Podcasting Your Way To Success Online
Did you know that podcasting has become one of the hottest trends in media? Did you also know that it is an alternative marketing and communication tool for entrepreneurs and online marketers? This hottest trend in media is sky rocketing more and more each year and provides a great source of direct communication with your target audience, who wish to receive your audio broadcast automatically, without the need to access or visit your landing page.
If you look up the term, Podcasting, in Wikipedia, this is the detailed definition you’ll find.
A podcast is a series of digital media files, usually digital audio or video, that is made available for download via Web syndication. The syndication aspect of the delivery is what differentiates podcasts from other files accessible by direct download or streaming: it means that special software applications, generically known as podcatchers (such as Apple’s iTunes or Nullsoft’s Winamp), can automatically identify and retrieve new files associated with the podcast when they are made available, and that these files can be stored locally on the user’s computer or other device for offline use. This is done by the podcatcher accessing a centrally-maintained Web feed, which lists files associated with a certain podcast.
Like the term broadcast, podcast can refer either to the content itself or to the method by which the content is syndicated; the latter is also called podcasting. A podcaster is the person who creates the content.
Podcasting gives you many benefits and if you use it as one of your communication and marketing tools, this is what you can receive.
1 – Provides value-added offer opportunities – With podcasting, you can provide value-added offers in audio format which will retain their utmost interest and can create frequent visitations to your landing page for your weekly podcasts.
2 – Establishes highly effective communication – This is a very important benefit. It is a fact that podcasting prospect will become highly familiar with your landing page and you will earn the credibility as an expert author in your field of expertise.
3 – Builds the foundation of a life time relationship – With a podcast, you put a voice to your company and landing page. This done frequently will build a know, like and trust relationship between you and your listener.
4 – Wider distribution – Podcasting gives you the opportunity to distribute your targeted marketing message to many avenues. Listening to you via iPod, Automation from RSS feed subscription, MP3 player, mobile phone are just a short listing of the many ways to distribute your marketing message to your targeted audience.
I look forward to seeing your success online!
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From Philip J. Mutrie – CEO and Founder of Extreme Wealth Potentials.
How To Use Internet Radio To Reach A Wider Audience Of Prospects For Your Online Business
I have been using teleseminars to reach my target audience for more than two years now. It is a fantastic way to connect with people and to reach out to them with the sound of your voice. I am able to answer their questions directly and to fully understand what they need my help with most. It is just not possible to use email and give as much information as you can on a teleseminar.
During the summer of 2008 I started using internet radio to reach an even wider audience. I did my first few shows without telling anyone, and when I saw the possibilities I began to share this information with as many people as possible.
One of the very best reasons to include internet radio as part of your online marketing plan is because of the search engine optimization opportunities. Your keywords will rank very high when you do a radio segment, enabling even more people to find you on the internet.
The format for internet radio is very different than it is for teleseminars. You are able to open up a window as a chat room, and listeners are able to ask you questions or give you their website information. It took me awhile to get to this.
These listeners are not from your own list usually. Instead they are people who are on the internet searching for information on your topic and are able to find you because of the information you provided when you set up and described your show. Internet radio is extremely popular, so it is very likely that more people will find you than you ever imagined.
I like to make an outline of what I will be speaking about, and I am also careful to speak slowly and clearly and spell each word when I give a domain name for them to visit. I also invite them to join my list so that they can be part of my list in the future.
Internet radio is yet another channel through which you can get your information out to those who will be interested. The shows you do can easily be turned into podcasts, allowing you to extend your reach even further.
Many people would prefer to listen rather than to read information, so this gives you the opportunity to repurpose your articles, blog posts, and other written material and content into an auditory format. Consider starting your own internet show right away.
Connie Ragen Green teaches you how to write articles and eBooks to build an online business, as well as how to use the technology needed. Visit Online Writing Success to find out more.
