Website Promotion -Prevent Costly Mistakes

By Osvaldo Malone

Here is another fantastic way to get your name "out-there" and get people visiting your website.



PodCasting!

Podcasting is Audio (and/or Video) that you create on your computer (or via other means, and then load into your computer) that you then share and let others listen and/or view.

There are large numbers of Podcasting sites that allow you to upload your audio or video presentation, and then attach a description and information about the presentation. Once this is done, people who visit these podcast sites can "find" your podcast and hopefully if it is interesting enough to them, they will subscribe to your "feed" (similar to a mailing list, but for audio/video) and then be automatically notified whenever you release a new audio or video.

Now generally the "feed" is not controlled by you (unlike a regular mailing list) but rather is controlled by the podcast directory and a podcast "reader" which is software (often free) that you can use to automatically check whether new content is available for your selected "feeds" and to then get downloaded automatically.

You can then watch or listen to the downloaded presentation at your leisure, copy to your iPod, etc. It's really quite cool.

One of the biggest names in PodCasting is iTunes. You've probably heard of iTunes and wondered what it is. iTunes is software that is supplied by Apple (the Mac people) that you can download for free and it will manage all your podcast "feeds" as well as your music and video collection on your computer, and even allow you to buy music (and podcasts) via it's iTunes store.

Apple have versions of iTunes for both Windows and Mac and it is completely free to download.

Now iTunes is big business, ten of thousands of people download stuff from it every day, so this is probably the first site you want to try and get your podcast listed on.

Many people claim to be experts in the area of website promotion. We suggest you do some careful research yourself first before jumping in.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, first things first, lets discuss what you could be putting into the audio / video.

If your like me, and have a great face for radio, don't despair. You don't necessarily need to produce video content, audio is perfectly acceptable for many subscribers, as it's something you can do (listen to) anywhere (although with video iPods available these days this is also true for Video).

First and foremost you presentation should be adding value to your listeners/viewers. A hard sell sales presentation won't be worth much to listeners/viewers (at least probably not to those who's first experience of you is via the audio/video), rather it should be quality relevant content that will appeal to listeners with an interest in your niche market.

Bear in mind that it's highly likely that when you upload a presentation for inclusion in iTunes, it will be reviewed manually by a human, and if it's just a hyped up call to action to buy something chances are they may not approve it for inclusion. And even if they did approve it, listeners are going to be turned off when they hear it especially if you have not previously built up a relationship with them.

I suggest an interview is a great idea for a podcast. Put together a set of questions and answers to common problems that you "solve" on your website, and have some one interview you. Save the audio file and then upload to iTunes!

Another idea (once you get a few podcasts completed) is an overview of your product or services, but again not a hard sell, but a detailed list of what you can do or case studies on how you have helped other customers previously.

Just remember it needs to be interesting to listen to, so make sure you target it to your customers needs and to be solving problems that your potential customers may be facing.

You may find iTunes wants a series of podcasts before adding you to their directory, so it would be sensible to do 2-3 podcasts if possible and then submit them for inclusion as a group.

If you plan to host your podcasts yourself, be very careful and consider if you have another bandwidth to do so, particularly if your feeds get picked up by lots of people.

Because of the nature of podcasts (audio or video) the files can end up being huge, so It's very important that you plan this out in advance as you may find once you get successful and have a reasonable number of people listening to your podcasts, that you will be putting your server in meltdown and be running out of quota. This could mean your ISP closes down your website!

Don't be victim to this, plan for getting bigger from day 1, and assume you are going to be successful and put the right steps in place so you have sufficient bandwidth when things take off.

Either put all your efforts into getting listed in iTunes or other large Podcast sites, or if your going to do it yourself, invest in a reasonable PodCast hosting company who specializes in Podcasts.

A decent alternative to iTunes for hosting your iTunes (especially if your have trouble getting iTunes to actually accept your podcasts is a company called Liberated Syndication. I suggest you check out their website, they are one of the best out there, and give outstanding value for money and in some cases it's free.

Remember all podcasters had to start somewhere, and some of the bigger ones actually have paid advertising now (where sponsors pay the podcaster for an advertisement to be placed in the podcast). This could end up to be a really nice little money earner for you as well as provide great value for your listeners. - 32528

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From Montana to Bombay: Marketing Solutions That Work

By Nelson Pellew

Though by no means a precise science, the best way to understand the needs of the modern consumers is to ask them what they are. This may seem rather straightforward, but many a business has been predicated on providing a product or service that, in the end, fails to do much more than waste a great deal of time and capital. To maximize the ever-crucial return-on-investment, it would be prudent for all parties involved to sample public opinion beforehand.

Long the court of last resort for global conglomerates, the focus group and the consumer panel have passed judgment on all manner of would-be products and prototypical services. Of course, while it is tremendously important to sample the group you wish to ultimately target, it is by no means a foolproof methodology. If it were, would we be subjected to jalapeno jelly or Gogurt?

The obvious failures aside, there is something to be said for online market research. It is worth mentioning that it is not only the would-be business that stands to lose, but the consumer is potentially robbed of an opportunity to have a product that meets their needs. The process of consumer reviews and feedback allow for a dialogue between the supplier and the consumer.

Why only sell in southwest Montana when you have a potential market in northeast Bombay? Most product review firms, or consultancies, can also target overseas markets. This, obviously, broadens the scope and potential appeal of goods and services. Knowing the extent of your appeal is crucial. The basic tenant of successful ventures is know as much as you can, for as little as you can pay.

Of course, modern online marketing strategies surpass merely having demographically correct participants fill out standardized bubble tests. Understanding your audience requires more than choosing on a scale of one to five, with five being the highest. Marketing firms worth their salt should have access to extensive databases and cutting-edge technology. They should be able to access global markets and provide extensive, actionable feedback. - 32528

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