Using Podcasts For Expert Status

One hugely advantageous aspect of using podcasting as part of your marketing strategy is what it can do for your positioning.

So what exactly do I mean by that?

Well, producing a podcast can allow your business to create a valuable identity as a leader in your field, whilst enhancing your credibility too. By doing this, you could quickly find yourself becoming an authority in your industry, which is no bad thing.

It is also extremely doubtful that any of your competitors will be doing podcasting, or any other significant marketing strategies for that matter and so straight away you’re more than a step ahead of them.

You Can This Guerrilla Marketing Strategy

Why not, as a way of adding more value for your listeners, interview some of your top customers and use these interviews as powerful marketing tools for your business?

By doing this, what you are doing is leveraging something called ’social proof’. Social proof is exactly what a testimonial is, and by having this in audio format this will be infinitely more powerful than a written testimonial.

This will help prospects to visualise exactly why they should be doing business with you, as opposed to your nearest competitors.

It also cements your authority in your given industry.

Of course it would also be wise to use these very same recordings as testimonials and have them put on your website, so ensure that you ask the customers that you’re interviewing to voice their opinion of your products or services.

Plus, you could create customer loyalty as most of us like to be asked our opinions on something, and this may demonstrate to your top customers that they are indeed valued, and that their views and opinions do count.

The Double Whammy Effect Takes Place

This could potentially have a double whammy effect on your business as well. To begin with, you could get some excellent publicity from doing this as you’re customers will love you for it, plus you’re able to showcase your expertise in your particular area of business.

The double whammy effect takes place because this will in turn enhance your credibility, and the way that you are perceived by your peers, competitors, prospective customers, and of course your current clients.

You’re competitors will also be both curious and worried as to what you are up to.

Why Not Use Your Competition To Your Advantage?

So in that case, why not interview your competitors? As long as you position it correctly, they will probably be more than happy to have you interview them as it will give them so notoriety and publicity, however as it is you interviewing them, you will be perceived as the expert, and not them.

So they’re getting what they want, which is some publicity, but you’re also getting what you want, which is enhanced credibility of your expert status.

And if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably know from your own experience that most people love to talk about their expertise, their family and just generally about themselves.

This means that you probably know several people that ramble on and on about what they’ve done this week, last week and last month. These could be prime candidates for interviewing and as you will be seen as the expert, the benefits to your business could be enormous.

I hope this article gives you some insight in to just how effective a podcast could be in enhancing your businesses reputation and standing. And as you will have read in Part One of this article, it really is not that difficult to produce a podcast, so what are you waiting for?

It is evident these days that with the continual advances in technology that we’re seeing, the ability to record and produce a podcast has now become a pretty simplistic task. You certainly no longer need radio station or studio-quality recording equipment in order to produce a good quality podcast for your audience.

But why do it in the first place?

What Is A Podcast?

Well, lets start by looking at exactly what a podcast is. To put it into its simplest terms, a podcast is essentially an audio clip (or audio file) that can be placed (often referred to as embedded) anywhere on your website, and can potentially be listened to by anyone who visits your site.

Podcasting first became popular in 2005 with the launch of iTunes. If the latest statistics are to be believed, and given the current trends in the sales of portable media devices, as many as 275 million people around the world will own a portable media player by the year 2011.

This fact alone clearly demonstrates the popularity of listening on the move, or at least listening when it is convenient.

So why is this important?

Well, for prospects or customers who are interested in the audio that you have produced, it can also be downloaded onto an mp3 media device or onto a computer. In addition, there is also the possibility that people may want to subscribe to your podcasts, and as you’ll find out in Part Two of this article, this is something that can provide huge potential success and opportunities for your business.

So one critical reason why podcasts offer such potential benefits for your business is by downloading it, your listener can digest your podcast at a convenient time to them.

This is an important distinction because it fits in perfectly within the new ‘permission marketing’ framework that I have mentioned in previous articles. If you can use a media (such as podcasting) that your target audience is using and is comfortable with, you have an opportunity to get your message across more effectively.

Providing Choice Is So Important

Having a choice of how and when to see or hear your company’s message fits in perfectly with the way that your potential customers live their lives today. It can also carry more weight and effectiveness, as you are not ramming your company’s message down the throat of every poor, unsuspecting person that walks by.

This is one of the reasons why podcasts are as popular as they are. We all have so little time on our hands these days and we are bombarded with literally hundreds upon hundreds of marketing messages each and every day. But with a podcast, it can be downloaded and listened to at home, at work, on the train, on the tube, in fact anywhere.

And by producing podcasts your business will be perceived as being different. This is also very important, and something that I will cover in Part Two of this article.

