Podcasting 101 in 5 Steps: Building a Better (and Successful) Podcast

Posted in Wendy Troupe's Perspectives by Wendy Troupe on March 18th, 2009
 

Podcasting. In a word, it’s simple. You need a bit of equipment (you probably already have what you need). You need a subject and focus (if you are in business, you have this, we hope). Outline your podcast, then jump in. Tape and publish some practice episodes. Ask your critics to provide constructive feedback. Then publish and market. It’s fun, easy, and a great way to put a global face to your business. These are steps to putting together your own podcast kit.

Let’s get you started.

The Five Steps

  1. Plan and revise
  2. Create
  3. Publish
  4. Market and Syndicate
  5. Listen — and a conclusion

Podcasting 101: Step 1 – Plan and revise

Plan — Outline a script. Make your podcast memorable.

Plans don’t need full line by line scripts. If you are scripting a short marketing message, such as recording your telephone voice message, writing out your message will simplify the recording. Otherwise, create a template: a segmented format you use over and over. Consistency wins listeners.

Possible segments are:

  • Open/welcome
  • Tips or announcements
  • Reviews or News
  • In depth discussions/Interviews
  • Audience Feedback
  • Wrap up and promotion of the next podcast

Summarize your podcast with notes on your web site for those who have not listened yet. Notes drive search engine traffic and turn visitors to your site into listeners and subscribers.

Five Ways to Kill Your Podcast is a good example of writing a summary.

The 6 Keys

  1. Who is it for?
  2. What is it about?
  3. Where will my target audience be listening?
  4. When will I broadcast?
  5. Why is my subject and knowledge important to anyone but me?
  6. How will I know it is successful and meets my goals?

Revise — Refine your outline: I am listening to you, not reading what your wrote. Write for the ear, not the eye. This is an audio file. Use short sentences, little bytes and chunks of information. Add a bit of a cliffhanger.

TIP: Listen to old time radio shows to improve your command of your recorded message.

Podcasting 101: Step 2 – Create

Basic Equipment — The basic equipment to record, save and convert to an MP3 is all you need. A sound editor, a microphone and a way to compress the sound file to an MP3, the standard for distributing audio files on the Web.

Once your content is ready, what platform or application should you use to record and edit? It really doesn’t matter. Audacity is a free, open source recording and software program (Macintosh, Windows, Linux). Other popular applications are Adobe Audition and Sony Sound Forge. If you are an Apple/Macintosh user, GarageBand is all you need for recording, mixing and editing.

The microphone is the most important equipment expenditure you will make (starts about $100). As with automobiles and sports teams, no one ever agrees which microphone is best. We do agree that studio recording and field work require 2 different microphone types.

For studio work, get a directional condenser microphone with the largest diaphragm you can afford. Do not get an omnidirectional microphone. Large diaphragm means a larger surface to pick up the natural variations in your voice.

Field microphones are rugged, having top-notch noise rejection. Get a portable rig to go with your field microphone.

Condenser microphones need power. Some use a battery. Most get power from a 3-pin XLR cable which hooks into a pre-amp. Use a portable mixer (or USB pre-amp box) that powers the microphone and digitizes the signal.

For greater in-depth on the intricacies of sound and microphones, read this moderately long article.

Once recorded and saved (most likely as a .wav or .aiff, the best quality files), convert (compress) these large files to MP3 for distributing on the web.

Before compressing, do a bit of editing to refine the broadcast. This might include removing the (natural) breath intakes you’ll hear. Some extraneous noise can also be removed. Use Audacity or GarageBand, as mentioned above, for editing.

TIP: have the speaker as close to the microphone as possible and practicable.

Podcasting 101: Step 3 – Publish

You have your MP3 file, now. So how do you publish it to the world? — There is no mystery to RSS publication, although some would make you think so. An RSS (real simple syndication) file is a simple text file that links to your MP3 file.

Upload the MP3 audio files to a folder on your web site or blog and validate using an online RSS validator such as FEED Validator.

Most web sites provide the tools to easily create your RSS feed. Feeds describe your podcast using meta information about the URL, making it easy for search engines to index your podcast feed.
RSS feeds are a huge topic and there are lots of tutorials on this (here is one from Podcasting News. If you use blog software (Blogger, WordPress) or a good hosting company (Bluehost is one I recommend).

Publish your podcasts to popular sites, including

Podcasting 101: Step 4 – Market and Syndicate

Where can my audience find my podcast? — Make your podcast available where your audience is listening, regardless of their preferred method of delivery.

