Using podcasts to boost your business - tips and strategies

In the podcast-boom of late there have been some excellent examples of how and how not to use podcasts. In a broadcasting context, there are definitely models that work and models that don’t, but more significantly to those of us not involved in radio or music there are also a range of possibilities for using podcasts in business contexts to assist with communication, engage employees and customers and allow for better conversations within and without of your company.

This is the first in a week of podcast related postings, you might be interested in other posts on effective business podcasts and podcasting music.

Probably the best lessons you’re going to learn in the first sense, however, come from the people pioneering podcasting in a broadcast sense. Last week I was talking podcasts to Cameron Reilly of The Podcast Network and coming from that I reckon that there are several key aspects of successful business podcasting that can apply to pretty much any use of the medium:

1. Keep it focused, short and sweet - One of the things that TPN do is a lot of very focused, consumable shows. One of the things that moronic networks jumping on the podcasting bandwagon do is podcast their drivetime show ;o)

2. Production values are important but remember, it’s a podcast - This is most definitely a ProAm activity born out of a culture of communication so if all you are intending to do is transfer your latest ad, promo or swish production to podcast, think again. Podcasts need to be authentic, genuine and not perhaps as slick as you might first like them to be!

3. Podcasts are, in a communicative sense, very much associated with blogs - Simply spitting out an RSS feed with enclosures will really do little more for your organisation or customers than sending them a DVD in the post. Your listeners need to be able to interact with your production, gather whether they might listen to particular shows before whacking them on their .mp3 player and are going to be, most likely, pretty comfortable with the blog format for this purpose!

So, given that you’re now ready not to produce an hour long podcast full of ‘useful information’ through a sole RSS feed and produced up to the gills… here are some ways in which you can use podcasting effectively for your organisation:

*Genuine & Effective Executive Communication*

There’s nothing more uninspiring, less impacting and more likely to be misquoted, misinterpreted and misplaced than big group emails. Podcasts are another thing entirely. A 5 minute rap on issues that you want to deal with straight from you and able to be interacted with through comments / questions on a blog is a GREAT way to get and stay connected with the people in your organisation.

*Creating & sustaining client relationships*

Another thing that I should have mentioned is that podcasting is most definitely not a one-off or a quarterly event. This is about engaging people in conversations on an ongoing basis. Do a Macromedia and get the people developing and working on your products talking to the outside world in a frank, meaningful & emotional way. Even better, because this isn’t text, you’ll automatically bypass all those horrific barriers to communication that you’ve erected called ‘PR’ :o)

*Express yourselves*

There is nothing worse than working in a medium to large organisation and feeling like no-one is listening to you. Knowing you have an audience, knowing that your opinions and ideas are valued and knowing that you’re an integral part of an organisation is a pretty motivating feeling, and with motivated employees you’re half way to a successful company. Think about starting your own ‘podcast network’ on your intranet. Put a maximum time limit on it and get project teams and individuals podcasting to the rest of the company, allow people to use text / video / graphics as well as or instead of through the blog format and you can help create a culture of communication far more effectively than a few round tables.