According to Entreprenuer.com, the definition of a podcast is: A podcast is a pre-recorded audio program that's posted to a website and is made available for download so people can listen to them on personal computers or mobile devices (http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/159122.html).
Why is podcasting so popular? According to Podcast Alley: “What makes podcasting special is that it allows individuals to publish (podcast) radioshows, that interested listeners can subscribe to. Before podcasting you could of course record a radio show and put it on your website, but now people can automatically receive new shows, without having to go to a specific site and download it from there (http://www.podcastalley.com/what_is_a_podcast.php).
How can IMC Practitioners use Podcasting to differentiate or enhance their current strategies and tactics? What distinguishes a podcast from other types of audio products on the internet is that a podcaster can solicit subscriptions from listeners, so that when new podcasts are released, they can automatically be delivered, or fed, to a subscriber's computer or mobile device. Usually, the podcast features an audio show with new episodes that are fed to your computer either sporadically or at planned intervals, such as daily or weekly. Just like the old radio serials of the 1930s and 40s, this format encourages listeners to subscribe so they can find out "what happens next" (http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/159122.html).
What are some mobile devices podcasts be downloaded onto? As long as you listen to podcasts only on your computer (the vast majority of podcast subscribers do), you don't need any special software other than the audio player, such as a Windows Media Player or RealPlayer, you already have on your computer. But if you want to subscribe to a podcast feed, you'll need to install "podcatcher" software on your computer. The most popular podcatcher software is iTunes (http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/159122.html). From here, subscribers can download their favorite podcast to subscribers' iPods, cellphones & Blackberry’s, iTunes directories, or other locations to listen to whenever they want (http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/digitalmedia/2005/07/20/WhatIsPodcasting.html).
Who subscribes to Podcasts and how can IMC Practitioners get a more detailed picture of their respective target audience? Quancast is a great resource for any IMC practitioner who is thinking about including podcasts to their marketing communications strategies.
That’s it for now. Next time, we will briefly explore how to use podcasting to promote your site. Until then, I encourage feedback and comments about you experiences with podcasting ( http://segment-specific-media.blogspot.com/).
~ Dan
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1 comment:
Hey Dan,
Thank you for the first installment of what will be a very interesting series about podcasting.
I don't listen to podcasts myself (being recently unfrozen from cave days!) since I don't follow any particular show. Do you?
I really appreciate the introduction to this media in easy-to-understand language. Looking forward to the next post!
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