How to Podcast – Show Format
After recording over 200 podcasts for the Recognized Expert Marketing Show, I’ve learned a thing or two about creating a successful show. And by successful, I mean a show that has a loyal following of dedicated listeners.
After years of trail and error, here’s what we learned about producing a show that people want to subscribe to.
Make Your Podcast Thematic
If you want to host a successful podcast or Internet radio show, your show must be thematic. In our case, the Recognized Expert Marketing Show focuses on marketing. Our listeners know that they can count on hearing a program that’s going to teach them how to market themselves better.
We are not trying to target people who are interested in fiction or cooking or travel. The show is about marketing and the people who listen to the show are there to learn about marketing. Don’t try to be all things to all people. It doesn’t work.
Invite A Quality Guest
There are pros and cons to having a guest on your show. For example, a well known guest will attract listeners. They will add credibility to your show and give you someone to banter with.
The best reason for having a quality guest on your show is the information and experiences they provide that you can’t offer. A popular and quality guest can be a godsend for any podcast.
The downside to having a guest on your show is the unknown. Unless you’ve heard them on another show, you really don’t know what to expect when the microphone goes live.
In order to ease my concerns I contact every guest on the telephone before I schedule them on my podcast. You can get a pretty good idea as to how a guest is going to act from a simple telephone call, but not always.
So, should you have guests on your podcast? The answer is, “It depends.” You’re the most qualified person to make that decision.
With the basics out of the way, let’s look at what the format of a thematic show with guest looks like.
Provide A Musical Introduction
Music is a great way to get your audience in the mood for your show. It’s also a way to create continuity for your show. The trick with music is to keep it short and make sure it represents the mood you want to create for your podcast.
Introduce Yourself and the Show
Don’t leave new listeners wondering. Tell them straight away who you are and what the show is about.
Drive Listeners To Your Website
I didn’t do this for the first 100 shows and it proved to be an expensive mistake. When we started the Recognized Expert Marketing Show, it was only available on our website. Today it is syndicated on over 80 websites including iTunes.
The good news is 90% of our listeners don’t listen to the Recognized Expert Marketing Show on our website. The bad news is 90% of our listeners don’t listen to the Recognized Expert Marketing Show on our website. Here’s why that’s bad news.
Since our listeners are not listening to my podcast on our website, we can’t encourage them to sign-up on our list, click on our ads or purchase our products. That’s a problem you want to avoid from the start.
Give your listeners a reason to come to your website and offer them a bonus for going. We offer ebooks, reports, articles and other great marketing tips that are only available on our website. This is the single most important thing you must do on your podcast.
Introduce Your Topic
Project your excitement about the show and tell your listeners what they can expect from your show. Make a big promise and keep it.
Introduce Your Guest
Once your listeners have been persuaded to listen to your show, introduce your guest. You want to make a big deal over your guest for the benefit of your audience and your guest. You really can’t go too far.
Get to the Content Quickly
The fastest way to build a loyal following is to provide great content right out of the gate. Follow through on the promise you made at the beginning of the show and have them reaching for a pencil and paper.
Take A Break
I schedule a break halfway through my show. This gives me an opportunity to reintroduce my guest and remind my listeners to go to my website.
Recap The Show
Give your listeners a synopsis of what they learned and remind them why they listen to your show. Encourage them to tell their friends about your show and visit your website for more information. Do these things and you will quickly have your own successful podcast.
Bob Sommers is an Internet marketing expert and host of the Recognized Expert Marketing show on Maui. Learn how to podcast from the host of this very successful show.
My Essential Guide To Downloading a Free Podcast
It’s easy to find and download a free podcast. The best way to find free ones is probably to check a podcast directory. The directory is a listing of many, sometimes thousands of different podcasts. The directory will usually organize the podcasts by topic and genre, making it easy to find the type of podcast that is sought.
In addition, podcast directories often allow the visitors to comment on the listed, and provide a list of the favourite podcasts on the site, making it easy for users to find the best available. These podcast directories can be used to browse through, introducing users to many different ones that otherwise would not have found.