Part One of this article walked you through the basics of why social media can benefit your business’ marketing strategy. Part Two will now look at some specific reasons why, and explain how you can leave your competition trailing in your wake.

As consumers these days, we are all so busy with life. We work hard, we spend time with our children and our families and we do not have time to necessarily stop what we are doing in order to be ’sold to’, which is really how things used to work.

That has all changed now however.

The order of the day now is subtly dove-tailing your marketing message within a medium, a means of communication that your target audience is already using. This means that your company’s message will not feel like an interruption at all, merely another aspect of the social media environment that your target audience is engrossed in.

Why The Internet Is So Important

One of the reasons why the internet is now becoming increasingly popular, is because it can literally be accessed from anywhere on the planet.

The introduction and accessibility of laptop computers, palmtop computers and mobile phones with internet technology (WAP enabled phones) means that you can now be online ‘on the go’ in virtually any environment that you choose.

You may well already be benefiting from this, as you can be communicating with employees and work colleagues, clients and even family or friends from a train or a taxi cab. Suddenly journeys which would have previously been ‘dead’ time as little as 20 years ago, can now be used productively.

So the internet provides convenience in our lives. What it can also do is provide instant information, and in an age where we tend to like most things done yesterday, the internet is often the first thing someone uses in order to seek information.

Beware, Things Are Not What They Used To Be

And so integrating your marketing into media where people are more likely to see you, much the same as a billboard on a busy street, is why the internet is beneficial for your business. The one difference is however, that with marketing in general, the rules have now changed.

There is now a new term in marketing called ‘permission marketing’. This effectively means that the ‘old way of doing things’, so simply just barging in and advertising your businesses’ products and services to the world doesn’t work any more.

The way that these social media sites work could lend itself perfectly to your business. One of the main benefits is the sheer speed at which communication takes place using social media. This speed can be used to potentially see your company’s marketing message passed from person to person in double quick time.

In fact, your company’s message can spread just like a virus, hence the term ‘viral’ that is now common place in the marketing dictionary.

The fact is that we are more likely to trust a recommendation of a product or service from someone that we trust. And by it’s very nature, this is one thing that social media can provide for your business. This also makes for an extremely powerful tool and rewards the businesses who are able to provide a great product or service, backed up by fantastic customer service and after sales service.

If your business is able to deliver on all three fronts then you’re not only going to have many satisfied customers, but potentially many more prospects knocking at your door too.

In the social media arena, views and opinions can be shared between friends (or by you too), and photographs, audio and video can also be used. This is yet another reason why social media is so powerful.

So to bring this article to a close, I would also like to just suggest something to you that could quite possibly send your business global.

If this is something that appeals to you, is relevant to your business or is an option that you’ve been considering, then you’ll find this hugely important.

How To Reach A World Wide Audience – Fast

When I look at my Facebook profile at the time of writing this article, I see that roughly one sixth of my ‘friends’ are located overseas, so not in the UK. Do you think that this could open up some possibilities for you in getting your product or service international exposure? You bet it is.

Going global may not necessarily be on your business’ agenda. It might not be something that you think is right for your business at this moment in time, but the opportunity is most certainly there if you do want to branch out.

Potentially all it’s going to cost you to have your product or service seen by a world wide audience is a small investment of time and a well planned and executed strategy. Just imagine what the results could be.

Social media will not work for every business of course. Its just like any other means of marketing in that respect, however it may just be the medium that propels your business to the next level, and who knows where that could lead?

In Part One of this article I discussed why it is important to understand who your market is and why trying to market your product or service to everyone is a huge mistake to make.

Part Two will now go into more detail as to how you can do this quickly and easily, as well as identifying what you should and should not do in order to maximise your success.

When assessing who your ideal potential customers are, you may well already have a reasonable idea based upon the existing customers that you have. If you keep a database or list of your current customers, you should start thinking about grouping them logically based upon current factors – it may be based upon income or age perhaps? This is an ideal way to start and it will get you thinking in the right direction for the future.

Use What You Already Have

Once you have been through your list of current clients, you can then begin to think about future clients and how you can start targeting them. You will of course already have an insight into what your target audience is, based upon the customers that you already have. You simply have to go out there and find more of the same.

And once again, all it takes is a little work and effort on your part, but the results can be astonishingly successful when you do this correctly, so a little effort can go a long way. I cannot emphasise enough that the money and effort that you’ll be saving in the long run will more than outweigh the initial effort that you have to put in to this.

If one of the demographics you wanted to target was income, do you think you and your team could target the more wealthy areas in your town or city? Of course you could.

