Podonomics

By way of Paul, I discovered that I’m one of the featured faces on the October 3rd episode of Rocketboom. They recapped the Podcast & Portable Media Expo by interviewing a few people, yours truly included.

So, I’ve been boomed. It’s an honour.

Technorati: podcasting, rocketboom, paul colligan, pme, Podcast Expo 2006

Podonomics explores corporate podcasting tactics. Join Leesa Barnes as she sums up the Podcast & Portable Media Expo and provides insights from some influential podcasters on how to benefit from podcasting.

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In Part 1 of the Podcast & Portable Media Expo wrap up, Leesa provides interviews from Tim Bourquin, Robert Scoble & Ron Moore.

Episode Notes

Tim Bourquin, Founder of the Podcast & Portable Media Expo

• How he’s handled his lack of sleep (the Canadian way)
• Reasons why more corporations are not podcasting
• Thoughts on Apple’s quest to trademark the word “pod”
• The big job that attendees have to do once the Expo is over

Robert Scoble, VP Media Development of Podtech.net

• Why Robert believes everything he writes on his blog
• Why you should live your life like it’s going to be on the front page of the NY Times everyday
• Why using podcasts and blogs can help you save tons of money on focus groups and the quality assurance process
• Why “showing up” helps you to raise your profile and be seen as an expert in your field
• How diversity helps to improve your products and services

Ron Moore, Executive Producer of Battlestar Galactica

• Why podcasting will help you boost your bottom line and help you win more customers

Episode Resources

Podcast & Portable Media Expo
Robert Scoble’s blog
Ron Moore’s blog
Ron Moore’s podcast
Hewlett-Packard’s legal drama

Technorati: podcasting, Robert Scoble, Tim Bourquin, Ron Moore, Battlestar Galactica, Science Fiction, Podcast Expo 2006, corporate podcasting

Jason Lee Miller over at WebProNews.com attended my session at the Podcast & Portable Media Expo and provided a very nice summary of the seven deadly sins of business podcasting.

He’s asking for more sins. Can you think of any?

Technorati: Podcast Expo 2006, podcasting, pme, portable media expo, Leesa Barnes, webpronews

I find the quest to be interesting for more than 12-hours quite exhausting. Last night, I passed up a pool party and dinner with Shel, Terry and others to hit the sack early. I spent most of today just interviewing people and finally getting a chance to play with the toys that the exhibitors were showcasing.

I met many people, too many to count, but I will provide a separate entry on my impressions of Scott Bourne, Robert Scoble, Paul Colligan and Bruce Murray (whom I think is the sweetest podcaster out there right now - and he’s Canadian).

As I sit here at the airport waiting for my flight, I’m struck by the enthusiasm I felt at the Expo. It’s one of the first times I’ve travelled to a conference without a feeling of apprehension that once I got there, I’d feel so alone. As soon as I reached my hotel, I was already making plans to meet up with CC, Julien, John and a few others.

My blog and my podcast have helped me to find friends in distant places. But more than that, social media has given me a place in both blogosphere and podosphere. My voice and my thoughts are recognized in this space. Social media has allowed me to shape the very image I want others to have of me. Thankfully, that image reflects who I am - my authentic self.

Even while at the Expo, I continued to feel the warmth and friendliness from everyone there - whether they were podcasting pros or neophytes. People who have been podcasting for a long time were more than happy to tell a newbie the tips and tricks on how to record properly, or how to interview with confidence.

I met many who were so enthusiastic about podcasting, that they bought an audio recorder at the show and stopped me and other speakers just to get a 3-minute interview. This is encouraging as it shows that podcasting is only going to get bigger and better.

The tools that I discovered at the show also gave me hope that podcasting could only grow from here. Gigavox just launched a tool that will help podcast producers lessen the amount of time they spend editing a recording.

I met another group who is releasing a product called Podcast Link that enables podcast listeners to download their favourite podcasts without using a computer. The president of the company even told me that his product passed the “grandma test” as his grandmother is able to use the product with ease.

Yet, as I look around this airport, reality settles in. Now that I’m off the podisland and back into the real world, I’m overwhelmed by the amount of work the podcasting community still has to do to educate the masses as to what podcasting is.

I can’t wait for the day when I no longer have to hear, “What’s a podcast?” I look forward to the day when the seats are filled with people who are beyond the podcasting 101 stage. I’m anxious to start having those discussions that take us well beyond the “What gear are you using?” to “What strategy are you using?”

I hope my pilot had more sleep than I.

Technorati: pme, podcast expo 2006, podcasting

The Friday podcast was delayed because I forgot all my downloading equipment in Toronto. I’ve got interviews with Joanne Colan, Tim Bourquin, Robert Scoble, Ron Moore, Tim Street and Scott Bourne. Some interesting thoughts from these interesting people about podcasting. I’ll put it up on Monday.

