Bring Your Business Out of Its Shell with Podcasting

Podcasting is one of the latest trends in internet marketing. It’s allowed individuals and companies to market themselves, as well engage their audience on a much deeper level. The most beneficial part of podcasting? That most companies don’t have a podcast. Statistics show that 10 million blogs are formed every day. Many of them are from your competitors. But very few of your competitors have a podcast. The podcast can be a distinguishing mark. If recorded properly, a podcast can make you the definitive expert in your niche.

But what could a business produce podcasts about? This is a tough question, since most of us don’t think that our business concept is that interesting. Could you record an entire show that talks about something like picture framing or algae scrubbing? While it’s true that these are hard subjects to market, it is possible to make content that is not only valuable, but is fun for you and your listeners.

If you dig through the podosphere, there are three particular styles of podcast that are both useful and effective for businesses and internet marketing:

• Expert Interview. If your field has competition, then you have enough people to interview. Let’s take the example of picture framing. Who could you interview who are well-known for framing pictures? Perhaps you could talk to a picture framer who worked at the Louvre in Paris. If someone has created a new innovation in the technology  of framing, then you can talk to him about what got him into the business and find out what more about him and his style of living. Examples: The Smart Passive Income Podcast (Making Money Online) and  Internet Marketing Radio (Internet Marketing )
• How-To. What makes a how-to one of the best choices is the constant demand for it. Everybody wants a simple guide to doing everything. If you provide content that answers simple questions about how to frame a picture, or how to embellish the frame, then people will watch. This content is especially flexible, since you can make it into an audio or a video podcast. If you’ve done audio, then you can take that content and transcribe it, and encourage others to read it if they don’t want to listen. Video podcasts can be posted to YouTube, and shared in that form. The possibilities are endless. Examples: The Wood Whisperer (woodworking) and Indy Mogul (DIY filmmaking)
• News Round-up. This simple form of content is easy to do. If your niche has any kind of publications or blogs, then all you have to do is collect news stories from various news sources and share them with your listeners. This concept can be as short, or as long as you want. It all matters on how much news you want to have involved. A great way to extend your influence is to start a conversation on the show. If you have a list of experts that you are close with, or if you know people in your niche, you could gather them and discuss the implications of this news, or how it will affect your market. Example:  All content at Twit.tv (technology-based news)

All three of these podcast concepts are easy to produce because the content produces itself. Interviews and how-tos are simple to do because people already enjoy them, and want to learn what they can from experts. News round-ups are simple because it’s based around gathering stories. You can record just the stories, or include conversations. These choices are defined by you. But whatever you do, make sure that the content you record will establish you as a definitive expert in your sphere.