Welcome to the first lesson in the Podcasting Basics. This is the first in a series of several lessons that will help you learn the ins and outs of podcasting, how it works and how you can get started using it to build an audience full of happy listeners right away.
In this first lesson, we are going to talk a little about what podcasts are and how they work. If you haven’t included podcasting in your marketing plan before, now is the time to think about changing that.
Why?
Because they are very effective and they are easier to create than ever before. In fact, they are fast becoming one of the most popular ways to connect with an audience of hungry buyers, which is what every business wants!
Just in case you’ve been cut off from technology and you aren’t sure what podcasts are and
what they can do for your business, here is a quick overview.
Podcasts are recurring audio broadcasts that are delivered over the internet as MP3 files. The technology used to record them uses memory compression, so these files are fairly small and can be accessed quickly. People can listen to live or pre-recorded podcasts they download on their computers, iPods, iPads, cell phones or any other device that connects to the internet and can play media files.
Podcasts have many benefits, especially for business owners that want to build brand recognition and develop a solid online presence. They can be syndicated through an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, so people can subscribe to them.
If you aren’t sure what RSS is and you want to know more, read this article that helps explain it.
Essentially, what this means is that you can create your own radio style talk show centered on what your business offers. You can create basic audio files or if you want to get fancy, you can produce a video podcast (if you’re not shy about being on camera). If being a video star isn’t your thing you can create an “enhanced” podcast, which is done by displaying images and screen shots as you talk. Kind of like a slideshow presentation.
Podcasting has many benefits including:
- The ability to reach more people in your target market.
- It helps build credibility in your industry.
- It can turn you into an internet superstar (great for business)
- They can be downloaded by your subscribers’ RSS feeds automatically
- They can be accessed by your subscriber’s anywhere or anytime!
- Let’s you form a more personal connection with your consumers because they can get to know, like and trust you. (Essential for long-term profits)
A good podcast can be a great way to get your business in front of an unlimited number of new customers, but it doesn’t stop there. They can also be used as the foundation for other audio products like audio books, webinars and even paid audio products. The possibilities are almost endless and extremely profitable!
That’s it for today’s lesson on podcasting basics. In your next lesson, we will talk about how to incorporate podcasting into your business as quickly as possible.
