Podcast Freq

I am looking forward to the conference next week in London. I will be on a panel discussing the following areas

* Podcasting outside of the marketing box: Hear how companies are using the podcast platform for internal communications, personnel, recruitment, sales updates, knowledge sharing and much more
* Using podcasts for training and development: Find out how the podcast platform can be used to develop effective customisable learning programmes, as well as what you need in place to ensure a successful campaign
* Engagement in the workplace and tapping into the latent talent of your staff: Hear how podcasts can help you invest in employee skills and foster knowledge sharing, boost employee morale and increase productivity
* Return on investment: How effective have these podtraining campaigns been and where can you expect to see the biggest improvements on everyday performance?

The conference is full of case studies which look an excellent insight into how business are using podcasting in innovative ways. For the full brochure click on the Corporate Podcasting Summit But here are some of the highlights

# First Direct Bank will discuss how their podcasting campaign is helping them maximise the online channel, build relationships with customers and add to their bottom line

# PricewaterhouseCoopers will outline how companies can prepare themselves for podcasting and blogging (internal guidelines and damage limitation)

# Sun Microsystems will share how they are using podcasts as a B2B communication tool

# Edelman explain how companies can leverage the podcast to build a marketing message, with examples from their own and client campaigns

# Alcatel-Lucent will case study their podcast project used for internal training and communication activities

# A London livery company, by video link up, will outline how their podcasting campaign offered a new way to communicate and engage with members

# The European Food Information Council will discuss how podcasts offered a simple, listener friendly way of disseminating complicated information to their community

I have tried out many recording packages recently as my blog postings have shown. But I have settled on Skylook which as been superb in terms of recording quality. It records at 48khz and the recording is so much better. The package is so much more than a recording tool here is a list of the features

Call Outlook contacts’ phones or PCs using Skype™.
Record calls to MP3, WMA** or other audio formats.
Receive voice mail messages in the Outlook inbox.
Automatically forward voice mail messages to any email address.
Receive alerts via SMS or phone when important appointments are due.
Get IMs forwarded to SMS or your phone when you are away from your PC.
Have important emails read to you over your phone when you are away from your PC.
Receive alerts via SMS or phone when important contacts come on-line.
Take notes about each call during and/or after the call.
Archive all communications including calls, voice mail, IMs and SMS.
Screen/Monitor calls from your PC or from your phone.
Synchronize your Outlook contacts with your Skype contacts.
Review all communications with a contact in one place, including calls, IMs and email.
Use Outlook to manage follow-up on calls and voice messages, just like you currently do with email - e.g. mark as unread, move to folder, flag.
See who is on-line without leaving Outlook.
Answer calls automatically with a Skype Answering Machine built into Outlook.

It does cost $100 but if you are a podcaster that interviews a lot over Skype I believe it is worth the money.

Leesa Barnes is looking for podcasters to interview for her new book. Here is an excerpt from her post on Podonomics

“I’m interviewing podcasters who have made money directly or indirectly from podcasting for my book called Podcasting for Profit.

The direct methods are:

* Advertising, Sponsorship, Tip Jars, Donations, Paid Subscriptions, Licensing, Consulting, Teaching

The indirect methods are:

* Lead generation, Selling products & services, More speaking engagements or media interviews, Getting book deals, Getting jobs, etc.

I’ve interviewed alot of podcasters over the last few days, but I need more

People often talk about content is king and that is true. As time goes by you can find yourself straying from the topic, or the original goal of the podcast. It is so easy to do. Here are some ideas to keep you true to your goal and linked to your listeners

1) If you haven’t written down the purpose of the podcast then try summing up your podcast reason for being in 8 words. If you have done that review this every 6 episodes and ensure that you are staying true to the mission.
2) Encourage feedback from listeners via audio or written so that they can give you ways of improving the listening experience.
3) Why not place around your computer pictures or words associated with your target audience. So that when you are recording the show you have a picture in your mind of who is listening. That can inspire you to record it for them.
4) Review your most popular podcast. What was the subject, was there a different format etc

Listeners feel connected to their podcast hosts, the irony is that a podcaster can feel isolated. Therefore, pictures and images can give the feel of having an audience in front of you.

I had a question in about what program you should use to start when thinking about a corporate podcast. I thought I would share the response

1) The best program to start with is Audacity - http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ It is free and very user friendly. If you need any help I do on line coaching to build your first podcast.

Then all you need is a microphone - the one I started with plugged in via a USB port and I loved it - a Plantronics DSP500.

You record, edit and then you will need a tagging program, a good one can be found here http://massid3lib.sourceforge.net/

2) The next question was why you may need tagging

If you want to RSS the show and allow people to subscribe to it - even internally - you have to tag the show. This allows you to give titles, logo, keywords for search purposes. Audacity has a tagging tool which is very basic but if you want to add logo etc I would use the program below.

I also should have said if you ever download audacity you need to also download off the same site lame encoder…..this allows you to export to MP3.

Hope that helps…also check out my podcast as next week we talk about using social media in the corporate world and also may be worth checking out this interview I did http://claireraikes.blogs.com/bizblogangel/2007/03/blogs_podcasts_.html

Interesting move in podcasting and also the jobs market. Jobsinpods has launched a podcast service. Here is the detail from their site of how it works

You choose a podcast package for the year. Together we create a schedule and determine which employees will participate. The HR Manager is the person we prefer to interview first.

