Mfarhanonline Social Media News: Mignon Fogarty is the founder and managing director of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcasting network and the author of the New York Times bestseller Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing . She's been podcasting for more than five years, and distributes her content through her own website, iTunes, Stitcher SmartRadio and elsewhere. Sure, Adam Carolla can start a podcast and break the world record for podcast downloads by its second year. But you, sir, are no Adam Carolla. Celebrities aren't clamoring to visit your garage for an interview, and you didn't have your own radio show for 10 years. Should you even bother podcasting? Yes, you should — because it's an easy, inexpensive way to reach your customers and build a platform, and you can do it. You just have to do it differently from the Adam Carollas , ESPNs and NPRs of the world. Here are seven tips from my own podcast experience: 1. Evergreen Content The secret sauce for independent podcasters is evergreen content. Like a pine tree, an evergreen piece means the post will still be relevant (or "green") two years from now. This type of content can include tips, resources, how tos, tricks of the trade and even personal stories. As one of my marketing colleagues said, "That educational stuff is like crack for podcast listeners." A few months ago, I personally did an analysis of the top 200 podcasts on iTunes and found that more than 65% of the shows were produced by people or companies with megawatt name recognition. Of the shows that weren't as preordained for success, more than 80% delivered some kind of evergreen content: language lessons, sex tips, non-time sensitive stories, etc. Evergreen content is the most effective means of gaining traffic for independent podcasts. 2. Plant a Tree, Not Pansies At the independent podcast network I! founded , older shows comprise more than 70% of our new downloads. With evergreen content, you're planting a tree that will produce fruit every year. 3. Water Regularly Don't bother starting a podcast if you can't commit to a regular production schedule. But again, you are not Adam Carolla — weekly content is good enough, although couple of our shows get away with a bimonthly schedule. Listeners just need to know when to expect new material. 4. Grow Your Platform Adam Carolla used his existing radio audience to launch a podcast. You, on the other hand, will use your podcast to build a platform. Your platform participants are interested in your work, whether it's books, speaking gigs, webinars or plush toys. At my site, which is backed by Macmillan publishers, podcasters who gain traction are more likely to get book deals. 5. Don't Be Afraid to Prune, Repot or Trash Your Podcast A podcast takes time to grow, and it should be part of a bigger marketing strategy that includes blogging, tweeting, social media pages and perhaps video. But if your podcast isn't generating traffic, comments, emails or sales, don't be afraid to trash it and plant something new. I produced a science podcast before developing Grammar Girl, and Cali Lewis of Geek Beat hosted a religion podcast before finding her tech groove. 6. Follow the Light In terms of distribution, you're probably more like Adam Carolla than you think. You should distribute your podcast via your website (the number of people who listen directly from websites is growing, according to Edison Research ). Furthermore, invest a smidgen of effort by directing listeners to iTunes ; the Zune Marketplace ; the BlackBerry and Nokia podcast portals; set-top boxes like Roku and Boxee ; your own iPhone, iPad, and Android apps; and other smartphone podcast distributors. 7. The Fruit Some businesses may consider podcasts a justifiable marketing expense, but don't forget that podcasts can also generate revenue. You probably won't be able to employ salespeopl! e like t he big guys, but you can work with the major podcasting ad brokers ( RawVoice , Podtrac and Wizzard ) to find advertisers, sell premium content and develop smartphone apps. If you're avoiding brokered ads, don't yet have your own product to sell, or just want more options, you can also consider affiliate advertising. It's tough, but if you can find the perfect product — one for which you can give an honest, personal recommendation – an affiliate program can be a great option. The recession hasn't bypassed podcasting, but I've noticed a promising new trend. While we used to be dependent on a couple of large advertisers, today, more and more small companies are providing advertising services. It can be challenging to manage multiple advertisers, but your business may be healthier in the long run. Good businesses don't need to break world records to consider their podcasting efforts a success. If your business goal is to connect with your customer base while generating some extra revenue, you should consider podcasting. Images courtesy of Flickr, Social Media reviews series maintain by Mayya
0 comments :
Post a Comment