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The Power of Podcasting: What Exhibitors Need to Know
by Susan Friedmann
This article is about Podcasting --
other podcasting articles are available here...
Published on this site: May 31st, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
What's the most precious commodity in the world? Nope. Not gold.
Not platinum. Not uranium. Not diamonds. The most precious commodity
in the world is not something you can mine, or harvest, or hoard
in safety deposit boxes.
The most precious commodity is something you have an almost endless
supply of. Major industries go out of their way to get it from you.
Entire trades have sprung up for the sole purpose of enticing you
to part with yours.
What is this precious thing?
Why, it's your attention. I'm hoping by this point that I have yours.
Capturing the attention of today's mass-media savvy consumer is
quite a trick. Consider the competition: streaming video on the
desktop computer, television shows on your cell phone, video game
consoles that allow you to play with competitors halfway around
the world. How in the world are you going to get a consumer who
has all of these entertaining options available to pay attention
to your products and services?
Enter the podcast. Podcasts are audio or video files distributed
over the internet. Listeners download the files, and either play
them on the computer or a listening device, such as an I-Pod. Podcasts
can be on any topic - there are regular podcasts devoted to life
in Iceland! - and any length. Some are a few minutes, others go
for over an hour.
Podcasts have two distinct traits that will appeal to exhibitors:
- They allow the listener to multi-task:
Many of our clients are busy, busy people. They may not have
the time to sit down and read a magazine article, much less the
new book you've just authored. Yet they can listen to your podcast
while driving to work, going for the morning jog, even while working
on some less-vital aspects of the day's paperwork.
- The feed the societal need for self improvement:
Podcasting offers listeners the experience of attending a one-on-one
lecture with some of today's most foremost experts. Listeners
who want to advance their careers, improve their health, or do
a better job raising their kids are natural audiences for podcasting.
Podcasting can play an integral role in your development as an
Expert. Regular podcasts that share industry information, insights,
advice, and guidance will create the impression that you're someone
the public can turn to. This is an ideal time to display your expertise
and speak directly to the topics that are relevant to your market
and target audience. Considering the low cost of podcasting - you
can get up and running for a few hundred dollars - can you afford
to forgo this opportunity?
To be an effective podcaster, remember the four C's. Your broadcasts
must be Concise, Chatty, Clear and Consistent.
- Concise: Each podcast should have a clear focus. Pick
one point you want to concentrate on and select your material
to support and illustrate that point. It is better to offer several
short, clearly focused podcasts than one, long, rambling, self-indulgent
diatribe.
- Chatty: Make your material engaging. That might be difficult,
especially if you're talking about estate planning or tax avoidance
strategies, but it's necessary. Use real life examples and simple
language to communicate your points. Listeners will tune out jargon,
dry statistics, and 'academic-speak'.
- Clear: Once upon a time, politicians and thespians used
to train by speaking with a mouth full of pebbles. The thought
was that if one could make oneself understood even under those
circumstances, clear speech would present no problem if one were
unimpeded. I'm not recommending you start putting rocks in your
mouth. However, make an effort to speak clearly. Listeners won't
value what they can't understand.
- Consistent: You can podcast monthly. You can podcast
weekly. You can even - if you're brave and have the time - podcast
daily. It doesn't really matter, as long as you pick a schedule
and stick to it. Blow off your listeners at your peril. If there's
no material when they expect it,they won't come looking twice.
Once you have your podcast up and running, remember that you have
to promote it. Link to it from your website, add info about your
podcast to your signature files, and include a mention in your print
advertising. People won't listen if they don't know the podcast
exists!
Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid,
NY, author: "Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,"
working with companies to improve their meeting and event success
through coaching, consulting and training. For a free copy of "10
Common Mistakes Exhibitors Make",
e-mail: [email protected]
website: http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com
Related Links
How to Use a Podcast for Internet
Marketing
Although podcasting is trendy , it's vital to remember that when
you use a ... So there you have it : podcasting , another tool to
add to your Internet....
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