4 Benefits of Podcasting

What is a podcast? A podcast is a combination of the iPod and Broadcasting - podcasting. It is the download of audio and video files - or rich media through RSS (Really Simple Syndication). The social media aspect of podcasting is the ability for people to share or distribute files through syndication...to the world, for free and on demand.

The iPod forever changed the way we listen to music. Audio is now as customized as we want it to be and portable. We can not only carry our entire music collection around on our iPods or any other MP3 player device but we can also carry training videos, talk shows, product demos, speeches, virtual tours and seminars. And the cool thing about that is you can create all of this rich media for your clients via a podcast! Just imagine the possibilities...I can remember years ago when the Sony Walkman first came out and what a big deal that was that we could now load up a cassette tape with our favorite songs or albums and take it with us (I still say "albums..." such a hard habit to break). Now I walk around with over 2000 songs on my iPod...and a few podcasts!)

Podcasts are ordinary audio and video files that can be listened to and viewed on any MP3 player or on iTunes (which is a free download on Mac and Windows). If you have a computer or a laptop (built within the past 5 years), you probably have all the tools right now needed to create you very own podcast.

Tools Needed to Create Podcast

• Microphone - either built-in or an external
• Audio editing software - probably came with your computer (Audacity is an excellent option that is FREE and available across all platforms)
• Video editing software - should you choose to podcast audio and video
• Screen capture software  - SnagIt and Camtasia (TechSmith) are very useful tools

Benefits of Podcasting

• Your Own Talk Show - You're probably thinking, "I'm not Oprah Winfrey. I just want to market my business..." You could conduct interviews with other experts in your industry and field questions from your audience or questions that were submitted on your blog. You could be very creative with the name of your podcast and then write a script or bullet points of what you want to talk about - a loose script (remember, podcasting also allows you to be more personable with your audience so you can be more relaxed...anything format you desire).

• Training - How about offering training for your employees or clients via a podcast? One idea that I read about was a company sending its sales teams a iPod Shuffles (you know...the little cute ones) and directing them to iTunes where sales training podcasts were available for them to download to their iPods. They were now able to listen to the training throughout the day and wherever they may be located. I thought that was a really clever idea.

• Share Your Knowledge - But think about the possibilities of spreading your knowledge and expertise to a much wider audience. Whether you are an interior designer, a caterer, or a financial analyst, what if you were to create a weekly podcast where you gave decorating tips, answered cooking questions from your blog visitors or talked to people about how to invest money in a troubled economy. Sharing your knowledge with others offers you the opportunity to build a loyal following and to establish yourself as an expert in your field.

• Product Demos - Do you have a company where you promote new products consistently (software, gadgets, etc.)? You could create product demo videos that can be viewed via podcast.

However you choose to use podcasting for your business, if your podcasts offer value to your audience, they will look forward to your information on a regular basis.

Simple Steps to Get Started Podcasting

• Planning Your Podcast - What information do you want to share with your listeners or viewers? What type of format do you create? What will be your style - casual, formal, funny...? This will depend on the type of audience you have. If your audience tends to be rigid corporate types (not that there's anything wrong with that...lol), you may not want to be too casual but on the other hand, if your audience is younger and more laid back, a more casual style might be more appropriate.

• How Will You Produce or Record Your Podcast? - This is where the software or online solution comes in. Will you download an application like the Mac's Garage Band - which is excellent for producing podcasts and create it on your computer and upload the podcast to your blog or website or use Audacity? Or will you sign up at a site like Podbean (see below) and create it online? There are many options to explore. You can now add "podcast producer" to your list of skills. How cool is that!

• Distribute Your Podcast - Now that you have created this wonderful production, how can you get it out there so that people can hear it? If you have a website or blog, you can upload your MP3 file to that server. This could be a hosting company that you currently or will be hosting your site with or your own internal or local servers. If you do not have a website (shame on you...) and want it to standalone, you can use a host that specialized in hosting podcasts, like Libsyn (see below).

Great Podcasting Resources

• Blog Talk Radio - "The largest social radio network." You are able to create your own online radio show. BTR also offers revenue sharing via monetization methods. As your listener base grows, so does your revenue.
• PodBean - Allows you to create, publish and promote your podcast without any technical experience. Podbean will also host your podcast as well. There are six hosting plans from a Basic account (free) to a Business Level II ($69.95).
• Hipcast - Create your podcasts and then post to your blogs.
• WebPod Studio Standard - This is software that you can purchase for $149.00 and create your podcast locally and then upload it to your site or blog and distribute it.
• Libsyn (Liberated Syndication) - Beginning at $5 per month, Libsyn provides you with all the tools to create and launch your podcast and deliver it to listeners everywhere.

These are only a few of the options that you have in creating and publishing your podcast.