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Archive for the ‘Small Business Podcasts’ Category
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
Social networking is a growing trend that is changing the face of business.
Invest a few minutes to learn how your small business can benefit from these cutting edge tools.
Caroline Melberg answers your questions about social networking on a new podcast at Entrespect.com. She will help you learn how to develop and leverage online relationships to grow your business. Learn which sites to participate in, develop strategies for building your network, and decide what information to share.
Caroline says, “My new friend Wendy Kram from Entrespect invited me to be a guest on her Podcast show, talking about Social Media–and we had a blast! If you’ve wondered what all the buzz about LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter is all about, check out this Podcast for all the details!”
“Linked-in, Facebook, Twitter…Now what?â€
at Entrespect.com featuring Caroline Melberg of Melberg Marketing
Listen to this great podcast here.
Tags: small business marketing, Small Business Podcasts, Social Media
Posted in Small Business Podcasts, Social Media, Tools for Small Business, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, March 2nd, 2009
Planning an online event to promote your small business and small business website is much like planning any event–start early, pay attention to details–and deliver.
Nothing gets your name out there by generating a buzz. Contests, discounts and online promotions are a great way to reach the public.
Planning a Big Event:
Real world promotions allow you to promote your contest or other event at your brick-and-mortar store and in your own community. Call the local paper (circulations) or radio, hand out flyers with every purchase, post them in business windows, or create a banner for the outside of your store–and don’t forget to cross promote with other community businesses.
Online promotions cover the rest–create an e-news release (basically a press release), promote it on your website and ask if you can promote it on other websites. Use your email list or e-newsletter to get the word out, and be sure to promote it on your blog and blogs you visit.
This is what social media is for! List your contest, discounts, and other promotional events on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, and all of your social networks. Encourage others to pass it along.
Don’t forget there are internet radio, streaming video, podcasts, and YouTube, as well as chat rooms, forums, and websites that focus on nothing but contests and discounts. Check out ContestHound.com, ContestAlley.com and ContestGuides.com. Don’t forget to list it on local internet directories and community calendar sites.
Have you ever planned an in-store event that went really well?
Can you repeat that success online? What do your customers seem to respond to?
Look for partners.
Could you barter with another company for a prize?
Could you offer your services or products to a bed and breakfast in exchange for a free weekend get away as your grand prize? Prizes are important, so don’t be stingy. Be the talk of the town.
The more you solicit other company’s involvement, the more you gather in terms of audience and prizes. Cross promotion means that these other companies will utilize their email lists, mailing lists, and word of mouth–getting the word out to customers you might not have been able to access.
Include audience interaction. Contests should be more than putting your “name into the hat.” Include a trivia question, a short essay (for the grand prize), a photograph they have to submit–something that gets people involved.
Consider inviting a local celebrity. Newscasters, the mayor, a local sports celebrity can really draw a crowd. Include a charitable element in with your promotional efforts. Let any prize or raffle money go toward a charity and you’re helping out a worthy cause both in monetary terms and giving them a chance to share their message.
Keep your word. Nothing is worse than not hearing back on the advertised date. Let everyone know who won and make a big deal about it. Post their picture, a quote–people like to see themselves and they’ll tell everyone they know to visit your website.
Promotional activities generate excitement and should always list your website, logo, email, and contact information. Take the time to prepare–and follow through with delivery, and you’ll see site traffic that gives you and your small business much needed exposure.
Tags: contests, online networking, promotions, social media marketing
Posted in Blogging for Small Business, E-mail Marketing for Small Business, Local Internet Marketing, Networking for Small Business, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Podcasts, Social Media, Tools for Small Business, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
iPods and other .mp3 devices are quickly becoming people’s most valued possession.
These devices are allowing people to download music, books, and helpful information they can listen to at their convenience–whle jogging, in the car, or working out.
So why not offer them a podcast? You might offer some how-to hints or a great interview about what you and your small business has to offer.
You don’t need fancy equipment to create a podcast, and uploading it to the web, including podcast directories, and to your website is easy and quick.
What exactly is a podcast?
• A podcast is an audio file you can create on your computer that’s in an .mp3 format.
• A podcast is an audio file and is a recording, much like a radio show–in fact, many radio shows use podcasts.
• You can upload a podcast with an RSS file to a server—and place it on your website or other websites.
• Anyone who wants to listen to your file simply has to download a podcast program that will allow them to hear your podcast—any time the like.
“But I don’t have anything to talk about!†You protest.
Sure you do. You own a thriving small business.
You help customers and clients all day.
You offer products, service, advice—people ask you questions, you have to explain instructions…
If you can do this in person, you can do this on a podcast.
Visit Podcast.com and spend some time listening to other people’s podcasts.
Listen and note what you like. Are you drawn to an enthusiastic speaker who opens with a joke?
Or would you rather go with a more “expert-in-the-field/professional tone?
Study a few of them while you’re in the car and then practice your own.
Start practicing your first podcast by making it short. Anywhere from 1-10 minutes, max.