It’s the belts and suspenders method of communication.

  • Some wear belts.
  • Some wear suspenders.
  • Some wear both.
  • Some wear neither.

Make sure your audience can reach you no matter how they choose to do so (handheld devices, desktop computers, varying operating systems and applications).

Put your podcast on your Web site, make it available through an RSS feed, offer it through iTunes-type stores, make it bookmarkable, put it on a CD and hand it out as a business card, put the URL on your telephone voice message. Let your audience know where to tune in.

Market — Don’t forget traditional marketing methodologies, including

  • Press releases
  • Email marketing
  • Search engines
  • Promotions
  • URLs on your business card and voice messages
  • Syndication (see below)

You’ll also need a way to feed (RSS) your broadcasts and a way to publish your files (FTP program). Podcasting Scout is one good site about this, with lots of links to more resources.

Syndicate — Your content is created, uploaded and ready for viewing. Spread your knowledge through syndication: making your content available for others to use across multiple web mediums (web sites, feeds, e-zines, PDAs and web applications are a few).

Weblogs.com, Syndic8, and blo.gs are good sites to ping (let them know when you add content and they push the information to their subscribers).

Podcasting 101: Step 5 – Listen & in conclusion

Listen to your audience but don’t wait for feedback to do some updating. Spring cleaning time is a good time for a marketing and promotion tune-up. How are you currently keeping your show fresh and relevant? Review your album art, your blog, your formatting, your template.

Take time to review your template, adjusting based on all that valuable listener feedback. Tune-ups can be done annually (spring cleaning time or when the new year begins are always good calendar markers). If you are getting a lot of listener feedback on one particular point, it is good practice to update that sooner than later.

In Conclusion — Unlock the mystery of podcasting with 6 marketing keys, a few professional tools and a bit of knowledge. Whether new to podcasts or an old hand, this brief overview shows you how to build a most successful, stand out from the crowd, podcast – one that people tune in to hear.

Much as comics spend time writing and perfecting jokes, even practicing for public speaking engagements at improv theaters, with a bit of planning, your podcast will become one of your often-used business marketing tools.

The 6 keys* (who, what, when, where, why and how) form the base of your successsful broadcast. And that’s all a podcast is: an online broadcast. A podcast is simply an audio program, distributed to portable devices and computers, meant to inform and/or entertain. It is not difficult nor should you be afraid of this technology.

  • Plan and revise your plan.
  • Create.
  • Publish.
  • Market and syndicate.
  • Listen to the feedback and adjust accordingly.

Tip: React positively to your listener feedback and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the success viral marketing will bring to you. *Email mothergeek@businessherway.net for a brief overview of The 6 Keys.

Gayley Knight is a guest blogger for Terametric. She is Founder/Principal of Business Her Way (a social media management company). Delighting in opening the technology world for your company, Gayley draws on her extensive network and personal business experience to simplify your online world. Showing you best social business practices and simple tech tools designed to increase your business visibility brings social media into perspective, saving you time and money. You can contact her directly at http://www.businessherway.net or via email at gayley@mothergeek.com.

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Social Capital / Social Business — What’s Your Online Social Capital Worth?

Posted in Wendy Troupe's Perspectives by Wendy Troupe on March 11th, 2009
 

What is social capital? How do you invest in your online social capital? To what extent does your company facilitate social networking with (existing or potential) clients and business partners? What’s the value of this social capital to your company (i.e. the connections within and between social networks as well as connections among individuals)? How does it influence your marketing strategy, online conversion rates, search engine rankings and ultimately, ROI? And the bottom line, how do you measure it?

Social Capital Defined
Social capital is the value of your relationships. Creating online communities and social networks allow you to build and invest in your social capital. The more targeted your social media plan is, the better your results and more visible the ROI. You need to understand how to measure your social capital and grow it for organizational viability for the long term. Creating and cultivating your community builds relati

What is social capital? How do you invest in your online social capital? To what extent does your company facilitate social networking with (existing or potential) clients and business partners? What’s the value of this social capital to your company (i.e. the connections within and between social networks as well as connections among individuals)? How does it influence your marketing strategy, online conversion rates, search engine rankings and ultimately, ROI? And the bottom line, how do you measure it?

Social Capital Defined
Social capital is the value of your relationships. Creating online communities and social networks allow you to build and invest in your social capital. The more targeted your social media plan is, the better your results and more visible the ROI. You need to understand how to measure your social capital and grow it for organizational viability for the long term. Creating and cultivating your community builds relationships between you and your customers and constituents and it has all sorts of benefits.

