Almost as soon as the original Apple iPod was introduced, people in the marketing profession began to realize the potential of the medium to transmit 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 for Developing 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 listened to your podcast. You should also develop a script that tells the voiceover exactly what to say. And because of people’s generally short attention spans, 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 incorporated microphones. But you may want to purchase a variety of echo cancellation to ensure the best audio quality for your production. Headphones are also a good idea if you want to hear your playback 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 came with your PC’s operating system. Or you can buy a more sophisticated solution that allows you to edit the audio file, such as the epodcast creator or the easy-to-use Windows and Mac compatible audacity program. Audacity is available for free download at audacity.sourceforge.net.
start recording
Go to your program file and select new. Test the input level of your microphone and then just click the record button and start. If you are 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 have finished production, you will be ready to load the .mp3 file on your website or publish it in a blog service such as Podcasting.com or iTunes Podcast Directory of Apple. If you want to post to us on a regular basis, you’ll need to create an rss feed. You can do this with an easy to use program such as FeedForAll.
Publish your podcast
To make sure you get a large audience, you must send an email to contacts in your company’s database to inform you that your program is available. Include some basic details that will attract their attention. And be sure to include a URL where they can download the podcast. You can also maximize your audience ensuring that your podcast appears in the web search engines such as Google and Yahoo and using RSS search engines, including Google Blogle Search, Bloglines, Feedster and Technorati.