Many podcast shows offer even a one or two minute clip such as Sixty Second Science, a popular downloadable podcast available on iTunes.
Consider starting with a relevant story that poses a problem (for example, a man with a leaky roof that no matter what he patches it with, it still leaks), and then at the end of the podcast, wrap it up by “solving†the guy’s problem with your product or with the help of your service technician going the extra mile. In between, offer a couple of tips.
Start your podcast with a question, a statistic, or even a joke—if it’s a good one, but make sure you’re offering content. Most people either want to learn something or be entertained, so make sure your podcast falls into one of those categories.
Before the details overwhelm you, know that there are how-to-create-a-podcast programs out there that make this so simple. One of the most well known programs for creating podcasts is Audacity.
Audacity is free, and it’s great for beginners—and even offers more advanced levels for those who like a bit of a challenge. Audacity also offers a Mac OS9 or X version as well as a Windows, Linux/Unix version as well as extensive tutorials.
The next obvious step is that you have to purchase a microphone. You can pick one up at a major electronics store or purchase one online. Make sure your microphone is a unidirectional, dynamic-type, and go with a decent mid-range price range just to get started.
Other sites to check out include: Blog Matrix, Podomatic, Podcast Directory.com, and Podcast Alley.com. All of these sites offer vasts amounts of information about how to create your podcast files, what to feature, and how to market them.
Be sure to mention your podcasts on your social media contacts and in your emails and e-newsletters. There are also many blog radio websites that might consider playing your podcasts, but you’ll need to send a short query email and offer them a sample podcast for them to review.
Your goal is to build an audience, and to do that, you have to let them know when new offerings are available.
With your computer, downloadable software, and a microphone, you can start podcasting.
More and more people are on the go and would rather listen to a short program with earphones or in their car than to stare at a computer screen.
Why not give podcasting a try?
Tags: Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Podcasts
Posted in Local Internet Marketing, Networking for Small Business, PR for Small Business, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Podcasts, Social Media, Tools for Small Business, Uncategorized, website development | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
There is a move toward putting more multimedia content on websites and blogs and there is a very good reason for this. Even if you aren`t interested in doing video, small business podcasts are a great way to get started in the multimedia field.
Podcasts are great for a number of reasons, here are a few:
- They`re portable. People can download your small business podcasts and listen to them on MP3 players and chances are, a large number of your listeners will do just that. It`s usually easier to listen to podcasts while you are doing something else.
- They offer another way to reach your audience. People are busy. They don`t always want to take the time to read long articles or information, but if you offer them the option of listening to the message you have to impart, then you will be able to reach those hard-to-get audience members.
- It`s more personal. There is a bond that occurs when someone gets used to your voice by hearing it repeatedly. This is the reason radio DJs get so famous without ever showing their face. You`ll find that your listeners will feel closer to you and tend to trust you more because they feel they have a chance to really get to know you.
There are some very good reasons for doing small business podcasts, as you can see. It doesn`t mean you have to record daily, even a couple of podcasts a month can really help expand your audience.
Tags: audience, Podcasts, small business
Posted in Small Business Podcasts | No Comments »
Friday, December 19th, 2008
Email addresses are what you need if you want to really capture people`s attention and maintain it. Everyone knows that the money is in the list and it doesn`t matter what business you are in, you can always benefit from an email list.
Podcasting is an excellent way to gather email addresses. You can give your visitors a small clip of audio, plus a run down of what will be included in the full podcast. All they need to do in order to listen to this educational and any other useful podcast in the future is sign up with their email address.
You`ll need to be sure not to abuse this email address, since that`s a sure way to lose your potential clients. Keep emails short and informative and you`ll end up with far more people who stay subscribed to you. Podcasts on a regular basis can also help maintain subscribers.
Keeping your podcasts informative and not particularly long (15-20 min.) is the best way to ensure people stay interested. Make it worth their while to hand over their email address.
Tags: informative, Podcasts, small business
Posted in Small Business Podcasts | 1 Comment »
Saturday, December 13th, 2008
We`ve talked a bit about video marketing here before, but another area that many people feel more comfortable with is podcasting. Since you don`t have to appear on screen, this makes it a little easier for those with stage fright to promote their business in a more personal manner.
Podcasting doesn`t even need to take much time, it`s something that you can put together fairly quickly. Some business owners offer longer podcasts, with effects and interviews, etc. However, this is really not necessary and you can keep it to just 5-10 min. if that`s what you feel more comfortable recording.
The advantage of using podcasting to market your small business is that people prefer to buy from human beings. A website can often be construed as corporate or too professional. Having a real live person talking to them about the business is a great way to connect with visitors.
If you aren`t sure about the whole video idea, then you might prefer to take a look at podcasting. It`s a great alternative that still offers plenty of room for personality.
Tags: podcasting, publicity, small business
Posted in Small Business Podcasts | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
Podcasting is a growing method of reaching your target audience and yet, many small business owners aren`t taking advantage of this useful technique. Unfortunately, many people suffer from a fear of podcasting, but today, we`re going to look at why you might not want to try it and get rid of those fears.