I finally had a chance to sit in on the corporate podcasting track here at the Podcast Expo. I sat in on Peter Levitan’s presentation called Podcasting: Marketing’s New Change-Agent. Peter, who’s President of Ralston360, gave tips on how to integrate podcasting into a corporation’s current marketing strategy.

Peter talked about his Big 4.

1. Create a creative brief. Define the target market, the intended action item, the key message.
2. Determine a budget. How much are you willing to spend on a podcasting strategy.
3. Hire a pro. Listeners are now demanding that it sounds professional.
4. Integrate. Mention your podcast in your brochures, on your website and in other communication tools.

Peter also mentioned that if you’re trying to convince your peers or your CEO to podcast, don’t send them on a goose chase to download podcasts in iTunes. Instead:

1. Hand him or her a few podcasts on a CD.
2. Tell him or her to listen to it on the drive home.
3. Then, tell him or her that your company needs to offer this type of content for free online.

Some great points.

Technorati: pme, podcast expo 2006, podcasting, peter levitan

Here’s a list of the presentations I missed yesterday. Most of them were in the corporate podcasting track, however, I understand that they’ve been recorded and will be released on the Podcast & Portable Media Expo website sometime in the near future.

Solving the Corporate Dilemma: Create Your Own Podcast or Advertise On an Existing Show? by Michael Geoghegan, CEO of Gigavox. I was sitting in Scott Bourne’s presentation while Michael’s was going on. I’m curious to know how Michael answered this question and whether he prefers one approach over the other.

Integrating Podcasts into the Marketing Mix: Building a Business Case and Demonstrating Value by Eric Schwartzman, CEO of Schwartzman & Associates. I was sitting in Paul Colligan’s presentation at the time. I’d like to have known what tools one can use to measure success with a podcasting strategy.

Podcast to Your Employees and Improve Your Internal Communications by Shel Holtz, Principal of Holtz Communication & Technology and host of For Immediate Release. I was talking to a publisher and then ended up debating with some guy on how to sell a podcast solution while Shel was speaking. I wonder if Shel shared some case studies of corporations currently using podcasting as an internal communications tool.

Again, the recordings of these sessions will be available at some point in the future, so once they are, I’ll post an update.

Technorati: pme, podcast expo 2006, podcasting, eric schwartzman, shel holtz, Michael Geoghegan

Sitting here listening to Paul Colligan, co-author of The Business Podcasting Bible and overall a pretty savvy marketing guy. Here are some points:

• Podcasts don’t make money, clicks on websites do. Use your podcast to lead people to your website (this is what I preach).
• CPMs on podcasts will go away very soon as soon as people figure out how to really make money from podcasts.
• The seven monetization strategies:

1. Benefactor - Sponsorships, tip jars, donations.
2. Newsletters - Give people a reason to subscribe, then send out your ezine weekly.
3. Merchandising - Sell items on your website or through cafepress.com. Mention these products in your podcast.
4. Premium Podcast Content - Have people pay to hear your podcast. Use audible.com.
5. Commissioned Sales - Otherwise known as affiliate marketing, mention products in your podcast, list the affiliate links in your show notes. When your listeners buy, you get a portion of the sales.
6. Web Clicks - Use adsense to drive people to your website, then offer a community complete with transcripts, boards and comments that listeners can participate in.
7. Sell Your Own Products - Digital is better as you keep more of the profits. Use PayPal.com or AutomateSales.com to do this. Mention your products in your podcast, then lead people to your website to purchase the download.

Technorati: pme, podcast expo 2006, podcasting, paul colligan

Scott Bourne, host of PodcastingTricks.com and a host over on the TWIT network, gave some tips on how to keep your sponsors and advertisers based on his many years in the broadcast field. Some points:

• When you make first contact, sell the appointment, not the sponsorship.
• Always keep in mind that you’re trying to help people.
• If you know what they want, you can help them with a solution.
• Handle objections with empathy, not with whining or additional objections.
• Feel - Felt - Found is a perfect formula in dealing with objections, for example:

Prospect says, “The price is too high.”

You say, “I understand how you feel. Many others felt that way, but I found that with the type of customer service I provide, my price is very competitive.”

• 90% of business is lost because we don’t close the sale, so just ask for it.
• Once you have the sale, develop an ad that focuses on the benefits and not hte features.
• Have a call to action in your ad by asking the audience to do something.
• Start your ad with headlines, such as, “Don’t you just hate it when…” or “If you do this right now…” or “Are you tired of…”

Technorati: scott bourne, pme, podcast expo 2006, podcasting, podcasting tricks