small
business
The
power of
podcasts
KEN BROMAN
New approach is
direct-to-ear marketing
By Lisa Alcalay Klug
WHEN GRETCHEN VOGELZANG and Paige
Heninger decided to produce weekly broadcasts for
moms about parenting and related issues two years
ago, they created MommyCast.com. There, they
posted podcasts—audio recordings available for
downloading to home computers—striking a chord
with tech-savvy moms. By spring 2006, their audience numbered more than 100,000, and major corporations had come aboard as sponsors.
Around the same time, Rightlook.com began
producing Internet radio shows about how to operate
auto-detailing businesses. Soon it, too, began cashing
in. Growing ranks of listeners seeking to launch their
own automotive-reconditioning businesses purchased equipment directly from Rightlook.com. A
single order could total as much as $50,000.
These aren’t the only small businesses that are
capitalizing on the power of podcasting. As high-speed Internet connections have proliferated in
recent years, so has podcasting. According to the Pew
Internet & American Life Research Project, the number of podcasts available on Podcast Alley, an online
directory of podcasts, grew from fewer than 1,000 to
more than 1 million episodes in just two years.
“Podcasting is a great way to market yourself
and build community,” says consultant Ted
Demopoulos. He is the author of What No One Ever
Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting: Real-Life
Advice from 101 People Who Successfully Leverage the
Power of the Blogosphere (Kaplan Business, 2006),
and operates a podcast consulting business called
GreatBigSmallBusinessShow.com.
“I refer to it as ‘indirect direct marketing’ sometimes,” he says. “You don’t talk about how good you
are and your products are, but demonstrate that by
providing value for your listeners.”
Music, interviews, coaching, classes— any audio
recording can become a podcast. Some programs
include video. Many, such as MommyCast.com, are
available on a
free subscription basis. Some
podcasters post
announcements about their shows on
their Web sites. Others notify listeners of
new shows by e-mail.
Podcasts are easily downloaded onto a personal
computer and then transferred to an iPod or MP3
player. Such “audio on demand” allows audiences to
tune into what they want, when and where they
want it.
It’s a marketing tool that is paying off with new
customers for Rightlook.com, says Stephen Powers, a
Costco member and president of the San Diego–
based company. Rightlook.com’s salesforce refers customers to its podcast library as part of its sales pitch.
“In many cases, we’ve documented where customers will call us back and make a purchase after
spending hours listening to our podcasts the night
before,” says Powers. “They make a commitment and
see that we are the right company to choose.”
Podcasting acts as a silent sales force, Powers
adds. “It increases the effectiveness of our sales force,
so, in a way, it replaces hiring some new sales staff.
You’ve got this extra tool that helps us increase our
sales and profits.”
Who else is using podcasts? The trend is reaching across all segments of small business. You can see
dozens of examples at Web sites that are serving as
resource centers for podcasts, such as SmallBiz
Trends.com;
http://startup.wsj.com, which features
podcasts for entrepreneurs from The Wall Street
Journal; iBizRadio.com, which has a directory of
business podcasts of all kinds; PodcastingNews
.com; PodcastAlley.com; and PodShow.com. C
“ Podcasting
is a great
way to
market
yourself
and build
community.”
—Ted Demopoulos,
consultant
Lisa Alcalay Klug is a frequent contributor to The
Connection.
