The businesses that look to get the most out of the Internet these days go past the written word, to audio and video. Putting jargon aside, this means putting video and/or audio on your website. It also means you have a podcast, and could potentially get a link to your website through submitting your podcast to the iTunes directory! It’s a great way to get more traffic to your site.
With the technologies available today, recording audio or video for your website can done by anyone at a low price, and is an enormous effort in your on-line marketing.
A client I work with is in the alternative health care industry, and we have been getting ready to relaunch her site as a blog. After signing up for a service I use called Audio Acrobat, she made her first recording by phone for her homepage (like I said, the technology is there). It got me thinking that this client, who does not love technology nearly as much as I do, now had the power to record herself. Should she commit to recording regularly, her podcast will be an excellent addition to getting more website visitors by growing her on-line presence.
I think that planning for a podcast is like a blog or anything you’ll want to publish. Today I started searching around for ideas my client might be able to use, and I found this site, which I thought was a good example of audio for the alternative healers. It may not be everyones’ thing to record themselves, but the idea and personality comes through in a way reading can not, and it is a part of the overall marketing strategy to grow an audience for your teachings, books, affiliate products, what have you.
http://www.theglobalheart.org/free_transformational_tools.html
This is just one example I found with a quick google search and some surfing. I noticed I could not find it using iTunes, which was interesting. If you have any number of segments or plan to create audio/video going forward, make 100% sure that your audio is created to go on your website, but also on iTunes, where a whole world of people searching for things to listen to and watch are searching, and then they want more and end up at your website.
How do you get this project going?
- Research what’s out there. Search on-line, and with iTunes. You might even find an “angle” for your podcast just by listening to others.
- Determine how you will create the recording you desire. You can go to a professional studio, do it yourself if you know how, or do it yourself with a little help. Services like Audio Acrobat let you record-by-phone or on-line, and put it on your website as well as create a podcast from it.
- Set up your podcast in iTunes. Any webmaster should be able to put audio on your website, but make sure it goes on iTunes as well and let’s people “subscribe” with ease to your podcast. This one extra set up step, and one-time task if done correctly, makes all the difference.
- Submit your podcast to other podcast directories for maximum exposure. One more reason to go out and get more and more links pointing at your website… a highly recommended method for growing website traffic.
I have to admit that podcasting is not for everyone for a variety of reasons, but if you are going to make the effort of recording even one piece of audio for a homepage, you are on your way to creating a whole new avenue of website visitors by creating the podcast.
If you are stuck in the water and feel this could work for you, contact me today with your questions.
What about your podcast? Comment below…