"Sometimes you come up with an idea that requires creative and technical wizardry to provide an internal client with exceptional value. Then, after the initial excitement has worn off, the scale and difficulty of the task becomes apparent. 
WHY PODCAST?
An overview of why podcasting is increasingly popular, what it involves and how you could introduce it into your own organisation.
Audio Attitudes
When I was given an i-Pod, I was immediately excited by the thought of all the music I would be able to load onto it. But then a friend told me that he used his not so much for music, but for listening to all of the weekly radio shows he missed due to work and travel. My usage is now similar to his but what has changed is my attitude to how I now receive and absorb information. The very act of my choosing to subscribe to certain Podcasts means that I have expressed a voluntary wish to be kept informed on certain subjects and topics. 
This change in the way we access and receive relevant information will have a growing impact on how you communicate with your customers and employees. The rapid growth in mobile audio players means that the majority of your employees will be accessible to you in a way they have never been before.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that podcasting is all about delivery via an i-Pod. Studies have shown that:
80% of students prefer to listen via their computer
rather than on a portable device. It is the quality of what you produce and the effectiveness of it that counts. How and where employees listen is the easy part.
What is a Podcast?
A podcast is a recording of a radio show, news broadcast or audio event that can be delivered to you via a website or a portable audio player, e.g. an i-Pod or mobile phone.
Broadcasters and newspaper publishers now routinely make podcasts. This means you can listen to what they produce at any time so long as you have the right software to ‘subscribe’ to the podcast.
Subscribing to a podcast means that each time you open your podcast ‘aggregator' it automatically updates the appropriate podcast from a broadcaster/publisher. The most well-known 'aggregator' is itunes but there are numerous other products which specialise in ‘aggregating’, i.e. pulling together different podcasts.
Podcasting Examples
A programme on weekly film reviews is a good example of a podcast. Every time the programme is broadcast, a podcast is made of it. So, every time you log on to your ‘aggregator’, the latest recording of the programme is made available. You can then listen to it via the computer or download it onto your mobile audio player. The film review can then be listened to while you are travelling to work or going for a walk.
The number of podcasts you can subscribe to is unlimited. You might want to listen to current affairs, an arts review, training seminars or a company news bulletin. Once you have downloaded the podcasts, you are free to listen to whatever you want, whenever you want.
It's Your Opportunity
Don’t be fooled into thinking that podcasting is the preserve of the professional broadcaster or publisher. The podcast is the perfect communication tool to train and inform staff, communicate new products or services, or to keep investors up to date with corporate news. The only difference is that the broadcasters and publishers are a little ahead of you in knowing how to use the medium to communicate to their future market. The same opportunities exist for you too.
Corporate Podcasting
Podcasting offers you a way of delivering relevant information to your employees. Given the growing popularity of mobile technology, there is also a high probability that in using this medium, you will be pushing at an open door when it comes to employee willingness and acceptance.
Podcasting can be used to deliver:
- Audio seminars — recorded by in-house or external subject matter experts
- Corporate news — as an enhancement to corporate newsletters
- Induction — as a way of complementing the face-to-face elements
- Product updates — to explain features and benefits
- Sales training — so that mobile sales teams don’t miss out
- Interpersonal skills training — dramatised right way/wrong way examples
- CEO updates — so that everyone is informed, involved and inspired
- Project reviews — to record those invaluable lessons learnt
- Financial updates — for both external and internal consumption
- Chat shows — have fun and produce one of your own!
This article can be printed and if you would like to learn more about podcasting, you may wish to read other articles on the site: 'How To Start Podcasting', 'Podcasting Formats' and 'Personality Branding'.
If you would like to discuss in more detail the ways in which podcasting could improve your communications strategy, then please contact me directly for more information.
Joe Pélissier