You Can Probably Start Doing This Today

All this requires in its most basic form is that you or someone from your team drives around in order to establish where the wealth could be, so big houses and luxury cars could be your first reference point. If you’re more than familiar with the town or city that you operate in, and the surrounding areas in the locality, you probably have a good idea already as to where you could begin targeting.

You can also do a lot worse that by using mailing lists too, as these can be very effective for identifying a target market. In the UK (where I am based), there are several decent companies who provide this service, and they allow you to drill down to your target audience based on certain criteria and parametres.

Once you have established some geographical areas (or whichever criteria you have chosen) to target, you need to find the appropriate means to contact them. You could use direct mail which can be very, very effective and bring a good ROI (Return On Investment) if implemented correctly.

Do Not Fall Into This Trap

Success also comes from not just trying once and then giving up because the uptake the first time around was not what you’d hoped. Certainly in the direct mail arena there are creative strategies that involve your prospect receiving four, five or more mailings and so the first mailing is merely the first piece of a larger puzzle.

At this point you may start looking at your business in a slightly different way. You might be assessing and evaluating what the benefits of your products or services are to your customers, rather than focusing on the features. This process will also enable you to eventually create an unstoppable USP, and together with your focus on your business’s benefits to its clients, you can now market your business with a message that has the correct and desired impact

You have also now found your ideal, target market by looking at your current clientele, as well as the aspirations of perhaps where your business would like to be in the future, or indeed where it should be, and this will have you streets ahead of your competition.

And one of the first things to often be reduced is, you’ve guessed it, a marketing budget. Hmm, big, big mistake!

Now I know you’re possibly all thinking “Well he would say that, wouldn’t he?” but let me explain why I feel it is a huge mistake.

First of all, pretty much every business will be thinking the same way, so by continuing to market your business relatively aggressively you could pick up additional business from your marketing budget cutting competitors.

Secondly, the single biggest challenge in a recession is getting people to spend money and if you’re not advertising special deals, services, packages – whatever it is you’re doing, you’re not going to bring in the level of sales that you need.

I’m not talking about throwing silly money at advertising (in fact, this is something I would NEVER advise, let alone in a recession) but strategic, targeted and focused campaigns with a specific goal in mind.

A recession can sometimes help a business

Strange statement some of you may think eh? Well, let me tell you that in the leaner times, a business often has to adapt much more stringent and focused tactics and strategies – and these can often set a good tone for future business.

To succeed in a recession, every part of your marketing campaign should be accountable so that you know how to react in a down market, to get maximum returns for all the money you invest in marketing. Equally though, this should be your strategy when the good times return too. You need to test, tweak and improve everything, and know where your sales are coming from (ie: which form of advertising).

Know your unique selling proposition

Next, you have to take a look at your unique selling proposition, as this is what helps grab the attention of prospective customers. It helps differentiate you from your competitors. So if you find that your USP does not clearly tell prospects how they will benefit from using your product or services, you may end up an irrelevant commodity.

It is important that your USP be prominent, easily found and is updated in your TV, direct, mail, website and all other marketing media. In fact, before you start your new marketing campaign, you should place your USP at the forefront of your marketing campaign – this is absolutely critical to success and something that many of your competitors will NOT be doing.

Ok, so that’s it for this post. I’ll be back in a few days with some more strategies and as ever, if you have any questions then please do contact me.

So obviously, the idea would be to have a list of prospective customers to send your emails to, right?

It’s an old adage in the internet marketing world that “the money is in the list”. This is most certainly true to a degree, but a word of warning in that a large list is not necessarily best.

That may shock a few people. Surely a large list is better than a small list? Well yes, but it all boils down to the quality of that list. It can be quite easy to build a large list but what I opt for is a list of educated, highly targeted prospects, not a list comprising of dozens of ‘tire kickers’ who are not really interested in your business, or your emails for that matter.

I have learned this over the years, and so I can now pass my knowledge on to you.

What the professionals do

The art is in ensuring that people that opt in to your email list have a valid reason for doing so. Sure, you’re always going to get some time wasters and ‘tire kickers’ as they’re called, but it is very possible to minimize that.

Having a quality, valuable call to action that your prospect is genuinely interested in is a great way to get them to opt in to your list. Once you’ve got them, you need to give them more quality, valuable content – not too much, but just enough.

You don’t want to bombard them with emails, but educate them on your products and services and let them get to know you better. This develops trust, credibility and rapport.

Ok, well I think that should keep you motivated until my next post, so see you all soon.

1.    First and foremost, you have to ensure that your press release is a catchy and newsworthy one. This can be best done with a tie-in, so this means that the press release should be written in such a way that it triggers the reader’s curiosity through headings that attract human interest, has novelty in it, is inspirational or has something extremely newsworthy.

