FREE TRAFFIC SOURCES SERIES PART TWO – PODCASTING

INTRODUCTION

At first glance, you may be thinking that podcasting does not have anything to do with traffic, but I can assure you that done correctly, you will get more organic and social traffic to your site using podcasts.

This tool can create traffic from other sources like iTunes, sites that upload podcasts and offer them for public listening, and even from phone apps that provide huge lists of topics that they pull in to offer on their app.

Podcasting is becoming ever more important as a medium to get your name, information, and brand out on the internet. If you do not use it, you are losing out.

At the end of this article, you will know briefly the ins and outs of podcasting, how it works and how you can get started using it to build an audience full of happy listeners right away.

So without further ado, let’s get into it!

 

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WHAT IS AND WHY USE PODCASTING

 

If you haven’t included podcasting in your marketing plan before, now is the time to think about changing that.

Why?

Because, they are a very effective easy to use tool and today they are easier than ever to create, edit, and publish. In fact, they have been around a while, but lately are becoming one of the most popular ways to connect with an audience of eager people that in many cases are also hungry buyers.

Just what EVERY business is looking for!

There are likely some people that do not know what podcasts are so let’s take a minute to talk about what podcasts are and what they can do for your business, to include getting you that FREE traffic.

Podcasts are audio broadcasts that are most often delivered over the internet in some manner as MP3 files. Memory compression technology used to record them means that such files are fairly small and they can be downloaded and accessed quickly.

The great thing about podcasts that has helped them catch on is the convenience they offer… 

People can listen to these live, or pre-recorded podcasts that they have downloaded on their computers, iPods, iPads, cell phones, or any other device that connects to the internet and can play media files.

They can listen to these when THEY have time, and where they want to listen… 

Business owners are discovering the value of podcasts, who use them to build their reputation, brand, sales, and for a number of other uses we’ll mention below.

The ease in getting them published and with the global reach podcasts have, and the fact they are available 24/7 means that the potential audience is truly huge.

Podcasting means  business owners can now more quickly develop a solid online presence using this additional tool. 

Podcasts can also be syndicated through a RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, so people can subscribe to them and get your latest podcasts fed to them automatically.

If you want to know more about RSS I have posted a link that is a very informative article that helps explain the concept:

===> http://www.problogger.net/what-is-rss <===

Essentially with all the advances in technology and the internet, you can easily create your OWN radio-style talk show centered on whatever it is you want to focus on, i.e. what your business has to offer.

You can create basic audio files, or if you want to get fancy, you can produce a video podcast (if you’re not shy about being on camera).

If being a video star isn’t your thing, no worries, you can also create an “enhanced” podcast, which is done by displaying images and screen shots as you talk. Kind of like a slideshow presentation or a webinar (another way to get free traffic we will go into later)..,

Kind of like a slideshow presentation or a webinar (another way to get free traffic we will go into later), this is just another version of the podcast…

 

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WHY USE PODCASTING

It is very simple. They  are not hard to put together, and you can plan for the subjects you want to cover over a period of time, get them recorded, edited and published, and they are evergreen in nature. Podcasting has many benefits including:

One time and done, these can be ongoing verbal advertisements for your brand and your productsPodcasting has many benefits including:

Podcasting has many other benefits including:

(1)  Increases your ability to reach a lot more people in your target market.

(2) It will help build your credibility and your brand credibility in your industry.

(3) It could  turn you into an internet superstar meaning that your content could go viral and many thousand will hear or see it (great for business).

(4) Once subscribed, the people will receive their podcats from you automatically, via RSS feeds.

(5) Your podcasts can be accessed by your subscribers anywhere or anytime, once downloaded !

(6) Podcasting will help you build a solid relationship with your consumers, they will get  to know you, like you and trust you.  (We know that is essential for long-term profits)

Bottom line, a well-planned and executed podcast can be a very good way to get your business in front of an unlimited number of new customers that you otherwise would miss out on.

But it doesn’t stop there…

They can also be used as the foundation for other audio products like audio books, webinars and even paid audio products or other products you may be promoting or selling online or offline.

The possibilities are almost endless and extremely profitable!

You can use them as an addition to a video, to teach a subject, to interview someone, to do product reviews, really the possibilities are almost endless and podcasting CAN be extremely profitable!

