Why You Should Add Podcasting To Your Marketing Mix
By Shahar Boyayan

First the basics: What is a Podcast?: A podcast can be loosely defined as an audio file that is enclosed into an RSS 2.0 feed. More specifically you can think of an audio podcast as an audio file (mp3 format) that is presented in an RSS feed. A Podcast show will stay online 24/7 for many months and people will be able to listen to it on your website or on their mp3 players.

What makes podcasting a unique marketing and communication tool is that it allows individuals (or businesses) to publish (podcast) audio shows that interested listeners can subscribe to (via RSS). Before podcasting you could of course record an audio show and put it on your website, but now people can automatically receive new shows without having to go to a specific site and download it from the website... The podcast show is “automatically delivered to them”. Listeners that have subscribed to your podcast have effectively said to you, “I want to listen to your content on a regular basis.” This allows you an unblockable and direct communication line to your target market.

This is a very unique position that up until this point has not existed online. This is the crucial part of podcasting that makes it a high impact marketing tool.

Forrester Research has suggested that by the end of the decade, 12 million people will be listening to podcasts as part of their media diet. And this figure was announced before iTunes threw its hat into the podcast delivery ring. There are over 38 million consumers that use Apple's iTunes, with the number climbing rapidly.

Podcast listenership is doubling every 3-4 months. Podcasting is a very fast growing new media marketing and communication technology.

Podcasts reach a large audience of listeners that have a narrow focus of interest. As a marketing tool, podcasting allows you to have the ability to leverage this highly targeted, high value listener.

The podcast show must be of value, interesting and informative.

 

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