Once a podcast has been found that interests the user, it is necessary to download it free. The vast majority of podcasts will be free, but there will be a few that may cost a small amount of money. The process to subscribe to and download them is the same in either case. First, a podcast client needs to be found and installed. There are many free podcast clients available, all providing a slightly different user interface and range of options. They come with many different names, such as Podscape, or Nimiq, and searching for ‘free podcast client’ or something like it will turn up many possibilities.
When the podcast client has been installed, inputting the feed address will allow the podcast to be downloaded. The client software will check the address given for a small, machine readable file called an RSS file. This file will contain information about the podcasts, perhaps some text about the individual episodes, as well as the location of the episode file. Once the client software has been located the file referred to in the RSS feed, it will be downloaded and stored on the users computer until the want to view it.
Sometimes, of course, access to a personal computer is not available, but it is still necessary to check a certain podcast. Fortunately, many of these directories offer built in podcast readers in the site. Not only do they often show each recent episode that is available, they may also offer a way to view or listen to those episodes from within the site.
By using the viewer contained within the site, it is no longer necessary to even download the podcast episodes. However, the ability to move and share the episodes after downloading is one of the wonderful things about podcasting. The files can be placed on almost and media player, ranging from iPods to the new Playstation Portable. This flexibility is one of the reasons they have succeeded, despite other technologies like streaming music and video. The desire of consumers to have control over technology cannot be over estimated.
Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor and co founder of Free Affiliate Programs
For more information and resource links on podcasts visit: Free Podcasts
Are You Interested In Downloading Podcast News?
With the rise of podcasting, many individuals and organizations are finding that podcasting is a great way to distribute information, from music and comedy shows to talk shows, even podcast news. CNET is one of the groups that are distributing a news podcast.
CNET, being an online technology site, naturally found a niche distributing a tech news related podcast. CNET’s recent podcasts covered such topics as viruses that attack cell phones, problems with Google’s software, China’s web restrictions and the “Great Firewall of China”, and the FTC’s attack on spyware.
These news items were distributed in a sound file called an mp3 file that is downloadable to a listener’s computer for listening whenever they wish. While these files were available straight from CNET’s site, the majority of them are shared through the use of an RSS file.
An RSS file is a small piece of XML coding that is downloadable by programs designed to read it. These programs are called podcast clients, and the user can input the address of the RSS files that hold the information on the feed. The feed will contain links to the media files of the podcast, and will download the new updates automatically.
More sites than CNET are finding that podcast news is an exploitable technology. The British Broadcasting Corporation podcasts some of its programs, as well as the US radio network NPR. The NPR, because its work is created by a variety of different groups, treats podcasts differently from show to show. The NPR show “This American Life” distributes a podcast of the show through a site called audible.com, which allows feed listeners to subscribe to the feed for a small fee and download the show.
The NPR Hourly News show, on the other hand, shares a short 5 minute broadcast that summarizes the news for free. Since the NPR is taking a radio show and converting it into a file that is downloadable by the user, little is lost in the translation. The sound is designed to convey the entire story, and so podcast subscribers are able to treat the podcast as nothing more than TIVO for the radio. ABC’s podcast of the news show Nightline, on the other hand, is simply the sound track from the television show.
This has been one of the criticisms of the Nightline podcast, because by merely stripping the sound from what is designed as a television show, much information is not given to the users. Listeners have problems telling who is who because they miss the visual cues that were supposed to be there, there is no truly easy way to convert the shows.
For this reason, some news shows have been moving from audio podcasts to video ones. They can take the video information directly from the show that is broadcast, lower the visual resolution to shrink the file, and distribute it online as a podcast.
Uchenna Ani-Okoye is an internet marketing advisor and co founder of Free Affiliate Programs
For more information and resource links on podcasts visit: Free Podcasts