Podcasts - The Way Forward October 9
By 2010 there will be 60 million podcast downloaders in the United States alone, according to research carried out last year. The average worldwide user already downloads up to six per month and, with this figure rising all the time, it is easy to see why companies small and large are paying podcasting serious attention as they look to map out their plans for the future.
One of the benefits of podcasts to a small business is that they do not require huge overheads or production costs - and therefore present an opportunity to make money. One of the most popular, and commonsense, ways to do so is by using advertising or commercial sponsorship on a podcast. One particular benefit for advertisers is that, while conventional radio stations often serve specific geographical regions, a podcast has no such boundaries on the fact of things and can therefore draw in a wider potential audience - particularly useful if your enterprise sells items online.
By the same token, advertising your own business on another firm’s, or indeed individual’s, podcast can prove a sound investment.
Of course a successful podcast needs listeners, and is unlikely to reel in a desirable number if you simply provide a discourse on the products or services you provide and what they do. A kind of comment piece on wider issues within your industry, frequently updated and revised, is one option - and a favoured one by many enterprises. If your firm can be seen as one which comments on and provides knowledge relating to its subject matter and market then it is likely to gain respect in its field. Much in the manner of a blog, there is a ‘personal touch’ aspect to consider too - people today want to be spoken to, interacted with, acknowledged - and so this form of information giving is potentially a very valuable one.
Companies such as Kellogg’s, the cereal maker, employ this idea on different levels - offering podcasts explaining their financial results to investors, shareholders and any other interested parties. While a practical way of divulging information this also comes across as a personal and trustworthy way of conveying superficially dry matter.
There is a running debate, too, about the effectiveness of podcasts in influencing a firm’s SEO status - with some falling into popular blog searches such as Google’s when structured in a certain way.
That’s an added bonus, though, as a podcast is primarily about its content - as it’s this which will persuade advertisers to provide you with revenue, while also keeping customers fresh and interested.
Podcasts are becoming de rigeur in many areas of society, especially where young people are concerned. Some universities, such as Warwick, offer podcasts detailing news on their lecturers’ most recent research, and it seems only a matter of time before lectures themselves are being delivered via this medium. With podcasts being instilled in up-and-coming businesspeople and consumers to such a significant extent, it seems sensible that the aspiring entrepreneur or startup owner should seriously consider the benefits of expounding their knowledge via customers’ computers and iPods.
Article Written Exclusively by AdFero for Seriously Business
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