Sharon Housley |
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll
http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing
RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for
RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing
software. |
Sharon Housley
has written 8 articles for SB Informer. |
View all articles by Sharon Housley... |
Podcasting for BusinessPotential podcasting content covers the gamut. With more than millions of podcasts now available, there are few topics that are not covered by this popular communication channel. Sharon Housley
April 27, 2009
Podcasting content comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
Businesses are finding many different and creative ways of
incorporating podcasts into their business strategies and marketing
plans.
Here are just some of the various types of content that businesses are
turning into podcasts...
1. Audio Books
Books that are "read" aloud are no longer embraced only by the visually
impaired. For example, commuters who want to make the most of their
travel time have long embraced books-on-tape. The podcast medium is far
more compact and portable, so audio books and similar content are now
being made available as podcasts.
2. Audio Tours
Interested in a guided tour of a historic site, or a detailed
explanation of a museum display? Audio tour podcasts with detailed
explanations are becoming quite common.
3. Sermons
The word of God, Allah, or a bible study discussion are now all popular
content for podcast material. It does not really matter the what the
religious material might be -- what is important is that by turning
those conversations and dialogs into podcasts, their reach is being
extended and new audiences are being touched.
4. Indie Artists
Demos
Independent musical artists, looking to build a community and develop a
fan base, are no longer restricted by their geographical region. With
podcasts, Indie artists can expand their audience and increase their
reach. Indie's can use iTunes to get reactions to new material or
songs.
What better way to learn a language than to hear it? Podcasts are a
perfect medium for foreign language instruction. Listeners can hear
accents and phrasing, and listen to a specific lecture until they have
fully mastered the content.
5. Recipes
Interested in gourmet cooking,
but do not have the time to watch cooking show hosts such as Rachel Ray
or Martha Stewart? Download the podcasts to learn new recipes, at a
time and place of your choosing and convenience.
6. Showing Homes
For Realtors
What better way to market property or homes for sale than with a video
podcast? Home tours help sell available listings, and with economic
conditions currently unfavorable to sellers, they need all the help
they can get. Video podcasts or slideshows of the homes help entice
interested buyers to learn more about properties. Using podcasting as a
communication medium will help expand the homes appeal.
7. Sporting Event
Commentaries
Sportscasters are always ready and willing to offer opinions and
commentary on sporting events. Pre-event festivities and post-event
analysis are often enjoyed by fans, and if the commentaries are made
available at any time as podcasts, the listeners have much more
flexibility.
8. Medical Instruction
As just one example, medical schools have recorded a variety of heart
murmurs as podcasts. Medical students studying cardiology can listen to
the various heart defects until they understand the different sounds
and the impact those anomalies have on the circulatory system.
Recognizing the sound patterns of a heart murmur can greatly aid
medical students when they run across similar anomalies in a real
patient.
9. Class Lectures
Universities have embraced podcasting, providing supplemental class
material as podcasts. Students often listen to the material while
commuting from one class to another, exercising, or relaxing between
classes.
10. Corporate - Internal Sales Force Updates
Podcasting is a perfect way for a business to communicate with remote
sales staff, regarding things such as addressing corporate policy
changes, new product descriptions, and marketing points. Educating a
wide-spread sales force about a new product or service has always been
a challenge. Corporations have tackled this problem by providing audio
and video podcasts that detail a product's use. Sales team members are
often able to learn about new products without needing to travel to the
corporate headquarters for formal instruction or sales seminars.
11. Political Debates
Are political debates a hobby, or do you just like to stay informed on
the issues and candidates? Many political debates are
now available via podcasts.
Potential podcasting content covers the gamut.
With more than millions
of podcasts now available, there are few topics that are not covered by
this popular communication channel.
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