2.    The second rule is to ensure that it is short and sweet. If the press release does not fit onto an A4 page, then it is too long for a press release.

3.    This is because of the third rule of an effective press release, which is that the press release is meant to be a prologue to an actual story. You should never be telling the whole story through the press release, as it should have sufficient content to make readers call on you for the continuation of the ‘story’.

4.    The best way to do this is by using ‘teaser’ types of questions and statement in your copy. These should be constructed in such a way that the reader’s curiosity drives them to want to know the answer to the questions.

5.    Also, when having a press release done for you, it’s a good idea to ensure that you use some sound bytes or good one liners. This makes the press release more interesting and memorable to the reader, as well as keeping it short and snappy. And this all contributes to having an interested and intriguing piece of writing that readers will want to read, and importantly, want to know more about.

If you are writing offline press releases, make sure you write them in such a way that they don’t tell its readers absolutely everything. One of the purposes of a press release is to tease its reader, and have them curious to find out more.

This is why you should write a short press release that has lots of white space, plenty of paragraphs so it just isn’t big blocks of text, and perhaps most important of all, it should have a great headline that pulls the attention of readers.

Offline and online press releases are different

Creating the right story for the press release is the key to distribution of the press release, as well as its readership. If the press release doesn’t look worthy for the front page of a newspaper, then don’t expect too much of a response from it.

Bear it in mind that offline and online press releases are different entities. While the objective of an offline press release is generally to get media coverage, in case of an online press release, its objective lies in search engine optimization. So never expect much media coverage from an online press release, as they tend to be written to promote a business in the search engines.

I must add this point however, that there are now specific companies out there that I use that CAN promote the press release in order to get additional media coverage. But as a general rule, it is used solely to promote a site.

While writing online press releases, your focus should be on the keyword phrase you want to optimize on. This is the keyword that should be present in the web page that is linked to the online press release.

Give them a reason to click

To ensure readers click on the keyword to your website, you have to give them a reason to do so. This means you should offer a free bonus, a free service, a free e-book or even the completion of the story you had started in the press release, to the reader.

Remember that while offline press releases can often directly lead to sales, online press releases may not necessarily have the same instantaneous effect. They will primarily drive visitors to your website, and so it is the job of your website to convert that visitor into a sale. If you want to learn how to create a killer press release, just wait for my next post!

I have always felt that an autoresponder is an often under-utilised piece of software, as they can be used to educate your prospects, pre-qualify them into using your products or services, provide answers to frequently asked questions, provide information to quicken a sales transaction and for building client loyalty by providing quick response.

However, copywriting for an autoresponder series can prove to be difficult for most people, and so I have some advice today for this very subject.

One of the biggest initial challenges is to get your prospect to open your email, and the most effective way of doing this is by using a compelling subject line. Once you have achieved this, you must continue with some useful, compelling content in your email which will coax your prospect into clicking from the email to a site, or to take some course of action.

For either reason, you have to be able to first make your prospect read at least a part of your email instead of sending it to the recycle bin, like other promotional and spam emails. In addition to this, you have to effectively write your email so that it goes past the spam filters and ISPs which just go on dumping emails.

Besides uploading your website files on the server, you can also upload the robot txt file, because this file is effective in telling crawlers which directories to crawl or not to crawl. This way, you can prevent the crawling of pages of your site that you don’t want, such as a “terms of service” page or a “policies” page, or even other pages that don’t actually give value to users from search engines.

The pages you make should be meant for users, and not for search engines. This does not mean you have to try displaying different content to search engines and users. This is considered a form of deceit, and is called ‘cloaking’.

Web spammers are of no use

Though web spammers may have sites with a decent page rank at the moment, it is very short term focused, and therefore not advisable to link up with them. Any alliance with them will only lead to your ranking and PR getting affected by the links.

Similarly, you should not take part in any link schemes that seem to increase your site rankings and PR, these do not work either.

It is always better to submit your website to directories and search engines manually. This way you are sure of where you submit your website, and are sure you are not involved in any black hat techniques.

Never attempt to use hidden text or links on your website as this is a black hat technique. Similarly, don’t attempt using cloaking or any other form of sneaky redirects.

Doorway pages only block your passage

Though it is better to have more web pages in your website, you have to ensure they are unique. Creating various pages, sub domains and domains that lead to duplicate content will only end up with your site getting blacklisted in Google.

In the meantime, don’t create any ‘doorway’ pages that have little or no original content in a bid to increase the number of web pages in your website. This is not entertained by Google.

Don’t attempt sending automated queries to of any form to Google and don’t attempt to use any unethical tricks to improve your search engine rankings. It may create a momentary increase in your page rankings; however you eventually end up blacklisted in Google.