Back when podcasting was still new and shiny, there were a lot of opinions about how useful having your own podcast could be – for business purposes. Sure, it’s really trendy to have your own video series, but it was going to cost you a small fortune to keep it up.
Courtesy of speedcommunications.com
That’s why we are more familiar with the audio podcast. Two people having a conversation, supposedly to attract listeners and build a community of followers. A few years ago, even a start-up could afford to have their own podcasts, and many turned their channels into marketing gold.
Today of course, with the rise of mobile applications like the iPhone, iPad and iPod – podcasting has become even more valuable, as people can take in your message on the go.
Have you been wondering if its time for your business to jump on the podcast bandwagon? Find out why you should investigate its potential with this list of business applications.
Create Live Seminars and Market Them Globally
Do you remember the days of booking a conference center, and inviting a few hundred choice guests to hear the revolutionary advances that your business has made in your field?
Now imagine being able to do that on a global scale! Imagine a limitless amount of people subscribing to your seminar podcast and spreading the word about your ideas afterwards. Is there a better way to get the word out about your business? No!
Use Your Popular Podcast Channel to Promote Your Services
Once you have built yourself a decent following, you can now begin to take advantage of your subscriber list.
Advertise or sneak in promotions between podcasts, and run special competitions for podcast listeners to boost word of mouth marketing. When you have an audience of 1000 people that hang on your every word, your sales potential increases rapidly as they get to know you on a personal level.
Use Your Podcast Channel as a Client Support Network
When people have concerns or questions, there’s no better place to address them than in a well produced podcast. Doing this consistently will reassure your listeners that you care about their opinions and feedback.
As a result you will foster trust and loyalty, which in the end always means more sales. When your podcast becomes the voice of your business, make sure to use that voice to stimulate a 5 star client support network.
Your Podcast as a Platform for Product Promotion
It can be tough launching a new product into cyberspace. When you already have a podcast subscriber list of a few hundred people, you have an instant launch pad for your products. This increases your chances of success in a highly competitive market. Not to mention your community can assist you with product reviews and testimonials, and act as your own private test field for a larger launch.
Creating and maintaining a great business podcast is not as expensive or as time consuming as it once was. Every few months new programs are released that will help your business capitalize on podcast marketing. Think about the many different ways your podcast can bring in more clients and more revenue.
Do you have a podcast?
If not – what are your main concerns about starting one? Tell us!
Comments
10:17 am on February 14th, 2011
Remember, your podcast is only as interesting as the people presenting it. It helps to be comfortable in front of a microphone, since “scared” usually translates to the listener as “unprepared,” “tired,” “boring” and “unlistenable.”
Before you dive into the podcast world, tape a few rehearsals. See how long you can go and still be interesting. Have your co-workers listen to it and tell them to be honest with you.
10:17 am on February 15th, 2011
@Tom – Great advice Tom, creating a podcast is definitely not as easy as it sounds, it take a lot of practice and confidence to pull it off. I’ve never known a podcast to turn out badly though, if they’ve pre-written a script and smoothed out all the problems before its release! A video podcast on the other hand, might be better suited an employee in the office who is a natural on camera – there are always ways around being camera shy!