Podcast Marketing White Papers

You've got five minutes at the company's annual meeting: explain podcasting, how it works and why your company should be doing it. This paper will help. In the pages that follow we'll define podcasting for you and its potential value for the online marketer. We'll take a look at how podcasts are used generally, and as a marketing tool specifically. And we'll give you the basics: what are the essential elements in a podcast, how they're created, and your choices in selecting a production source. We'll arm you with the terminology and best practices, and show you the history and future potential of podcasting. Finally, we'll identify the next steps in effectively integrating podcasts into your overall online marketing efforts. Grab what you want for your five minute speech. And brace yourself for the Q & A. From the smarties in IT to the Investment Club from Peoria, we've got you covered. It's all here.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT PODCASTING?

There have been audio and video files available online and/or on your computer for years. So what's the big deal about podcasting?

• Automatically Updated - Once you subscribe, the latest podcast from your favorite source is sent to you automatically, usually at no charge, we might add.


• Portable - From your computer you can download a podcast to a portable listening/viewing device, then enjoy it at your leisure - in the car, at the gym, even during your morning run.


• Available On Demand - Listen for a few minutes, come back later where you left off, replay a favorite section and skip another. Whenever you're ready, so is your podcast.


• And Now, They're Trackable - Until recently, it was a crap shoot. Commercial podcasters had no easy way of knowing if, when and from where their podcasts were being downloaded. Until PodTractorTM from Oneupweb.

Note: To find out more about PodTractor, visit podtractor.com

WHAT IS PODCASTING?

A podcast is a digital broadcast made available on the internet. Currently the majority of these broadcasts are audio files sent to directories through XML feeds and RSS (Really Simple Syndication) formatted XML (eXtensible Markup Language) files. The word "podcast" is derived from "pod" as in Apple's iPod, the popular portable audio player, and "cast" from "broadcast", meaning "to transmit for general or public use."

Once an audio program is created and posted on the internet you can access and download the file onto your computer or any number of devices (including some smart phones, mp3 players, iPods etc.). By transferring the podcast file from your computer onto your portable audio player, you can literally take the show on the road, listening when, where and just as long as you want.

One of the easiest places to find podcasts online are podcast directories, an outgrowth of the very popular online music download directories such as iTunes (now a leading source for a variety of podcasts). Most directories let you search for a podcast by title, company or topic. Not only can you download specific podcasts, you can subscribe to future programs from the same source and they'll be sent to your computer automatically. Listing a podcast with a directory is free to the podcaster and, with the exclusion of some video pay-to-play podcasts (vcasts), subscription services are offered at no cost to the subscriber. Directories make the majority of their income through advertising.

As simple as the process can sound, podcasting is revolutionizing the way companies communicate. From the consumer's perspective, it's called time-shifting, the ability to select information and consume it when, where and how you want. What TIVO has done to television, podcasting is doing online. For the podcaster there's very little waste, because you're reaching a self-qualified, interested audience. They've invited you into their day. When properly executed, a podcast can be personal, timely, informative and entertaining ... and for the marketer, extremely effective.