There are more than 25 million owners of portable mp3 players in 2008. 29% of them have tried downloading and listening to podcasts at one point in time. We’re talking about 6,380,000 people who have been exposed to podcasts during a period when podcasting was just in its infancy.
These statistics alone will show you the vast potentials that can be found with the podcasting medium. As an online marketer, you’ll be able to reach a lot of people with downloadable podcasts. Not only this, but podcasting offers a slew of benefits that can only gain momentum in the coming months:
• People respond more to what they could hear rather than what they simply read.
• Podcasts offer a more exciting experience compared to conventional written works.
• Podcasts will attract prospects that you will normally fail to tap.
• Podcasts offer you more leeway in delivering your business message.
• Podcasts would give your business an instant boost in credibility, as people will get to listen to a real voice instead of having to read mere words.
The problem that many Internet marketers face when it comes to the prospect of creating podcasts is the seeming difficulty associated with their preparation. This is borne from simple unfamiliarity, however. The fact is, anyone – yes, ANYONE – can create their own podcasts without having to avail of special software programs for the same. Just follow the steps below:
1. Choose a subject.
2. Choose an engaging aspect of that subject, one which your target market would be interested to know about.
3. Prepare an outline detailing the important points you wish to discuss about the said subject.
4. Do some research, if necessary.
5. Prepare index cards which should contain some summaries of your points. You will refer to these to ensure uninterrupted recording that would streamline the process.
6. Attach a microphone to your computer. This is the only hardware you will need, aside from the PC terminal itself, of course.
7. Set up the Sound Recorder program that is bundled with your Windows operating system.
8. Begin recording.
9. Once you have finished your podcast, review the same using the Media Player which should also be bundled with your Windows operating system.
10. Enhance your podcast with the free tools that can be found at www.odeo.com/inbox .
11. If everything sounds well, convert your file into .mp3 format.
12. Use Microsoft Front Page to upload the file to your web server.
13. Include your podcast link in website repositories like www.podcastalley.com .
Just like that, you could have your own podcast ready to be downloaded. You would want to limit the length of your podcasts to 10 minutes per episode, however, so that the file size can be kept at a minimum. Additionally, you would want to serialize your podcasts into installments to capture the continuous interests of your listeners. They will then become your leads for some marketing purposes.
You could create podcasts for any topic you want. There is no limit, and each subject should command a healthy audience if the podcast is marketed correctly. Submitting the same to the websites we have mentioned above would be a start, but try to look for more avenues where you could promote your podcasts and you’re bound to reach more people in the process.
Afterwards, you could sit back, relax, enjoy all the benefits that podcasting can offer, and realize that yes, indeed, podcasting is as easy as 1-2-3.