 

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HOW TO PODCAST

Equipment You Will Need

Surprisingly, you will need very little to get started. There is excellent software that you can use to record and edit your podcast, and thonly thing you might consider is a good set of headphones and a good microphone that has a USB jack that you can plug in to your laptop or desktop computer.

If you budget will allow, you may want to consider a second set of headphones for a guest to have available when you do an interview. Other than that, you could also get a few other bits and pieces to deaden the sound, but this type stuff is not absolutely necessary.

Planning for Your Podcast

It is a good idea to plan ahead on how you will run the podcast. What points will you cover, how long will your cast be, what questions will you ask if doing an interview, how you will open and close, will you have some background music for the intro and outro, etc.

Doing this ahead will make the whole podcast go a lot smoother, and it will sound a lot better to the listener. The idea is to have it flow naturally, and there are no uncomfortable pauses or backtracking, etc. that will happen if you have not planned the episode.

Recording the Podcast

This is not a hard thing to set up, you can test everything prior to starting the recording. Make sure that the recording volume is adequate. check for any background noise that may hurt the quality of the recording, check to make sure the music is at a decent level.

Once you have done all these checks, you are ready to record. The nice thing if you are not live is that that later you can edit things out that need to be removed, and if live, you just plow through and make the best of it (and edit the recorded version later prior to publishing).

Editing the Podcast

Once you have finished the recording, then comes the editing. You can add in a canned intro, complete with music, as well as the outro. This will give your podcast a professional feel when listeners  hear the podcast.

You can adjust the sounds, if you are using video with the cast, you can adjust that to match the flow of your speaking, you can make any other adjustments necessary, then prepare the final version for upload.

Publishing the Podcast

There are several sites where you can choose to host your podcast at, and of course from there you can upload it to iTunes or other audio networking and distribution site.

These include SoundCloud, Archive.org, Amazon S3, OurMedia.org, Podomatic, Libsyn, Podbean, and Buzzsprout. Eachhas their pluses and minuses,

You might consider also adding it to your website or blog additionally for those that may visit the site and have an interest in your podcast. I would also have a subscription option right there so they can subscribe.

Marketing the Podcast

Now come the fun part.

Let everyone know you have published your podcast. Make sure RSS is set up and subscribers will get their feed, and use Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. to get the word out that you have published.

Give all your fans and some potential new ones know that you have posted the podcast, ask them to share your update, and let it go viral if possible. This is marketing a bit, but until you build a large fan base, this will help.

 

 

WRAP UP

OK today we have covered briefly what Podcasting is, why you should consider using it, how to put a podcast together, and edit and publish the podcast when you are done recording the session.

Lastly we gave you some ideas on how to market the podcast and your name or brand. This is not a hard process, and it also does not have to be expensive.

 

CONCLUSION

Today we have covered this oft-discussed topic thoroughly if briefly, and also added for your use how this tool can factor into free traffic for your online marketing program.

Now the key is that you get out there and try. If you can get a little foothold in this podcasting business, you will soon have a lot of buzz about yourself and what you are doing, just like that picture above is showing. This means: MORE FREE TRAFFIC!

There are likely a lot more points that could be included, which of course is why I have asked for comments below. Together we can all get better at our trade and help others along the way, a good thing!

FREE TRAFFIC SERIES LINKS

This is a 10 part (12 with the introduction and wrap up posts) series on ways of generating free traffic. Once all are published, you will be able to access them at any time using the “Tools” tab on the left menu area here on the site.

Take notes, make comments, use this information please. Take action and increase YOUR free traffic. This one can be a lot of fun, and once you get the hang of it, can really be effective for your online marketing business.

10 PART FREE TRAFFIC SOURCES – INTRODUCTION

===> INTRODUCTION <===

 

10 PART FREE TRAFFIC SOURCES PART ONE – SOCIAL MEDIA

===> SOCIAL MEDIA GROUPS <===

 

10 PART FREE TRAFFIC SERIES PART TWO – PODCASTING

(you are here now!)

 

10 PART FREE TRAFFIC SERIES PART THREE – TBP

===> TBP <===

 

One last thing before we close this out…

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FINAL POINT

As I always do. at the end of my posts and tutorials, I add a short paragraph oto ask readers to leave a comment. It could be about the content, your own ideas, or a problem you may be experiencing.

We all learn when there is a good discussion on a topic, and that it what I like to promote. Podcasting is certainly an interesting topic and I am sure there will be good feedback! Thanks in advance!

Cheers!