Some of these benefits include:

  • brand advocacy
  • product conversion
  • engagement
  • trust
  • transparency

How is it Measured?
Measuring your social capital comes down to quantifying activity metrics, survey metrics, ROI measurements (marketing/sales, customer support, product development, HR, etc.), individual metrics for your community members, and independent internet tracking measurements.

Here at Terametric, we’ve developed an algorithm that uses a proprietary blend of over 50 variables, including website structure, social media presence, search engine data, site metrics, and conversational measurement, and coupled it with human engagement analysis as a way to measure your community’s effectiveness and profitability. Contact us directly for more information about how you can receive a social capital measurement score and learn where your social capital potential lies.

The Role of Web 2.0
How does that translate into your online systems platform? That’s where Web 2.0 comes in. Supporting social networking in the organization means more than simply bringing in-house functionality from (public) social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter. Instead, social networking functionality should be integrated not only with existing information systems, but also with the particular needs of the organization to enable people to grow informal networks which exist alongside formal structures, and fully exploit the wealth of information and expertise circulating in and around the organization. The foundation of this infrastructure is called a “Hub” Web site which integrates social networking components to allow the flow of information in and out of your larger community.

The Criticality of An Integrated Web Platform
Web 2.0 is based on the concept of using the Web as a platform and therefore benefits from the collective intelligence of the technology community to further its development. Using a Web 2.0 platform such as Drupal or Joomla, can eliminate the need for organizations to continually invest in their systems platforms like they have in the past. Since this is the trend that will ultimately become the norm, it also opens the door to integrate APIs and widgets from other Web 2.0 applications (Salesforce.com, Facebook, Wordpress, etc.) so that you are focusing more time on retrofitting the solution to your specific needs and less time on actual development. In the end, an investment now will position your organization for rapid development, lower development costs, and ultimately greater ability to build community, relationships and your social capital.

The Cycle of Building Social Capital
I’m including our product illustration (see below) to demonstrate the cycle of building social capital. When the flow of financial and human capital in the form of a social marketing strategy is infused into a core, centralized Web platform (or “Hub”) with social networking integration, you begin to build relationships with your community and the rate of return produces loyalty, engagement, trust, etc. which in turns increases your visibility in the search engines and online social networks, which increases your desired online business objectives – and the cycle continues…

The End Result
If you invest in Web 2.0 technology and enable your ability to rapidly integrate open tools to fit your social media strategy, your community will become more active, which will drive more contributions towards your goals (brand advocacy, product conversion, etc.), which will in turn build stronger relationships, which will result in higher social capital — the best investment you can make for long term business viability!

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How to Build a Social Marketing Plan

Posted in Wendy Troupe's Perspectives by Wendy Troupe on March 3rd, 2009
 

There are a lot of word-of-mouth elements such as blogs, microblogs (a la Twitter), syndication, online communities, social networks, and widgets are that are changing the rules of business as we know them and will be the new must-haves for your company’s success. Taken together they form the basis for an incredibly powerful toolkit that will enable you to communicate, promote your company and services, engage with, educate and listen to the customer directly, and spread your ideas and products virally so that you expand your company’s reach.

There are a lot of word-of-mouth elements such as blogs, microblogs (a la Twitter), syndication, online communities, social networks, and widgets are that are changing the rules of business as we know them and will be the new must-haves for your company’s success. Taken together they form the basis for an incredibly powerful toolkit that will enable you to communicate, promote your company and services, engage with, educate and listen to the customer directly, and spread your ideas and products virally so that you expand your company’s reach.

Here are the fundamentals of a solid social marketing plan as they align with your overall marketing objectives.

