I’ve always been a fan of the spoken word, but it wasn’t until I got my first iPod Nano (they look a little different these days) – that’s when I first fell in love with podcasts.
Podcasts provide the best of several worlds. Through a service like iTunes, it’s a:
- Place to find speeches and sermons and almost anything under the sun that’s been recorded.
- Platform for “regular” people to voice their opinions and build an audience (anyone can do it).
- Provided entertainment “on demand”, and,
- Except for some really popular podcasts, remains commercial-free.
Now, the last bullet is a little tongue-in-cheek of course, because what the podcast has become is a commercial itself – at least another social media channel typically for those who have a website or blog, or who hire out for speaking engagements, or, (and this is the best one), who write books. Funny, how all of the digital platforms and media channels typically come full circle and push to the sales of a book, one that sometimes isn’t even available digitally.
Podcasts are a great digital asset and a great addition to regular channels. The Accuform Podcast was created in 2011 when Accuform Signs held monthly webinars for our distributor partners and their customers. The content of each recorded webinar was turned into many different forms of media including blog posts, downloadable .pdf documents, videos, slide presentations, tweets, Facebook posts and of course, podcasts. It can be one of many valuable web tools for inbound sales and content marketing, and can garner much needed customer feedback. I don't know how well it helps with search engine optimization (SEO), but it sure helps if your audience is on the road. And you'll have to get your metrics from another source too - iTunes isn't into measuring your audience.
Recently, a study conducted by Edison Research shows:
- 29% of Americans age 12+ have listened to a podcast
- 26% of Americans 12+ have viewed a video podcast
- The podcast audience is significantly more likely to have viewed television programming through non-traditional means
- One in four podcast consumers plug their MP3 players or smartphones into their car audio system “nearly every day”
Marketing trends show that podcasts are a great way to stay informed, and even entertained. The best podcasts are easy to listen to and have high production value. And they’re great for commutes, when you can’t read or watch a video. Most will have a corresponding blog with show notes or transcripts as well. As a marketing and social media guy, I listen to:
Marketing over Coffee– Christopher Penn and John J. Wall
The Beancast™ - Bob Knorpp
Social Pros Podcast– Jay Baer and Eric Boggs
Six Pixels of Separation– Mitch Joel
This is Your Life– Michael Hyatt
Thinking of starting your own podcast? Want some more information? Here are some tips from Apple for podcasting fans or potential podcasters.
What podcasts do you listen to?