“My voice sounds weird/I have an accent.” Well, GOOD! Your voice is unique and that makes it ideal for podcasting. People just love to hear what someone sounds like and you`ll probably end up with more clients than ever before once they have the chance to get to “know” you via podcasting.
“I can`t commit to podcasting on a regular basis.” That`s fine. Why not start with one podcast and see how it goes? There`s no rule saying you have to record something every week. Audio can be a handy way to connect with your visitors, but you can do it when you want to, there`s no need to schedule if you don`t want to.
“I`m not interesting enough/I have nothing to say.” Maybe not. But that`s why you prepare for your podcast. Write up a sheet of points you want to convey, do some research or even invite a guest speaker and interview them. If you don`t have anything to say, look for information on what your target market wants and talk about that.
Don`t let fear hold you back from podcasting. You could be losing out on making a vital connection with your clients!
Tags: clients, podcasting, small business
Posted in Small Business Podcasts | No Comments »
Saturday, July 5th, 2008
OK, you may not think of yourself as a little guy and maybe I’m being a little bit condescending, but let’s face it – small business owners need every little edge we can get. Can’t we?
There are a ton of social media tools out there that can help you make the most of your online marketing efforts. Some are worth it and some aren’t. Erica DeWolf has put together a little blog post highlighting a few of the tools that you can find useful. Among them are:
- Facebook
- Blog
- RSS feeds
- Podcasts
- Videocasts
- Twitter
I can vouch for most of these myself. For business social networking I like LinkedIn, but I’ve heard that many marketers have been successful with Facebook (it’s probably a generational thing). But I highly recommend blogs and RSS feeds. What Erica says about RSS feeds, that you can use them for anything, not just blogs, is true.
Two things that work really well with RSS feeds are podcasting and videos. Two very powerful methods of marketing that allow you to communicate with your customers as if they were right in front of you.
I don’t have any personal experience with Twitter, but it is a hot item right now. I highly recommend that you include some form of social media marketing into your mix of marketing strategies. For a consultation on which methods might work for your situation, contact Small Business Mavericks today.
Tags: small business, social media marketing
Posted in Blogging for Small Business, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Podcasts, Social Media, Video Marketing | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
If you have a blog and you are wondering what you can do to increase its effectiveness without breaking your budget then take a look at these five free Internet marketing strategies that compliment blogging well:
- Article Marketing – Article marketing has been around for a long time. You can write an article and distribute it online quickly and easily. Totally free unless you use a ghostwriter or hire someone to do the distribution. Even then it’s relatively inexpensive compared to other forms of marketing. It requires consistency and you can use your author resource box to drive traffic to your blog.
- Social Bookmarking – Social bookmarking is the natural sister to blogging. If you have a blog, promote it through social bookmarking. Very easy and free if you do it yourself.
- Press Release Distribution – Press release distribution is more expensive than any of the others on this list. To be most effective, you’ll have to pay something for the best distribution. But if you do this only when you have a great promotion then you’ll get a good response from your efforts.
- Podcasting – To do podcasting correctly you’ll have to spend some time on it, but you can do it yourself for no money. And it does drive traffic right where you want it to go.
- Video Marketing – Many bloggers use videos on their blogs. It’s called video blogging and it’s very effective. If you can speak into a camera you can do this. YouTube makes it very easy to upload your photos and it has a huge traffic base from which to draw.
These five Internet marketing methods are great compliments to your blog and easy to incorporate into your daily routine.
Tags: blogging, internet marketing, small business, Social Media
Posted in Blogging for Small Business, PR for Small Business, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Podcasts, Social Media, Video Marketing | No Comments »
Sunday, March 30th, 2008
Podcasts are a handy way to connect with your clients or potential clients, but many small business owners aren´t sure how about starting with podcasts. It´s really a great idea, though and one that visitors to your website will enjoy. In fact, many more people are likely to subscribe to a podcast than to a blog!
To make your podcasts even better, here are a few tips.
5 Podcast Tips
- Keep it short. While some podcasts of an hour do well, the majority of people simply don´t have much time to listen to you, so keep your podcast below 30 min. to attract more listeners.
- Make it useful. No one wants to listen to chitchat on a regular basis, though there is certainly room for this in a business podcast. Offering information and tips that your listeners can use will keep them coming back.
- Speak clearly. If you are normally a fast talker, it might take some practice for you to get to the point where you can speak nice and clearly so everyone can understand you.
- Plan it out. You don´t need an exact script, but having a plan for your podcasts is a good idea to keep you from getting drastically off track.
- Watch the noise level. If you are recording at home, make sure you find a quiet room to do so. Phones ringing, kids yelling and the TV blaring is not only distracting to you, it can lower the quality of the podcast.
Podcasts don´t have to be very complicated. You can simply record a 15 minute one to your computer and put it up for your website visitors to listen to. As long as you keep it short and informative, with a good dose of your own personality, everything should go just fine.
Tags: Podcasts
Posted in Small Business Podcasts | No Comments »
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