After scheduling your first interview this is what happens.

1. We call you and conduct the interview. It takes about 15-20 minutes.

2. The interview is recorded and saved as a audio file (MP3).

3. It is then posted to our site (which is a blog) and immediately available for download or listening.

4. We send you a copy to use on your own web site.

5. Within 24-72 hours your “podcast with jobs�? is fed to our distribution channel of over two dozen podcast sites and directories such as iTunes and Podcast Alley.

6. At the end of each podcast we direct job seekers to your career page (or job board) to apply for the jobs they heard about. Instructions for applying will also be attached to our blog when we post your interview. Each post will be categorized and tagged for search engine optimization.

Further proof that podcasting is stretching its usage, stretching its barriers.

Podcasting is fun and if you are like me you maybe fell into it, exploring the technology but it is important to assess why you podcast. Preferably you would do this before your podcast adventure however, if you have started make sure that you understand what the podcast is and is not and what your ultimate goal is for the show.

Here are some questions that you should be able to answer succinctly and clearly

1) What is the topic of the podcast?
2) Who is your target audience?
3) What is your purpose - is it to make money, to extend a brand, communication tool, hobby, personal brand builder?
4) How will you measure your success?

The reasons is that the answers will determine the time you spend on the podcast and also where your concentration of effort is put. It will also keep you focused on providing value to your customers aka listeners. People who podfade are often unclear of one or all of the above. If it is a hobby your time can be flexible, for instance.

Be clear to yourself and this will bring clarity to your content and promotion

Podcasting has been a major marketing tool for my business. Here is a list of reasons that I believe podcasting can help small and medium business grow their revenue

1) It brings a voice to your company - a humanness.
2) It allows consumers to connect with you and your service
3) It is basically a free resource
4) It reaches out to people that you would not necessarily reach
5) It shows that you are forward thinking
6) It delivers content of value free of charge to your customers
7) It helps build your personal brand
It widens your network for support, contacts etc
9) It acts as a reminder each week about what your business is about to keep you focused upon your business plan
10) It increases your google rank when combined with a blog for searches

The future of podcasting will be with mobile technology. Nokia are one of my favourite companies for embracing podcasting. Here is what they say about their software which I think is a sign of the future. It is important for us all to think of the implications of mobile phones as a receiver of podcasts for how we take our podcasts forward in terms of timing and content.

Nokia Podcasting is compatible with S60 3.x edition Nokia devices. It is optimized for devices with WLAN and the NSeries music player*.

“As with most MP3 players, you can download podcasts on your PC and transfer them to your compatible Nseries Multimedia Computer (MC) via Windows Media Player or Nokia PC Suite. You can also download podcasts directly to your MC without using your PC at all.

The Nokia Podcasting application allows you to find, subscribe to and download podcasts over the air with your Nseries device. After downloading a podcast, you can listen to or watch it when you want.

You can choose whether the Podcasting application uses Wireless LAN (requires WLAN network access) or GPRS/WCDMA packet data (requires a packet data plan) to download podcasts over the air.

To stay close to the technology there is a blog called Nokia Podcasting which you can subscribe to

Podcasting is only part of the web community and it is important to keep abreast of all the new technology. Time magazine said we were all the most important people on the web but here is an article in Yahoo News that shows the 50 Most Influential People and why…interesting read!

Uhm….is this a sign of things to come…could we be on the verge of adense for podcasters? I hope so, because whatever anyone says I love the way Google makes things simple for non geeks like me. They have an ability to bring technology to the masses. They are down as an exhibitor at the Podcast Expo, which I would love to be able to go to…..it is a great event but my issue is the cost from the UK.

So what do you think Google may be planning…..a podcast platform, podvertising?

Jason Van Orden whose blog I love reading posted an interesting article for podcasters which I believe is worth looking into. Here is a snippet of the post which you can read in full here

“Some podcasting colleagues and I have put together a collection of the best “how to�? content for podcasters to be syndicated as an ongoing podcast station on Podango called the Podcast Mastery Network (this link won’t be active until Mar 5th). I’ve asked some of my favorite podcasters to participate in the station and share their best podcasting tips and tricks.

The station will include content from Paul Colligan (Podcast Tools & Profitable Podcasting), John Havens (About.com Guide to Podcasting), Charles Stricklin (Podcast Planning), Leesa Barnes (Podonomics) and myself. The station launches on March 5th.

You can listen to a preview clip/promo for the station here.

I wanted to give you early warning of 2 presentations that I am doing on podcasting.Here are the details of the event.
International Podcasting Expo, April 20-21. Registration is now open for
Sponsors, Exhibitors, Speakers, and 2-Day Admission Tickets. This virtual event
brings together people from around the world who are interested in Podcasting—
experienced, beginners, or simply want to learn how easy and inexpensive it is to
get started. The public is invited to attend three open seminars, browse the exhibitor
halls and participate in live podcast events free of charge. Get all the details here

My presentations will be on
Building an Online Network
If Only I knew Then What I Know Now:What I Would Have Done Differently