  1. Start Small
    Depending upon the skills sets that are available to you within your existing organization and the goal you’re trying to achieve, choose a tool and familiarize yourself with it – get a feel for its culture and features. Or, engage with a social media company that has both an understanding of technology and the marketing chops to assess your entire organizational structure and how to best start out with something that can be absorbed gradually and doesn’t overwhelm you.
  2. Define your Market Objective
    Start with analyzing your current marketing objectives and look for possible synergies with the tools that are available to you. Do you want to begin building your social capital and develop customer loyalty and brand evangelists who will reach out to their network of friends to build word of mouth referrals? Or do you want to capture customer feedback and begin a dialogue with your customers to target product insights. Or maybe you want to use the blog to build your brand identity and establish your expertise. The objective should help you select the best tool.
  3. Select your Target Market
    Who you choose to target is important and will also help to determine the tool that you choose. Generally, if you’re addressing a younger market (19-35) Myspace works. Young – Middle aged professionals you’ll find on LinkedIn and Facebook. But if you have a product for kids, then Disney’s Club Penguin is for you.
    You’ll also want to align with the technographics which are like demographics, only they are broken up by engagement levels. Forrester Research has defined the user types ranging from “Inactives (people untouched by social technologies) which have shriveled from 44% down to 25% of the online population in 2008 to “Spectators” those who read, watch, or consumer social content which have ballooned from 48% to 69%, to Joiners, Critics and Creators at the most involved users of the social networking space. If you think social technology is about to become a universal phenomenon, we just handed you a nice little bundle of evidence.
    As a whole, the growth in consumption of online content coming from older people (middle aged -35-to-44 year-olds) especially when it comes to joining social networks and reading and reacting to content. Even among 45-to-54 year-olds, 68% are now Spectators, 24% are Joiners, and only 28% are Inactives.
    So as you can see, targeting the right technographic is also important. For instance, stay-at-home moms rank high on the scale and are actively courted in the online marketing arena. Who you choose to target is very important so nose around and search for like minded people, the online publications they read and the organizations or associations they may belong to. Use a web search engine to help you out. Look for online communities that specialize in your niche. Try to identify the key influencers in that group.
  4. Assess Your Current Web Capability
    Technology is an important element of your success. There are lots of applications out there that allow you to integrate your content so that the flow of information is both inbound and outbound. Your website has to be the central hub of all of it and it has to be easy to update your content, integrate code (widgets, blogs, online communities, etc.), be easy to navigate, and optimized for search engine optimization. Moving to a Web 2.0 platform such as Drupal, Wordpress, or Joomla is the best route to take for scalability and superior content management systems.
  5. Set a Strategy
    If you are a company with a terrific new high tech product visit Tech Crunch (group-edited blog about tech start ups), see what they like to write about, and see whom you may wish to engage. If you are a nonprofit, Idealist.org is a great place to live, and if you’re a social media thought leader, Social Media Today has a great membership component that allows you to contribute to its blog. But you don’t have to have a blog to post comments on someone else’s. Perhaps you respond to someone’s request for help in a LinkedIn community, or join a Facebook group. The key point is that you begin to build a relationship with your target market.
  6. Measure your Engagement
    In the end, it’s all about building your social capital. If your social media plan is effective in building a community of people that are interested in what you do and can speak on your behalf, then you’ve begun to succeed.
    Measuring your engagement including behavior, feelings, and financial impact can be a bit trickier. On a basic level, you can use free tools such as Google Analytics, StatCounter and SiteMeter (for basic traffic statistics), Google Trends (to measure conversations about your target topics), and use Twitter search to monitor conversations. On a whole level up, you can measure true engagement using tools like Radian6 and Techrigy. I’ll be doing another blog just focusing on the elements for measurement and the tools themselves in the near future. Stay tuned.

And some important pieces of advice…

Pay attention to your customers – don’t just sell.
Traditional marketing has all been one way. A company decides what messages it wants to project on its market and it broadcasts those messages out via an ad or press release. But new word-of-mouth tools are two-way media and they offer the remarkable advantage of a real conversation. Listen to your market, take into account what they have to say, and you will have a very loyal set of customers.

Content is king.
Content is critical with any of the new word-of-mouth tools. What you offer must be relevant, interesting, and authentic and designed to bring readers back. Add new content often. Remember that when content is not updated, readership will drop off, often rather precipitously. Make certain that your content (or comments) add value and aren’t just to self promote. If they are, they will stand out as such and you may regret it.

Give to get, but mostly give.
If there is one truism in using any of the new word-of-mouth tools, it is that you must give to get – and give generously. On a group at Facebook, be the one who answers the question or provides the help and advice. Your generosity will earn you visibility in the group and give you credibility.

Measure and continually realign and redefine.
Once you have selected your tool, you will want to consider how you will measure your success. What did you learn about the tool and the process that you were not aware of? What did you learn about your target group that you didn’t know before? Take the time to think about and measure what you learned.

Treat your first foray as an exploration.
Starting small enables you to kick the tires and test what works. Not everything will, but along the way you will learn the ropes. The more narrowly you focus, the greater the likelihood of your success. Some market segments are the size of an ocean. Pick one part of it to begin. Respect any competitors you may run up against. Bad mouthing is poor policy.

Remember to give help generously.
And to acknowledge and thank those who help. Then take time to think about and measure what you learned.


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