greatest factors to help sway younger demographics to interact with a business. The youth demographic is also by far and away the greatest consumer of iPods and other MP3 players. This is more than just a coincidence, and you should be using it to your advantage. You can create a youth and young adult friendly image and transmit it via technology used by nearly all youth and young adults. At the going rate of free, you can't afford not to invest in podcasting.
Ten years of experience in professional audio go into Matt Josdal's contribution to www.anyvoice.ca . There, he is dedicated to ensuring that the clients of Any Voice get the best and highest quality audio recordings for their advertising dollar.
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